Kinds
Furniture legs whose height can be adjusted are more convenient to use than non-adjustable products. They have wider functionality than non-adjustable products, as they allow you to eliminate uneven floor coverings by installing furniture at the height that suits family members.
By shape
Adjustable furniture legs are manufactured today for a variety of designs, come in different shapes and have specific operational parameters. With the help of such devices, the product stands firmly on the base, does not wobble, looks holistic, concise, and attractive. They are highly resistant to impact, strong, durable, and practical. This is important to understand when selecting such products for your home.
Many furniture stores offer furniture legs of different shapes. Let us describe their operational parameters below:
- single elements - straight, curved, roller (reminiscent of a wheel in shape), shaped supports;
- folding models - used mainly for transformable tables. Such products are compact in size when folded, so the table itself does not take up much free space, which is very important in small apartments.
To size
You should not think that the design of such structures is limited to a few shapes and a couple of color schemes. Today, manufacturers delight customers with a huge number of furniture legs of various shapes with the ability to adjust the height of the product. We will describe them further.
The adjusting mechanism of furniture supports allows you to choose the installation height of a furniture set, cabinet or cabinet at your discretion. This is extremely important if there are floor deviations from the horizontal.
Based on size, such products are divided into several groups:
- low - such a product has a height of 50-60 mm and is used for such pieces of furniture as cabinets, coffee tables, kitchen units;
- medium - the height of the models ranges from 60 to 80 mm;
- high - have a height ranging from 80 to 850 mm. The highest options are used for tables. As a result, its surface is set at the optimal level for a person.
According to the material of manufacture
Today, furniture fittings manufacturers use three main materials and various combinations of them in their production process. For the manufacture of furniture supports, plastic, metal, wood are used:
- Metal legs visually look very beautiful and laconic. They are successfully combined with other metal parts of the kitchen unit, shelving, and wardrobe. Such products allow you to quickly update the external aesthetics of furniture, complementing it with a subtle style that is not flashy luxury. Models made of aluminum and chrome are in demand on the domestic market. Almost no negative factor present in a living space can spoil the appearance of a metal support;
- supports made of plastic do not look as catchy as those made of metal, but are characterized by wider variations in size and functionality. Such products are relevant for various types of kitchen furniture of different sizes and purposes. There are also wide color variations of plastic legs, but they do not last as long, because mechanical stress extremely spoils the aesthetics of the plastic surface;
- wooden - such designs are relevant for sofas, armchairs, dining groups in the kitchen. Wooden supports are decorated with carvings, turning them into a real work of furniture art. But natural wood has average resistance to moisture, so you should not allow wooden furniture legs that are adjustable in height to come into contact with water for a long time.
For furniture made of natural wood, you may prefer a combination of metal and wooden overlays, which in tandem perfectly imitate the aesthetics of wood, but retain high strength.
Wooden
Metal
Plastic
Dimensions
In addition to shape and material, the legs vary in size. This parameter is one of the most important, since the permissible load on the furniture depends on it. There are three main groups - low products, medium and high. The choice of the appropriate option will depend on the type of furniture:
- Low size group - used in cabinets, kitchen sets, coffee tables. The height of the legs is 50–60 mm.
- Medium - 65–90 mm, suitable for shelves and chests of drawers.
- High - 90–850 mm. Such supports are usually mounted on tables.
The degree of adjustment is determined by the size group. For example, legs with a height of 100 to 120 mm vary within 10 mm. From 150 to 180 - up to 20 mm. The maximum range - 30 mm - is typical for legs with a height of 200 mm.
In terms of changes in diameter, an adjustable furniture leg does not differ from standard supports. This parameter varies from 45 to 145 mm in increments of 5 (45, 50, 55 and so on). The widest products are used for large cabinets.
The standards also define the ratio of height and diameter. Typically, the lower the support, the smaller its diameter. However, the size chart is wider than the basic parameters, so almost any furniture store offers an impressive assortment of this fittings.
