Gas pipe in the corner where I want to fit the kitchen

[robulon]

Hi,

Sorry if this is basic but I'm buying a Swedish kitchen and fitting it myself. I'm just after advice on how best to deal with the gas pipe in the corner.I want to have a base unit and wall unit in that corner so would I need to set everything forward a few centimetres so the units are in front of the pipe, or would I need to cut a section out of the units in order to fit them flush with the wall? I assume I can get some trunking or something similar to disguise the pipe a bit?

View media item 49275
As always, any advice is gratefully received.

Cheers,
Rob

 

[foxhole]

You will need to cut rear of cup'd to allow for gas meter, add a viewing window to allow reading and ideally mount unit on wheels should access be required [safety check etc].
Simple job to box in pipe.

 

[robulon]

thanks, i was going to cut out a bit from the back of the cupboard to allow visibility of the meter. whati'm more wondering about if the gas pipe running up the corner of the room, would i need to cut a cornerpiece out of each unit to house the pipe or position the units slightly differently?

thanks,
rob

 

[foxhole]

You don't fit cup'd tight to wall, the door handle would strike the wall when open, you need a small spacer strip , say 50mm which would also clear pipe.

 

[JohnD]

if you are buying Ikea cabinets, they are (unlike all UK kitchens) made with no gap at the back

this is presumably deliberate to discourage people with pipes in their kitchens.

 

[Aunsh]

Have you checked how the wall cupboard is fixed to the wall? There is probably an adjustable bracket fixed to the inside face of the side panel. If that is the case, it will require a significant modification of the cabinet to change the mounting to allow it to go against the corner.

As an alternative to the spacer panel, mentioned by Foxhole, you could consider a narrow storage area for trays, etc, in the corner, beside the wall unit, and add a matching wine rack beside the base unit. These would, of course, depend on the layout of the rest of the kitchen.

 

[robulon]

thanks to everyone for your input.

i couldn't really use the 50 mm for storage because I am putting a corner unit in and the cooker is going next to it but the spacer sounds like a good idea. my only concern then is that is everything on that side of the kitchen is shifted by 50 mm, the halfway mark on the corner unit won't line up with the cooker, or the units on the other side. would you recommend putting the same spacer on the other side for appearance sake so the cupboards on either side line up?

 

[foxhole]

thanks to everyone for your input.

i couldn't really use the 50 mm for storage because I am putting a corner unit in and the cooker is going next to it but the spacer sounds like a good idea. my only concern then is that is everything on that side of the kitchen is shifted by 50 mm, the halfway mark on the corner unit won't line up with the cooker, or the units on the other side. would you recommend putting the same spacer on the other side for appearance sake so the cupboards on either side line up?

No reason to align cup's but none can butt tight to the side wall as doors will foul, and looks naff. So you will need to space them the same way.
I used offcut of work top to hide pipes.

Untitled

• foxhole
• 18 Mar 2012
• 12

 

[mattylad]

If your cutting the cupboard ensure that the cutout is big enough for an engineer to access ALL of the meter, turn off the gas, remove/replace the meter.

You can screw a bit of wood over the big hole topo make it look neater, or even fit some little bits of wood that allow you to reinsert the cutout bit and screw it back in.

Or you may find yourself needing to rip them out at some point.

 

[JohnD]

In a corner position, it might help to put a large appliance like a washer, on wheels or a trolley so you can easily pull it out for access. This is also useful to get at the plumbing. Check the height required before you finalise the worktop.

 

[calorific]

If it were me, depending on how much space you have to play with, I'd created a false wall from just below worktop height up to the ceiling. It would be deep enough to hide that gas pipe and you would be able to affix suitable timber battens at precisely the required height to screw cupboard support brackets into without having to worry about hitting mortar lines or other weak drilling points.

 

[sooey]

Whatever you do you must leave easy access to the emergency control valve on the meter so you can shut off the gas quickly if needed.

 

[DavidA1982]

I'm doing an IKEA kitchen at the moment too, and have exactly the same setup with the gas pipe.

The backs of the base units are flush to the wall, so you need to drop the gas pipe to plinth level as it runs across to the position of the unit for the gas hob. IKEA make two different carcases - the normal one has a full back, but they do another unit with space at the bottom to bring up your services: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50144275/?query=501.442.75. This is the one I used for the hob unit - made life a lot easier than using the normal carcase.

As others have said, you will need to leave a gap between the sides of your cabinets and the wall, because it won't work properly otherwise. IKEA make cornice strips that are 60mm wide, so if I were you I'd start the units 60mm from the wall - if they are nice and flat, it might save you having to do any cutting to get a deco strip to fit. (I left a gap of 50mm - wishing I'd left it 60mm now because i've got to do some cutting to get a strip to fit!