Here at www.kitchen-storage.co.uk/spice_racks we offer a comprehensive range of chrome plated and timber spice racks to suit all kitchens and budgets.

These spice racks are used for storing packets and jars of your most used spices, herbs and other flavour enhancing supplements closer to your cooking station. This has the following benefits:

• Spices and herbs are available to hand when cooking so are much more likely to be used, (how many of us have scrabbled around at the back of the cupboard looking for that important ingredient whilst the sauce on the cooker slowly burns!)

• Spices and herbs are simple to see when you are running low so they can be added to the shopping list. (when we first installed ours we found five jars of black pepper corns at the back of the cupboard!)

• They look great especially our range of solid timber 3 and 4 tier racks and demonstrate to your friends that you use a wide variety of spices and herbs when cooking – just like all the top chefs!

Which Spice Rack Do I Need?

This is a question we are regularly asked and the following table summarises the spice racks we have available and how they should be used:

If your spice rack is to be placed inside a cupboard door, which is an excellent way of utilising the dead space between the back of the door and the shelving, we would recommend you use on of the wire Spice Racks, these are light yet robust and simple to fix to the inside of the door. Simply measure the width of the door, deduct 100mm, and see what the nearest width of spice rack corresponds with your results.

So for example:

500mm door width – 100mm = 400mm.

All of the above spice racks will fit this door.

We find that increasingly customers are attaching the racks to a wall in the kitchen or screwing them to an end panel.

This has the advantage of enabling you to display the spices. When this method is combined with one of the solid timber racks the results can be stunning. Imagine an 800mm wide solid timber spice rack in Walnut on the wall in your kitchen!

Fitting Spice Racks

It is our intention to produce a short video on this subject but for now hopefully this explanation will suffice.

Tools required,

• Tape measure
• Drill
• 3mm drill bit
• Pencil
• Spirit level
• Masking Tape
• Fixings Pack (included with each rack)

Chrome wire spice racks fitting inside a cupboard door.

• The first point is to ensure that the screws supplied are the correct depth for the surface you are screwing in to – you don’t want the screws to appear on the door front!! Once this has been done you are ready to start.

• Place the rack against the door with an equal distance from either edge to the edge of the rack. You could use the tape measure to do this and your spirit level to check everything is straight.

• Draw a small pencil line on the edge of the rack.

• Once you are happy use masking tape to tape the spice rack against the door.

• Now take your pencil and push it through the screw holes to make a small mark on the door.

• Remove the spice rack and drill small pilot holes in the door. TIP – use a small piece of masking tape to mark on the drill bit the depth you would like to drill to – probably 10mm.

• Place the spice rack back on the door and use the screws provided to secure it and the job is complete.

Solid Timber Spice Racks

All the standard solid timber spice racks are supplied with a paper template which makes the installation very simple. For bespoke sizes follow the same methodology but either make up your own paper template or measure the distance between the fixing points and transfer this measurement to your fixing surface.

• Place the paper template on the wall/door and using a spirit level ensure the top of the paper is straight.

• With your masking tape, tape the template onto the wall. TIP – due to the nature of the fittings on these spice racks the rack will drop approximately 10mm when installed.

• Pilot drill your fixing points through the paper template.

• Place the screws into the wall plugs leaving them approximately 5mm proud of the wall.

• Mount your spice rack onto the wall.

And finally remember that if you have any questions call our experts on 0800 389 9732.

OK sales pitch over, we have been selling the bespoke timber spice racks for some time and they have been hugely popular so we have added a few items such as a Cheese Board, Notice Board, Reminders Board and Key Board. We are showing them in Oak but like the spice racks we can make them to any size and in a choice of timbers from Walnut, Maple, Beech, Wenge and Cherry.

If you have any questions please call 0800 389 9732.

DIY Warehouse is proving to be a resounding success offering a huge range of products to both the Home Improver and trade customers. And for readers who put up with my ramblings there is a 5% off discount voucher available. The voucher can be used as many times as you like so you can benefit from 5% off your goods everytime you shop up until the end of June 2009. Simply enter the code discount5 into the voucher box when you check out. Happy Shopping!