Types of furniture components, selection criteria
The degree of height adjustment of the legs is determined by the size group
Low
Average
High
What to look for when choosing
Today, furniture handles are very diverse in their operational parameters. Therefore, it is important to be vigilant when choosing them. Let us describe the main recommendations of experts in this regard.
| Selection criterion | Characteristic |
| Design | When choosing furniture, it is important to ask the seller if it is possible to choose a telescopic leg of a different shape or color for this item. If one support has become unusable, then there will be no problems replacing it. |
| Furniture weight | This criterion has a strong influence on the choice of a specific furniture leg. If the set is heavy, curved leg shapes will not suit it; it is less resistant to loads than the straight version. |
| Product dimensions | In this case, it is important to understand what furniture the support will be used for and measure its height before going to the store. For kitchen sets, it is better to prefer compact models, and for a coffee table, higher options. |
| Room decoration style | The interior will look complete. If the furniture legs and the furniture itself will be in harmony based on the material of manufacture. Wooden sets in a classic interior require wooden supports, and in a laconic high-tech, metal options are relevant. |
| Product quality | Since the legs will experience quite high loads, it is important that they are of high quality and resistant to wear. The product must not have dents, scratches, chips or other defects. |
Material of manufacture
See also:
Kitchen table with photo printing: what material is better to choose from?
As you already understand, with the help of adjustable furniture legs you can correctly distribute the weight of the entire structure, ensure stability and level position.
When choosing such elements, be sure to pay attention to the materials from which they are made. There are quite a few options, but several are the most common.
- Chromed steel. Perfect for rooms designed in a modern style. The details are smooth, with an iridescent texture. But the main thing here is that such legs can withstand about 700 kg of load. They are often mounted on massive sets and cabinets. The material is not afraid of scratches and washing with cleaning agents;
- Aluminum. Financially a fairly inexpensive option. But you shouldn’t count on the ability to withstand more than 500 kg of load. Aluminum is durable and resistant to household chemicals and rust. If desired or necessary, aluminum supports can be repainted in glossy or matte colors. You can imitate precious metals, wood, stone, etc.;
- Polypropylene. In terms of cost, these are the cheapest supports, but in terms of quality they are not much inferior to competitors. But if the furniture weighs more than 150 kg, it is not recommended to install polypropylene legs on them. The material does not spoil the coating; the elements themselves are often adjustable in height. They perform well with strong unevenness on the floor. Plastic is extremely easy to clean and is resistant to stains;
- Wood. Expensive, but environmentally friendly material. Basically, wood-based supports are installed on expensive furniture. But wooden legs should not be used to equip kitchen and bathroom furniture. Even with special treatment, they do not cope well with moisture, which is why they lose their initial strength parameters and lose their visual appeal.
As experts note, a steel telescopic support, that is, adjustable in height, with an additional protective coating, is considered the highest priority option. But in some cases you can use alternative materials.
How to adjust
Experts say that the features of adjusting furniture supports come down to the type of furniture structure for which the fittings are used. Therefore, you need to carefully measure the parameters of the cabinet, table or cabinet, as well as their missing height. Such actions will allow you to determine the current height of the proposed piece of furniture, as well as understand what the design should be in the end.
Let us describe the comfortable height for various surfaces, depending on the fact what processes are performed on them:
- The sink is installed at a distance of one meter from the floor. Then it will be comfortable to use, and the human spine will not experience increased stress;
- the cooking area, work surfaces, and dining table will be as comfortable and safe as possible with a leg height of 85 cm;
- The height of the wardrobe with maximum capacity is 190, 210 cm from the floor.
The support, the height of which can be adjusted, is very convenient to use.
The support must be screwed into a nut fixed directly to the furniture body. To set the selected height, you will need to take a screwdriver and screw the screw into the mating part to the level that is selected as optimal.
