What is the advantage of wooden kitchens?
Despite the fact that solid wood kitchens are not new, but have been used for quite a long time, their relevance not only does not decrease, but also increases.
The reason for this is one of the most obvious and simple - the naturalness of the material. Interestingly, wood was one of the first materials that began to be used for construction and production, including furniture.
Now solid wood kitchens from the manufacturer can be found with various glossy films, with the addition of metal plates and other additional materials. That is why it is not always possible to buy a kitchen made of solid wood due to the final cost.
Country
English style, the basis of which is a rustic image. The interior has become widespread throughout the world. In Russia they loved him.
All interior elements in country style are made of natural solid wood. Designers use different types of timber. Various textures, patterns and colors are combined in this genre.
Residents, forced to deal with the fast pace of the metropolis every day, relax and recuperate in a country-style kitchen.
Minimalism
An ascetic image, devoid of complex geometry. The set in this design solution has only the necessary furniture elements. The interior is made in light, calm colors.
Solid wood, glass, ceramics, marble, plaster are the main materials. A room in a minimalist style will be an ideal option for small kitchens in city apartments.
Art Deco
Strict symmetry of shapes, bright color combinations, unconventional materials are the features of the style. The interior uses a lot of mirrors, light and patterns.
Solid wood furniture is the hallmark of Art Deco. Lovers of this design appreciate its natural base and natural color schemes.
What interior is suitable for a wooden kitchen?
Before directly ordering a kitchen that will be made of natural wood, it is worth assessing the entire interior. This must be done, since wood does not go well with all styles.
It will fit ideally into the “Provence” direction, which suggests rustic motifs in the decor. You also can’t go wrong if you install a wooden kitchen in an interior that suggests a “country” style.
Interior with a touch of antiquity - comfort and tradition
The craving of residents of modern megalopolises for kitchens with a flair of antiquity is quite justified. Tired of faceless sets, laconic forms, the shine of cold metal and glossy surfaces, people wanted something special, original, extraordinary. And kitchens in “rustic” styles (country, Provence, Mediterranean, etc.) perfectly meet their desires.
Aged wooden furniture has a distinct originality. Its uniqueness automatically requires something non-standard in the decoration of the premises. Retro kitchens also have a unique charm and cozy warmth, which is explained by the use of calm natural shades and natural materials or their high-quality imitations in the interior.
In such rooms there is always a lot of textiles, dishes, and various decorative elements, but there is never anything pretentious. Everything here is simple, sometimes even a little rough, but in this deliberate negligence and unpretentious simplicity lies the beauty of interiors “with history.”
Pros and cons of solid wood kitchens?
All kitchen furniture made of solid wood will certainly decorate any interior, as it looks very noble and solid. The positive characteristics of this material include its long service life and strength.
Each type of tree initially has its own unique pattern, and you can also apply various carvings to the facade. That is why such kitchens look like real works of art. Moreover, even in the case of scuffs, solid wood kitchen facades can easily be restored to their original condition.
Any products that are considered abrasive will correct chips or other scratches in such a kitchen. The obvious disadvantages of such projects include, first of all, their price, and also the wood reacts to humidity and can, as a result, be deformed.
Kinds
When choosing a basis for the manufacture of interior items, a forest furniture manufacturer is guided by the quality of the raw material, its natural pattern, shade and texture.
There are three types of timber:
- Hard: maple.
- Soft: birch, pine.
- Middle: cherry, oak.
Wood of the first category is more difficult to process. This is only possible in factory conditions. The material can be processed using special equipment.
The degree of hardness does not guarantee increased moisture resistance. Some softwood varieties are more water resistant than hard maple, for example.
In modern interiors, different types of timber are used. In order to decide, the designer describes the finished product on paper. This will make it clear which array is most suitable.
Oak, ash, and pine are suitable for working with texture. Their natural pattern does not need to be supplemented. Birch, maple, cherry are options for tables and chairs.
Expert opinion
Olga Kovalenko
Since 2010 I have been engaged in interior design and architectural design.
In Rus', kitchen furniture in huts was made of solid wood. Craftsmen carved patterns of flowers, animals, and other ornaments on the fronts of the buffets. In the houses of wealthy peasants, furniture was decorated with paintings.
