Cupboard to hide boiler in kitchen

[NickStone]

Having had three quotes from kitchen companies, it is rapidly becoming plain that the modern combi boiler is too large to fit into a standard wall cabinet. B & Q just shrugged, Magnet suggested a tambour unit which would look good but would not work because the boiler would interfere with the rolling mechanism. Surely these boilers have been around long enough now for the companies to sort out a solution? That aside, John Lewis can supply a cupboard that comes down to worktop level and is deep enough to hide the boiler but alas it has a glass door. What I was wondering is whether it would be easy to replace the glass with mirror-glass instead? Had anyone tried this? Or indeed, has anyone else had experience of this problem and how to solve it? Many thanks.

 

[Symptoms]

Nick - who made the original units? What type of doors are they? It is possible to modify doors; the glass is often held in place by a bead of sealant around the inside of the door. Remove this & you can relplace it with anything, including mirror, grill or mesh (wood or metal), fabric, etc. We've done a number of these & get our stuff from Winther Browne in Enfield, N.London.

 

[NickStone]

Thanks, Symptoms - that sounds good. There are no units in the kitchen at the moment. I'm buying the whole thing new - that's why I was so surprised.

 

[Symptoms]

Nick - sorry though it was an additional cupboard you were after for an existing kitchen. If starting new look at the possibility of modifying a larger cabinet, say oven housing or fridge housing, by reducing the depth & height dimensions. These units come with bigger doors which are likely to cover your boiler size; you could always use 2 narrow doors (say 300 or 400 wide) meeting in the centre. This method (which we've used lots of times) allows for continuity of door style across a wall.

 

[NickStone]

If starting new look at the possibility of modifying a larger cabinet, say oven housing or fridge housing, by reducing the depth & height dimensions. These units come with bigger doors which are likely to cover your boiler size; you could always use 2 narrow doors (say 300 or 400 wide) meeting in the centre. This method (which we've used lots of times) allows for continuity of door style across a wall.

Well, those are both excellent suggestions. What seems to be happening is that kitchen planners I've approached just want to slap in an off-the-peg cabinet and if that doesn't work, they can't modify it to any extent. (I'm no carpeneter myself so I do need someone else to install it.) In the past, I've had bespoke kitchens but they cost the earth and this is just a small house in an ordinary street. I want it to look good, though. I'm wondering what sort of company you run or work for, Symptoms? Perhaps I'd be better asking a local builder to sort it out for me?