Doors, Drawers, and a Pull-Out Shelf Create Space in your Kitchen Cupboard

by Emily Kerr
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Whether your kitchen is big or small, well lit or a dark cave, new or old, the problem of storage--and getting to the items stored--seems to be universal. Maybe the cabinet doors don't open far enough, or the drawers are too shallow. If it's hard to find what you need every time you want to cook, installing a pull-out shelf could be the answer.

Cabinet Doors, Drawers Offer Space and Accessibility

You can install a pull-out shelf with a basket that functions as a drawer, or install a shelf for extra storage space that closes up neatly behind cabinet doors. Installation requires only a few steps.

1. Measure your cabinet width and depth, taking into account the space the drawer slide mechanism will require.
2. Purchase or build a shelf that fits in your cabinet and finish with stain, varnish or paint to match your kitchen.
3. Purchase the drawer slide hardware to mount the shelf, or purchase a package that contains a shelf as well as slide mechanisms (Rev-a-Shelf offers slide and shelf packages from $100 to $300).
4. Mount the slides to your cabinet and the shelf to the drawer slides. Manufacturer instructions should walk you through your project.

Using drawer slides to create a pull-out shelf behind your kitchen cabinet doors can free up space and make working in your kitchen more of a pleasure and less of a chore.

About the Author
Emily Kerr is a Northern Nevada freelance writer who writes about education. Her background is in journalism, and she writes about her passions.