Unusual question - RE Kitchen worktop solutions

[Andy112285]

My mum has recently moved into a new house and has a rather small kitchen, it's a very strange lay out and has two door ways - one from the hall way which is fine and one from the dining room which is pretty pointless.

To create a little bit of extra worktop space my mum wants to put a bit of worktop on hinges in the space where the door is from the dinning room.

Would it be possible to put a bit of worktop on hinges with the hinges on some sort of spring mechanism to support the weight of the worktop or would I need to use a folding leg of some sort?

Apparently they use this sort of setup in caravans quite often???

Thanks for any help!

 

[foxhole]

The distance across a doorway should not need support, though would be better to block off the door if not used.

 

[tinytom]

hi andy
i make furniture for campervan/coachbuild conversions and your spot on, we use sprung hinges that hold the flap up quite securley or down by the side of an end panel

you will proberably be better using either some laminated board or thin worktop as it will be heavy if you use 30-50mm worktop

hope it helps
tom

 

[Andy112285]

Thanks for the tip, will look for some thin laminate.

Any idea where I can get some good quality sprung hinges?

 

[big-all]

would a serving hatch not serve the purpose well

convert the door into a stable door??

 

[tinytom]

i will look at what type they are tommorow for you, and ask where they are from, you could do with something like 15-20 mm board so its strong yet still light

tom

 

[JohnD]

you can get counter-flap hinges as used on bars, and there is a brass retaining clip (gravity operated so no spring to go wrong) to hold it in the vertical position. I don't know the name of the retainer.

BTW 18mm ply is very strong and light. Chipboard and MDF less so. If you have a full-length batten at each side for the edge of the flap to sit on it will be pretty strong.