Connoisseurs of luxury furniture in Russia prefer walnut. This tree has a large number of shades. The kitchen design, made of black solid wood, looks noble and aesthetically pleasing. In addition, the raw materials are easy to work with. It is resistant to moisture, temperature, damage.
Birch was included in the list of the most popular timber products in 2019. It is easy to paint in any color. Kitchen furniture made from this solid material is not heavy. But it has one significant drawback - the raw material has a porous structure.
It is quickly damaged by microorganisms. To avoid this, the product is impregnated with special products that contain harmful substances.
Maple is considered one of the most expensive materials. Making kitchen furniture from it requires special equipment. The texture of wood looks great in combination with glass elements. The Canadian massif is an elite raw material for Russia.
Cedar is rarely used in the production of kitchen sets. But this timber is moisture resistant and has minimal density. Interior items made from this raw material are rarely affected by pests. Exotic lovers often choose this taiga area.
Kitchen design ideas from furniture
Manufacturers offer many options for wooden kitchen sets, as their popularity has only been growing over the years. A white kitchen with a wooden countertop always looks luxurious. It will not only visually increase the space, but also make the kitchen even brighter.
However, due to the fact that solid wood furniture may look a bit heavy, but you still want to buy a wooden kitchen, you can use analogue materials. Or, for example, use different materials during manufacturing.
Collection of furniture
You can easily construct a table, stools and cabinets yourself from ready-made parts. When measurements, drawings have been made and wooden parts have been cut out, you can begin assembling kitchen furniture with your own hands, as shown in the video.
Table and stools
If the size of the room allows, then in addition to the kitchen set with appliances, you can place a dining area in the kitchen. To do this, you will need to assemble a wooden table and stools with your own hands. Their assembly process is almost the same. So, how does the table assembly process go:
- The table is based on a rectangular frame made of boards 2x10 cm in diameter. If desired, you can choose thicker and wider boards, but they look too rough, unless this is implied by the chosen interior style. A toothed joint is used to hold the boards together, although the frame boards can be attached to the legs in which case the toothed joint is not needed.
- Self-tapping screws can be used to attach the legs to the wooden frame.
- The last to be attached is a tabletop made from a single sheet or assembled from narrower parts. To do this, you can take a laminate - thanks to the locking clutch, it will allow you to quickly and easily assemble the table cover. It is better to choose self-tapping screws for fastening.
A wooden kitchen adds its own flavor to the interior of the house
When the wooden table is assembled, you can putty the cracks to prevent moisture from penetrating inside. When the putty has dried, the surface is sanded with sandpaper and varnished. If desired, the table can be painted in any color that matches the interior, decorated with paintings, used decorative coverings, etc. The stools are assembled in the same way, but to strengthen the structure, the legs are additionally fastened with slats.
Important! If you have a lathe, you can give the legs graceful rounded shapes, they will look neater.
Cabinets
Floor cabinets are an important part of the kitchen set - appliances are built into them, and various utensils are stored there. Bedside tables can be a single unit, located under one tabletop, or be independent elements of the set. The last option is more convenient if you later want to rearrange the bedside tables - you don’t have to remove the tabletop.
How to assemble wooden cabinets in a single ensemble:
- The first step is to draw up drawings and diagrams. At the same stage, it is worth deciding on the style of the bedside tables, the number of elements, and their purpose.
- Next comes the assembly of the frame. This is convenient if you are planning one massive cabinet under the table top with several compartments.
- After assembling the frame, a parallelepiped is assembled, in which cells are made for the further installation of drawers and regular compartments with doors.
- Next comes the assembly of the walls and bottom; you should get one large cabinet with compartments, but without a lid and facades.
- The tabletop can be cut from a solid panel of wood or assembled from several plates; its fastening principle is the same as that of the table top. You can order a ready-made countertop if you are satisfied with the price. A custom-made product is attached not with self-tapping screws, but with the help of special corners.
- The facades are installed last. It is easier to install ready-made purchased products than to assemble them yourself.
If you are going to make several cabinets from wood, then you will not need a tabletop. Each element of the headset must be assembled separately according to the same scheme, only instead of one cover, several separate ones are made. The decorative finishing of the facades of the set is selected taking into account the style of the interior and your own preferences.
