Durability - Domestic kitchen furniture
Kitchen
furniture needs to look good and, even more importantly, withstand a lot
of wear and tear. Peter Mayer of Building LifePlans
assesses the options and their whole life costs.
Introduction
We are spoilt for choice when specifying domestic kitchen furniture. The vast majority of kitchens are made of particleboard -chipboard- construction faced with a plastics surface. Faced particleboard offers a reasonable compromise between cost, durability and appearance. Even so not all faced particleboard options are the same.
Kitchen furniture standards
Kitchen units might look wonderful but will they withstand children swinging
from the doors and hot pans accidentally placed on the work surfaces?
What about steam from the kettle boiling under the wall units? Thankfully
specifiers can turn a range of standards which apply to kitchen furniture.
These include:
BS 6222-2 for structural performance of domestic kitchen.
There are two grades of structural performance:
• Grade G - for general domestic situations where users are expected
to exercise care
• Grade H – for heavy use is expected or where the users are
not expected to exercise care.
To attain the standard the largest of each type of unit or component has
to be tested. Grade H tests are more demanding - for example, a Grade
H cutlery door is tested for wear and fatigue using a 0.33kg per cubic
decimetre load for 80,000 cycles; the equivalent test for a grade G cutlery
drawer is 0.25kg/m³ load for 40,000 cycles. Carcasses, worktops,
wall units, doors, hinges and other drawer types have separate tests.
BS 6222-3 for durability and adhesion of surface finishes.
Maintaining the integrity of the surface finish is critical to ensure
the underlying material (particleboard or medium density fibreboard) does
not get wet and swell.
BS 6222-3 should be applied to each variation of surface finish. Tests
for impact, scratching, wet and dry heat as well as resistance to a range
of chemicals and liquids are described. There are different pass criteria
for worktops, wood lipping and all other surfaces. Laminate top surfaces
and edges should be to BS EN 438-1 grade P333 which confirms degree of
resistance to scratching, staining, high temperatures, burns and impacts.
Other standards
The Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA) carries out testing
of kitchen units generally to BS 6222. FIRA Gold Award is a mark of performance
which may include testing to the kitchen safety standard BS EN 1153 in
addition to ergonomic and environmental testing. However, the criteria
needed to attain the award are unclear.
Kitchen furniture to the British Standard Kitemark should give further
assurance of performance as production processes and quality assurance
are reviewed.t as important as the floor structure and floor covering.
It is worth noting that testing may be selective rather than comprehensive.
Curiously, there is no BS 6222-1, but do check general claims that the
kitchen range you are inspired to buy meets the standard – ask to
see the test certificates for units of the specific range you are interested
in.
The Building LifePlans Construction Durability Database provides generic
durability information for different grades of kitchen furniture. (see
www.componentlife.com).
This has replaced the Housing Association Property Mutual’s component
life manual, which has been extensively used as a basis for performance
specifications.
Materials used to construct kitchen units
Particleboard is the most common core material for all parts of kitchen
units. Medium-density fibreboard tends to be used for doors.
Particleboard should be to the specification standard for this material,
BS EN 312. The 2003 version of the standard introduced a new grade of
particleboard: P3, a moisture resistant non-load bearing board. P3 particleboard
should reduce the risk of moisture failure compared with the alternative
grade P2, which is for use in dry conditions only.
Whole life performance
Thoughtful design and detailing can enhance performance over a kitchen’s
life. Here are some key examples:
• It is essential to seal all cut edges of particleboard to prevent
moisture ingress and particleboard swelling. Critical areas are sink insets
and junctions.
• Consider mitred or butt joints for worktops rather than using
aluminium or plastics jointing strips. Seal the joint with a moisture-resistant
gap-filling adhesive to BS EN 204 grade D3 or D4.
• Worktops with a drip control feature to the bottom front edge
reduce risk of moisture damage.
• Some manufacturers produce fully repairable units that allow damaged
sections to be replaced rather than the complete unit. However, it may
be worth confirming the actual costs of repairing versus replacement.
• Specify hinges which open fully into the space available so that
fully opened doors back onto a vertical surface – this reduces the
risk of hinges pulling out of the unit.
• Door and drawers with buffers will reduce risk of damage due to
slamming.
Remember, probably the most important factor influencing the performance
of kitchen furniture is the care or lack of care exercised by the users.
Specification options
| Capital cost (£) |
Net present value for 60 years (£) | Expected service life | |
| Kitchen furniture to BS 6222-2 strength designation H. Particleboard to BS EN 312, type P3. Fully repairable | 1,690 | 3,400 | 25 |
| Kitchen furniture to BS 6222-2 strength designation H. Particleboard to BS EN 312, type P3. | 1,630 | 3,430 | 25 |
| Kitchen furniture to BS 6222-2 strength designation H. Particleboard minimum to BS EN 312, type P2. | 1,575 | 3,650 | 20 |
| Kitchen furniture to BS 6222-2 strength designation G. Particleboard minimum to BS EN 312, type P2. | 1,350 | 3,890 | 15 |
| Kitchen furniture not tested to BS 6222. Particleboard to BS EN 312, type P2. No third party certification | 1,100 | 4,360 | 10 |
Table notes
• All base units to be on supports to give at least 6mm clearance
between base of unit and floor. High-pressure laminated particleboard
to a minimum thickness of 15mm. All surface finishes to meet relevant
tests of BS 6222-3. Third party certification (BSI kitemark or FIRA Gold
Award) is assumed unless stated otherwise.
• Costs include capital costs, installation and replacement of kitchen
units at the end of their service lives with an allowance for repairs.
Costs are discounted at a rate of 3.5%. Costs are based on a kitchen with
a storage volume of 2.5m³. Replacement of taps and sink are included.
Costs are indicative, as there is a wide variation dependant on units
specified, style and finish. Best value should be determined from a whole
life assessment using project specific criteria.
First published in Building 2005
Further information
Building LifePlans provides latent defects warranty
for all buildings.
BLP Construction Durability Database at www.componentlife.com
provides durability information for building components.
Further information contact peter.mayer@buildinglifeplans.com
or telephone: 020 7204 2441.
