Hi!
We are planning to renovate our kitchen and have planned a chute system for sorting recycling. We are tired of bags with bottles and cans that need to be taken to recycling. The kitchen is right above the boiler room, and we thought we'd use this to get rid of various waste. We plan to have three or four different chutes in the laminate countertop, pipes that go through the floor and directly into bags in the boiler room. Then we can easily lift these bags into the car.
The kitchen has a corner solution with a stove, to the right of which is a counter space, followed by our proposed chute area, and after the chutes, there is a long countertop without any base cabinets underneath. We planned to use cover panels to build a box to cover the pipes. The cover panel on the front will be set 7-8 cm under the countertop to create a space for some towel hooks.
We had planned for the chute cabinet to be about 20 cm wide and as deep as the entire countertop - about 62 cm. The chutes would be placed in a row along the wall. A chute for returnables, one for tin cans, one for plastic packaging, and maybe one for glass - but then you'd need some kind of box instead of a bag, as they would break on the way down.
Our questions are how we should practically - and aesthetically - solve this.
1. Ideally, we would like a smooth countertop (which could be used as a workspace when not disposing of things), with a lid that you lift up and underneath which these chutes would be concealed. But what kind of hinges can be used for this, and how do you finish the edge of the countertop nicely? You can't just cut the countertop in half - how should the "end grain" be treated? Can you put a metal strip there? How?
2. How should the actual chutes be designed? We are considering downpipes or similar, as it would be good for the pipes to have smooth interiors so that theoretically, they can be cleaned out - even though we expect what we throw down to be clean. Or maybe plastic pipes? We're thinking dimensions around 12-15 cm in diameter. Large PET bottles are collected in the kitchen, but other bottles and cans go down through this. What can be used for pipes?
3. How should the chutes be mounted at the top? If we envision lifting the countertop and underneath seeing an additional board where the chutes are mounted - what should they look like? It would be nice to have a collar around each pipe that rests on the lower board - maybe metal.
We hope to get some tips and ideas.
We are planning to renovate our kitchen and have planned a chute system for sorting recycling. We are tired of bags with bottles and cans that need to be taken to recycling. The kitchen is right above the boiler room, and we thought we'd use this to get rid of various waste. We plan to have three or four different chutes in the laminate countertop, pipes that go through the floor and directly into bags in the boiler room. Then we can easily lift these bags into the car.
The kitchen has a corner solution with a stove, to the right of which is a counter space, followed by our proposed chute area, and after the chutes, there is a long countertop without any base cabinets underneath. We planned to use cover panels to build a box to cover the pipes. The cover panel on the front will be set 7-8 cm under the countertop to create a space for some towel hooks.
We had planned for the chute cabinet to be about 20 cm wide and as deep as the entire countertop - about 62 cm. The chutes would be placed in a row along the wall. A chute for returnables, one for tin cans, one for plastic packaging, and maybe one for glass - but then you'd need some kind of box instead of a bag, as they would break on the way down.
Our questions are how we should practically - and aesthetically - solve this.
1. Ideally, we would like a smooth countertop (which could be used as a workspace when not disposing of things), with a lid that you lift up and underneath which these chutes would be concealed. But what kind of hinges can be used for this, and how do you finish the edge of the countertop nicely? You can't just cut the countertop in half - how should the "end grain" be treated? Can you put a metal strip there? How?
2. How should the actual chutes be designed? We are considering downpipes or similar, as it would be good for the pipes to have smooth interiors so that theoretically, they can be cleaned out - even though we expect what we throw down to be clean. Or maybe plastic pipes? We're thinking dimensions around 12-15 cm in diameter. Large PET bottles are collected in the kitchen, but other bottles and cans go down through this. What can be used for pipes?
3. How should the chutes be mounted at the top? If we envision lifting the countertop and underneath seeing an additional board where the chutes are mounted - what should they look like? It would be nice to have a collar around each pipe that rests on the lower board - maybe metal.
We hope to get some tips and ideas.
Byggnadsingenjör
· Skåne
· 1 458 posts
Hello CristinaD!
Now, aesthetic design isn't really my department, maybe you should ask the Architect or interior designer about these questions.
Something that came to mind is that you wanted to lead it down to the boiler room. If it's a boiler room where you burn oil, pellets, or wood, you can't implement the solution you have in mind as the boiler room must be a fire compartment. In other words, it should be able to burn in the boiler room without smoke and fire spreading to the rest of the house.
However, if you heat the house with district heating or a heat exchanger, this fire compartment requirement does not apply.
As for pipes, you can either use sewage pipes (plastic) or ventilation pipes (spiral pipes) that come in slightly larger dimensions. To find out if there's any type of finishing collar, I think you should visit an HVAC store to see what they have that might fit the pipe dimensions in question.
For hinges for the countertop, you can use so-called piano hinges that are durable and retractable.
Otherwise, I refer you to the architect and interior designer on this forum.
A fun idea that I haven't encountered in any house before!
Now, aesthetic design isn't really my department, maybe you should ask the Architect or interior designer about these questions.
Something that came to mind is that you wanted to lead it down to the boiler room. If it's a boiler room where you burn oil, pellets, or wood, you can't implement the solution you have in mind as the boiler room must be a fire compartment. In other words, it should be able to burn in the boiler room without smoke and fire spreading to the rest of the house.
However, if you heat the house with district heating or a heat exchanger, this fire compartment requirement does not apply.
As for pipes, you can either use sewage pipes (plastic) or ventilation pipes (spiral pipes) that come in slightly larger dimensions. To find out if there's any type of finishing collar, I think you should visit an HVAC store to see what they have that might fit the pipe dimensions in question.
For hinges for the countertop, you can use so-called piano hinges that are durable and retractable.
Otherwise, I refer you to the architect and interior designer on this forum.
A fun idea that I haven't encountered in any house before!