Wall cabinets
Unlike floor tables, it is not necessary to use facades for kitchen wall cabinets; they can be open. This assembly option is faster and easier. How to assemble wooden wall cabinets for the kitchen:
- The first is to assemble the frame of the required size.
- The finished frame needs to be sheathed with boards on the sides, top and bottom; there is no need for a wall, the wall acts as its role. In extreme cases, you can use a thin sheet of plywood. Along with the fastening of the walls, shelves are also placed.
- If the facade is still planned, it is attached in the same way as when making bedside tables.
- The final stage of assembling a wooden kitchen cabinet is installing the fasteners.
Important! If the kitchen is located in the country, wooden facades can be replaced with fabric curtains.
You can see what a fully assembled wooden kitchen made by yourself looks like in the selection of photos below.
Kitchen sets made of wood, made and assembled independently, will not be inferior in quality and design to factory models. The main thing is to draw the drawings correctly, choose high-quality materials and use good fasteners during assembly.
Caring for a wooden kitchen
Wooden surfaces require careful care. It will be positive for the wood to be coated with a special type of oil, as well as timely rubbing of even minor scratches that appear during use. With this approach, a wooden kitchen will remain in the house for many years, and its quality will not suffer.
How to choose a manufacturer?
Not only the design of a wooden kitchen is important, but also the quality of its manufacture. You should only contact specialists who will not install raw wood. In such cases, kitchens will not only fail quickly, but may actually even change their appearance immediately after installation.
Experienced manufacturers will always be able to provide guarantees, so if it is not possible to redo everything again, it is better to immediately contact specialists.
Features of solid wood facades
Any wooden kitchen in an apartment can have one of two types of facades. The first view is the facade, which is considered framed. Doors are a kind of frame into which a combined material, for example chipboard, can be inserted, and often glass is inserted into them. Another type includes panel facades, when the doors consist entirely of solid wood.
The strength characteristics of both types are approximately equal, so preference is given depending on a particular project. Perhaps the shield look more reflects modern trends, which is why it is now predominantly used.
Much less common are projects that involve different directions of carving on the facade. Since, firstly, this approach significantly increases the cost, and, secondly, carving implies a certain aristocratic style, and this is not always practical.
Making wooden facades: technology for creating furniture with your own hands
Making facades yourself will significantly reduce the cost of kitchen furniture. You can't do without certain skills. First, decide on the shape: will it be framed paneled or solid wooden doors made by yourself. Select a material. If this is your first experience making furniture, choose inexpensive pine.
The photo shows homemade facades made of pine wood.
Making pine kitchen fronts is accessible to beginners. Once you get the hang of it, you can implement your ideas in facades made of noble oak or even mahogany. To begin with, it is better to choose a classic wooden facade, which consists of:
- panels (in our case it will be several millimeters thinner than the frame);
- strapping (for classic facades, choose a straight frame - a frame made of wooden planks with grooves for the panel).
The inner plane of the frame is decorated with milling, which is called moulding. This design allows you to withstand changes in temperature and humidity.
Manufacturing technology
Decide on the shape of the facades. Take measurements and detail the furniture, drawing each façade. Then start making parts.
The photo shows elements of the paneled façade.
- You need to choose the size of boards and make strapping elements from them.
- Process the internal parts of the frame on a milling machine. You need to form a groove and make a groove for the panel.
- Process the blank for the panel on a milling machine along the perimeter with a figurine cutter.
- Assemble façade elements. The parts are secured with special elements and wood glue. The work must be carried out very carefully. Excess glue can ruin the appearance of the door.
- The corners of the binding must be checked before the glue dries. If a defect is detected, the unevenness is corrected using a mallet.
- The finishing treatment is carried out after the facade has completely dried. The surface is sanded and primed. There is no need to wash it. After the protective layer has dried, the parts are finely sanded, and only after this the decorative layer can be renewed by painting or varnishing the finished doors.
The following video will help you understand the intricacies of manufacturing.
Kitchen furniture panels do not have to be solid. The carved facades look beautiful. To do this, figured carvings are applied to the base of the solid wood board. Today, carved details are popular in design. The decor is secured with glue, you can use fasteners.
Carved elements are the prerogative of wood. You can't make such parts from a slab. All decorative elements must be sanded well before finishing. Small carved parts are sanded by hand.