We have also launched an exciting site selling replacement kitchen doors. www.cupboard-doors.co.uk has ranges to suit all budgets. It is as simple as measuring the doors you currently have, choose a range and select the doors you need or if it is all too much to think about just call us and we can help you choose what you need. How about a kitchen that looks like the one shown for under £600? Yes it can be done depending on the size of your kitchen of course.

Anyway that’s all for now and at least the telephone issue is sorted, good old BT!!!

We will be publishing a temporary number first thing on Monday 9 March but please bear with us as it will only be a single line.

You can email us and we will get back to you very quickly. Email wendy@diyessentials.com or simon@diyessentials.com.

Thanks for your patience.

Well we have done it and comissioned one of the leading bespoke kitchen manufacturers in the country to produce a three tier and four tier version. The off-the shelf version of the three tier is currently on sale and measures:

300mm wide, 580mm tall, 80mm depth and has a 130mm shelf height. 21 standard Schwartz bottle will fit in the rack. Available in Walnut, Oak, Wenge, Cherry and any other timber you can think of!

In fact for the same price we will make these bespoke to any size and in any timber you require, if we think the dimensions are a bit unrealistic we will tell you!

All fittings and instructions are included but there is a 21 day lead time as each one is individually crafted to order.

Oh and before I forget, until the end of February 2009 we have a great offer on the Chrome 4 tier spice rack, Buy 2 and get the 3rd half price.

It is good news as we have decided to pass on the full 2.5% discount to our customers unlike the majority of our competitors!

We are applying the discount at checkout and I thought I would just give a brief explanation of how the discount is calculated:

How does this affect you?

All the prices currently displayed online include VAT at 17.5%. However these prices will be discounted at the checkout to be equivalent to the new 15% VAT prices. This means a discount of 2.13% on the displayed price.

Why is this discount 2.13% and not 2.5%?

The example below illustrates how the 2.13% discount is calculated:

Current ticket price includes VAT at 17.5%
On a product that sells for £100 the EX VAT price is £85.11
To calculate the new price including EX VAT at 15% we must add 15% to the EX VAT price of £85.11, which equals £97.87.

Anyway hope that is clear any questions please call us on 0800 389 9732

We are a stockist able to offer the entire range but we will be adding the range to the DIY Essentials Group sites in a controlled fashion. Starting with a select range of bins and bin liners on the Bins For Kitchens site, we will be adding more Brabantia products to Kitchen Storage and DIY Essentials over the coming months.

Recycling is a huge hot topic today. With landfill sites rapidly filling up, the Government is introducing recycling schemes throughout the country in an effort to get all of us to think very carefully about what we do with our rubbish. Without doubt the future will see local councils start to charge householders for the collection of rubbish, probably based on weigh and type of rubbish. Did you know that all wheelie bins contain a microchip that can be read to give an accurate weight of the rubbish in the bin?

If we think for a moment, it does make sense for us to try and cut down on the amount of waste we send to landfill and to try and segment our rubbish to make processing much more environmentally friendly.

Carrier bags are the current hot news item as they are not degradable so they will remain on the planet for a 1,000 years before they are broken down and absorbed into the soil. A recent article on www.bbc.co.uk reported that an estimated 13bn carrier bags are given away to UK shoppers each year.

Here at http://www.binsforkitchens.co.ukwe have established a reputation for supplying high quality integrated bins suitable for a range of cabinet sizes and recycling regimes, from 8 litres up to 90 litre capacities small flats to large households are catered for. A full back up service is also provided with an expert at the end of the telephone to assist when the bin is being fitted (full instructions are supplied with all bins supplied).

Which recycle bin should I choose?

Probably the first point to consider is do you want an integrated solution (one that fits into an existing kitchen cupboard) or a freestanding bin. The larger the cupboard available the bigger the bin you could choose. The largest bin the Hailo Euro Cargo 60 has a capacity of 87 litres with two 35 and two 8.5 litre bins giving the user the opportunity to segment all waste before it gets outside for the council to collect.

Where should I site the bin?

