- Which
system is best for my application?
- What
length slide do I need to choose?
- What
is a face frame?
- Do
I need to have the travel distance of the slide equal the width of my
door?
- What
if I have a taller door than the system recommends?
- Are
these difficult to install?
- Can
these types of systems be installed in a horizontal application also?
- What
does anti-rack mean?
- What
is a follower strip or carrier strip?
- What
if I have a door thicker than 3/4 inch?
- Can
the slides be cut down to a shorter length?
- How
much space will the hardware take up?
- How
should I size my door if I want to start building before I get the hardware?
Which
system is best for my application?
There
are quite a few options to sort through. Consider size and weight of the
doors. The different systems we carry will list the weight they can handle
and in some cases specify height parameters. Consider your door design
also. Some systems have options for both inset or overlay doors. Accurride’s
1234 system also has an option for a thick inset door.
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What
length slide do I need to choose?
Two
factors come in to play- the depth of the cabinet and the width of the
door. You need to make sure that you’ll have enough depth in the cabinet
to fit the slide you select. Obviously, you can’t fit a 24" long slide
into a 20" space. There will be a strip of either wood or metal that goes
from slide to slide that the hinges will attach to. This strip takes up
some space, so the travel distance (this is the amount of the door
that will disappear when moved back into the cabinet) will be less than
the length of the slide. As an example, if you had a 18" wide door and
a 18" long slide, then only 14 to 15" hinge of the door will go back into
the cabinet. If you used a 22" long slide with a 18" wide door, then all
of the door would disappear into the cabinet.
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What
is meant by inset door and overlay door?
An
inset door sits inside the face of the cabinet with the face of the door
being flush with the face of the cabinet. On a flipper door system an
overlay door will sit in front of the cabinet, with the hinge side of
the door overlaying or covering up the front of the cabinet.
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What
is a face frame?
A
cabinet is in essence a box. A face frame is a narrow piece of wood, usually
about 2" wide that is attached to the front of this box, framing the opening
where the doors go. Most flipper door systems are installed on cabinets
without a face frame (this is called frameless construction). The
Accuride 1234 and Pro Pocket systems have hinge options for an overlay
door on a face frame. For all other designs you will need a cabinet without
a face frame.
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What
is meant by travel distance?
This
basically means the amount of door that will go back into the cabinet.
If we have a 24" long slide with a travel distance equaling slide length
minus 4-1/2", then the travel distance is 19-1/2". This means 19-1/2"
of door will slide back into the cabinet when open.
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Do
I need to have the travel distance of the slide equal the width of my
door?
No,
in fact in most cases you won’t want to as you may have handles or knobs
on the door. If you have a few inches sticking out when the door is opened,
then the handles or knobs won’t smash into the cabinet. In a case where
you want the door to retract all the way when open, then you need to explore
the use of a recessed pull of some sort into your design.
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What
if I have a taller door than the system recommends?
Consider
splitting the door into an upper and a lower door if possible. Or you
might space the hinges in from the top and bottom of the door beyond the
normal installation. If you decide to try this you will need to do more
measuring and layout than the instructions will detail. Also, be sure
not to exceed the per door weight rating recommend for the system.
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Are
these difficult to install?
They
can be complicated. Some systems are easier to install. Accuride’s 1234
system is the easiest system to install and is recommended for the beginner
as well as the experienced. You will find that installing a system into
a new cabinet is easier than trying to retro-fit to an existing cabinet
as you won’t have to worry about possibly re-fitting the doors or having
to make replacement doors.
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Can
these types of systems be installed in a horizontal application also?
Most
systems are intended only for vertical applications. The MEDIUM DUTY,
Epoxy-coated, or Pro Pocket systems are recommended if you have a design
that incorporates a horizontal door.
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What
does anti-rack mean?
When
a door gets larger it has a tendency to tip forward as you have the door
open and are about to slide it back into the cabinet. This tendency is
called racking. Some systems such as the Accuride heavy duty flipper door
system have features designed to counter this tendency to rack. The Accuride
heavy duty flipper door system uses a cable strung behind the follower
strip to achieve this. This is more of a design consideration for larger
doors than smaller doors.
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What
is a follower strip or carrier strip?
These
terms are used interchangeably. These terms refer to the piece that goes
from one slide to the other that the hinges are attached to. In some cases
it is a wood piece that you make. In other cases it will be metal.
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What
if I have a door thicker than 3/4 inch?
Most
systems are designed for doors ¾'' thick. If you try to use a thicker
door with these it will not work as the face of the door will sit out
too far and/or it will scrape on the slides as the door is slide back
into the cabinet. The Accuride 1234 system has a hinge option for inset
doors up to 1-1/4'' thick. The Accuride Pro Pocket System can accomodate
doors from 3/4'' to 1-1/4'' thick for overlay applications, or 3/4'' to
1-1/2'' for inset applications.
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Can
the slides be cut down to a shorter length?
No,
they cannot be cut. Most systems use a ball bearing slide and you may
lose the bearings if the ends are cut. Any alterations such as this will
void all warranties.
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How
much space will the hardware take up?
Depending
on which system you choose, they will take from1-3/4" to 2-1/4" of space
per side for hardware and door combined.
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How
should I size my door if I want to start building before I get the hardware?
To
be on the safe side, please don’t make the doors until you have the hardware
in hand. You’ll want to take some time reading through the instructions
that come with the system you choose to ensure that you design and layout
the door properly.
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