If you love eclecticism and you like the idea of creating beauty with your own hands, make relief carved furniture fronts for your kitchen. The fronts of cabinets and drawers with this decor look impressive. Just look at the photo to see this.
But the price of finished structures is very high. It is better to update old furniture in this way. If you don’t know how to do this, watch the video at the end of the article.
Installation of facades
At the manufacturing stage, we must not forget about the markings. After all, the modules in a kitchen set can have different sizes. Accordingly, they need different facades. This applies to both the width and height of the doors.
The furniture assembly process consists of several stages.
- Determine and mark the places on the buildings and facades where the hinges will be installed. Moreover, first the marks are placed on the body, and then they are transferred to the door. This order will help avoid situations where the loop rests on the shelf.
- Drill holes for hinges. The standard size is 35 millimeters. But before drilling, check the dimensions of the fittings, they may differ. The photo shows the hole for attaching the hinge.
- Fix the loop on the facade by inserting it into the hole.
- The door is installed in the frame. You need to adjust the hinge yourself so that the door opens freely and no gaps form when closing.
The photo shows a fixed loop.
Coating of kitchen facades
It is extremely important how to cover a wooden kitchen, since its durability directly depends on it. Special products are often transparent, but not always.
The most common coating is varnish, since it not only protects well from various types of dirt, but also prevents various types of possible odors from cooking from being absorbed. This protection can stay on the headset for up to seven years.
After the expiration date, it is advisable to repeat the varnish coating. Moreover, it is worth noting that the varnish can be not only glossy, but also matte, as well as on a polyurethane base. Sometimes headsets are coated with wax or special oil. Any coating affects the original color of the wood.
Types of wood
The most expensive is oak wood. Such kitchens will not be cheap, but their durability and quality are undeniable. Solid ash wood is almost in no way inferior to the previous version, but has a more pronounced structure, as well as other shades.
A beech kitchen will be no less durable. This material is different in that it will bring positive energy into the house. In addition, it will be easier to tint. Cherry is less durable, but this tree is notable for its unique reddish hue.
More budget-friendly wood options include alder, birch and, perhaps, pine. These tree species should be treated with more care, as they are easily damaged. Often such projects are more economical and budget-friendly.
Disadvantages of solid wood kitchens
Initially, it is worth considering such projects if the goal is not to save money, since all wooden furniture is expensive.
Particular attention must be paid to the connecting fasteners, since the material is cheap, and if you install low-quality or cheap ones, you may end up with the doors not holding up and falling. Such kitchens must be periodically coated with a special composition to maintain their appearance as well as functionality.
Due to frequent changes in temperature conditions, the material may lose its appearance and deteriorate. Limitation of the color palette, since wood does not imply a wide palette.
Advantages and disadvantages of a wooden kitchen
Despite the cheapness and availability of furniture made from chipboard and MDF, furniture made from solid wood remains as popular and in demand as many years ago.
The secret of such success lies in the unique qualities of this natural material:
- Wooden furniture looks very respectable and solid; it creates an indescribable atmosphere in the house, and also emphasizes the status of the owners of the home. This natural material is the true embodiment of beauty, reliability, high quality and durability. If the wood is well processed, furniture made from it will last for many years, retaining all its original characteristics.
- Natal wood has high aesthetic properties. Thanks to the huge variety of textures and shades of wood, choosing the perfect furniture to suit your personal tastes is not difficult. Thanks to the unique natural pattern, any objects made from solid wood are unique and one of a kind.
- If you properly care for wood and constantly maintain optimal temperature conditions in the kitchen, eliminating dampness, then wooden furniture will last for a very long time (at least 50 years).
- A kitchen made of solid wood is environmentally friendly. It is safe for humans and does not cause allergic reactions. All that household members will feel when constantly staying in such a room is the pleasant aroma of natural resins, which has a beneficial effect on the body.
- Despite the vagaries of fashion and its transience, solid wood furniture always remains at the peak of popularity, it is highly valued and is a true decoration of any home.
When choosing furniture made of natural wood for your own kitchen, you should remember some of its features:
- It is necessary to install a wooden set away from radiators and other heat sources. Natural wood is too sensitive to prolonged exposure to thermal energy and can dry out and crack over time.