Many people look to put the bin under the sink, which is a great location but does come with its own problems i.e. pipe work. It is surprising how many people install the kitchen, get all the plumbing work finished then consider what bin will fit. A good tip would be to speak to the experts as to what bins would be best and then present the bin to the plumber to make sure the pipe work can be installed around the bin. One of the best bins for this situation is the Hailo Euro Cargo S 3614-52 which has a capacity of 49 litres split across a 30 litre and a 19 litre bin. It has built in soft close runners and is very simple to fit. It has a low height and depth meaning that pipe work can be positioned above and behind the bin.

How do I know if a bin will fit?

The starting point is always the width of the kitchen cabinet. This measurement is taken from one outside carcase wall to the other in a straight line. Typically the measurement will be 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550 or 600mm with the most common size being 600mm.

You then need the internal height and depth (front to back) of the carcase in millimetres.

If you are looking to fit the bin under a kitchen sink it is important to take the measurements from the pipe work especially the height under the pipe work and the depth available before the bin will hit the pipe work.

What sort of bins are available?

Free Standing Bins.

As the name suggests these simply sit on the floor and tend to be relatively high capacity, taking a single bin liner. The advantages are they take no installation, are easy to empty and usually have a higher capacity than other bins for less cost ie the purchase price per litre of capacity is less than other types of bins. They can be very attractive as demonstrated by the Hailo KickVisier 50.

Free Standing Recycling Bins.

These bins tend to be quite large as they have to be two or three bins in one. One of the most popular available is the Trio Recycling Bin, 60 litres which has a large storage capacity, with three twenty litre compartments, allowing your waste to be divided up before it is put out for your local council to collect. Brabantia also offer an attractive, two compartment bin called the Brabantia Twin Bin which has a ten litre and a twenty three litre bucket and is available in a range of colours and finishes. Brabantia also offer a “Fingerprint proof” version which is very simple to keep clean as fingers do not leave marks on the surface of the bin.

Wall Mounted Bins.

All mounted bins tend to be of wireframe construction so are not particularly attractive and are more suited to an office or a workshop environment. That said the smaller versions can be fixed to the back of a kitchen cupboard door and can be quite useful for small amounts of rubbish. They also have the advantage of being simple to fit as they are screwed to the door or wall. If fixing to a brick wall it is advisable to use the correct wall plugs and screws.

Bins For Hinged Doors.

Mainly manufactured by the German Company Hailo, these are a very clever idea. They are attached to the door in such a way that when the door opens the bin comes out attached to the door and the lid tends to remain in the cupboard. When the door closes the lid rotates into a closed position over the top of the bin. An excellent example is the Hailo 18 litre Uno Kitchen Bin which in polished stainless steel does look very attractive. These bins are quite simple to fit and are supplied with a template showing where to drill holes.

Door Front Fixing Pull Out Bins.

These are perhaps the Rolls Royce of the integrated bin solutions. They are fixed to runners inside the cabinet, which can be soft close in the latest models, have a high storage capacity, up to 90 litres and can have up to four compartments allowing complete segmentation of rubbish. They are removed from the cabinet by pulling the door towards you. Most also have a convenient shelf over the top of the bins that provides a lid for the bins and also storage space for bin bags and cleaning materials. A few examples include the Hailo Euro Cargo 60 , the Hailo Euro Cargo S which has the added benefit of being able to fit under a kitchen sink. It is both low and shallow allowing pipework to be accommodated behind the bin.

Pull Out Bins.

As the name suggests these bins typically are secured to the base of a cabinet, the door is opened normally and the bin is manually pulled towards the user. They are extremely simple to fit with fixing screws being placed through the bottom struts of the bin frame into the floor of the kitchen cupboard. A typical example would be the Hailo Easy Cargo 3668-50 .

Bins For Drawers.

These are a relatively new concept but do offer a great deal of flexibility in terms of the configuration of the bins. Some, like the Hailo XXL Space Saving Kitchen Bin fit inside a drawer box and simply pull out with the drawer. Others like the Ninka One2Five system are an integral part of the drawer box, which in the case of www.binsforkitchens.co.uk is supplied with soft close runners and all the fittings.

Written by:

Simon Taylor

Resident specialist on integrated and free standing bin solutions, www.binsforkitchens.co.uk .

simon@diyessentials.com