- It is very important to ensure proper care of such furniture - you need to buy special products that will allow it to maintain its attractive appearance for a long time.
- It is important to understand that furniture made from solid wood cannot be cheap, and to purchase it you will have to pay a considerable amount. However, given all the advantages of such furniture, this investment should be considered successful.
How to choose a wooden set?
It is worth checking the expiration dates of different types of wood from which the kitchen is supposed to be made. It is also necessary to find out about caring for a particular breed, or rather how complex it is and its frequency.
Some tree species, for example, oak, have a wide color palette, while others, on the contrary, are not expressive in color, so it is also recommended to check first so that the kitchen can fit perfectly into the interior.
How to choose quality material?
In modern realities, manufacturers have many tricks to disguise cheaper material as expensive, so before ordering a headset, you should make sure of the quality of the purchased material.
Firstly, real wood species are always heavier, and secondly, the manufacturer must provide samples to guide you by.
Kitchen sets with antique design
Kitchen furniture is mainly made to order from solid wood. This distinguishes it favorably from standard sets and brings it closer to those unique interior items that skilled craftsmen worked on for months, or even years, centuries ago.
Kitchen sets in a rustic style are unthinkable without sideboards, display cases, and a large number of open shelves and shelving. The dining group assumes the presence of a massive table, and traditional chairs here can easily be replaced with heavy stools or even benches.
As for the types of wood used, oak and cherry are usually used for solid, expensive, exclusive furniture.
More affordable kitchen sets and dining units are made of pine (by the way, due to their light color, they look great in small rooms, creating a cheerful mood and visually expanding the space).
If your budget for ordering furniture is small, you can look for furniture from kitchen manufacturers with facades made of MDF with aged wood veneer.
In order not to hide the natural beauty of the texture of natural wood, manufacturers are usually in no hurry to paint the facades of kitchen units, and if they do this, they settle on warm pastel shades of beige, blue, and pistachio.
Tables and chairs, cabinets and sideboards should look as if they were inherited from your great-grandparents. All kinds of chips, networks of cracks, abrasions - all this becomes the result of the use of modern technologies. Grinding sharp corners and applying craquelure varnishes, patination and brushing, painting using the decapé technique and special stain treatment create a stunning effect, imbuing the kitchen with the spirit of the times.
Finishing and details of the headset
The design of kitchen sets with antique touches suggests an abyss of options. The facades of hinged cabinet doors are most often made with panels; they are often decorated with carvings, convex patterns or inlays. Sometimes the panel is replaced with frosted glass or multi-colored stained glass windows, which are built into a metal frame.
Engravings, inserts made from other types of wood or painted ceramics are widely used to decorate kitchens. Forged elements, handles and hinges imitating old bronze, brass or copper give them a special charm.
Appliances, sink and faucet in retro style
Naturally, an “antique” interior does not exclude the presence of household appliances and other advances in the kitchen. But in order not to disturb the harmonious space, all these benefits of civilization should ideally be hidden from view behind wooden panels.
Another option is the stylization of modern interior items. Thus, a massive hood can imitate a hearth, and the exaggeratedly large grates of a gas hob can be reminiscent of a real oven.
You will have to say a decisive “no” to the usual stainless steel sinks, replacing them with stone or ceramic sinks. Of course, such models will also require appropriate faucets, which ideally should be made with an aged effect and have a color reminiscent of bronze or copper.
Tabletop
An excellent addition to solid wood furniture in an “antique” style are countertops made from natural stone (granite, marble) or its artificial imitations. Horizontal surfaces covered with ceramic tiles in a warm shade, for example, terracotta, which is so close to the color of natural clay, also look good.
Is there a guarantee?
A quality manufacturer will definitely provide a guarantee for the project. It happens that there is a manufacturing defect, but this can also be solved, so it is important to conclude an appropriate contract for the provision of services.
You should not save on installation; it is also advisable to entrust it to professionals who, firstly, will do it with a warranty period, and, secondly, more quickly and, undoubtedly, with high quality. Since, as a rule, when installation occurs independently, this may also affect the warranty of the headset.
A reliable company will quickly eliminate even a manufacturing defect, not to mention any other defects. The warranty period may be long, but not less than one month of operation of this project. In addition, the company will give many other useful recommendations related to care.
