The mother-in-law insisted on using red bricks to make cabinets in situ, and the family was puzzled, and after the completion of the project, they praised her foresight

Recently, many decoration cases shared by enthusiastic netizens have emerged on the Internet, allowing us to learn a lot of decoration knowledge. Today, I would also like to share the decoration story of my home, hoping to provide some reference for everyone's decoration.

In Wuhan, my partner and I met and fell in love when we were in college, and after graduation, we walked into the palace of marriage hand in hand. Due to the average family conditions of both parties, our parents could not provide us with a marriage house, so we could only rely on our own efforts to fight for it. After five years of struggle, we finally got our first home. However, due to the fact that buying a house has squeezed out our savings, we still need to accumulate the funds for renovation slowly, which is quite stressful.

At this time, my mother-in-law offered to help us decorate, she said that we young people have no experience, we didn't help buying a house, and we must help with the decoration. We felt very embarrassed, and after some excuses, we decided to ask my mother-in-law to make half a bag for us, while we bought the main materials, furniture and appliances ourselves.

However, when the basic renovation was completed, my mother-in-law intervened again and insisted on making "red brick cast-in-place" cabinets for us. At first, our family didn't understand this, but my mother-in-law insisted that the master she had found was very skilled. When it was finished, the cabinet was more practical than we expected, and everyone praised her for her vision. Even the neighbors came to visit and learn. Now, I would like to share with you the details and decoration experience of this cabinet, hoping to provide you with some help.

Bottom bricks

During the renovation process, I had in-depth communication with the master on the location details and functional requirements of the cabinets to ensure satisfaction with the final effect. Before construction began, I also visited my neighbor's custom cabinets and found that the construction process was different from that of brick cabinets. Custom cabinets usually require on-site measurements, designer drawings, factory processing, and finally on-site installation of the finished product. The brick cabinetry was a much rougher process, which made me initially worry about whether the end result would be satisfactory.

However, the construction steps are carried out one by one. First of all, the bottom bricks were laid, and we chose to use red bricks for decoration to lay the foundation for subsequent cabinet making. As the construction progressed, my doubts about the brick cabinets gradually dissipated and were replaced by anticipation of the final result.

cut off

Next is the construction step of the red brick partition. As you can see from the exterior, the sides of the red brick are wider than the custom cabinet panels, which means that there will be a slight increase in space occupancy. However, it also indicates that the red brick partitions will be stronger and stronger. Although the red brick partition is a slight sacrifice in space, its stability and durability are advantages that cannot be ignored. This design choice is undoubtedly in pursuit of higher practicality and durability, and provides a better guarantee for future use.

The kitchen is located by the window, and the kitchen window is a floor-to-ceiling window, which is larger. For privacy, we put frosted glass film so you can't see the inside from the outside. Due to the limited size of the kitchen, we made full use of the space under the window to store and store things, which is both beautiful and functional. Open shelves are custom-made under the windows for easy access to spice jars, cooking utensils and more. At the same time, the space under the windows is used efficiently, increasing the storage capacity of the kitchen. This design not only makes the best use of space, but also makes the kitchen more tidy and organized.

backfill

After the foundation renovation is completed, we use cement mortar to smooth the red bricks on the bottom surface and backfill them to ensure that the whole is flat. At the same time, we laid the underlayment and chose affordable floor tiles with the same color as the wall tiles to achieve the overall aesthetic effect. This treatment not only enhances the practicality of the kitchen, but also improves the overall aesthetics.

Tile and formwork

We then started tiling, covering the partitions and sides with tiles, and laying up the formwork on top of the countertops. The decorator mentioned that the board used is "Moganshan Board", although I don't know why it is named so, but it can provide you with a reference. At this time, the old man joked that it looked like a public toilet, and if you think about it, it is indeed somewhat similar......

In addition to using straight formwork, the master mason also added a layer of steel mesh to ensure the stability of the cabinets. Then, the cement mortar is cast-in-place, which is a key step in the durability of the cabinet. That's why I named it the "Red Brick Cast-in-Place" cabinet. Since the whole construction process was carried out gradually, I was impressed by the craftsmanship of the master mason.

Foundation molding

The foundation of the red brick cast-in-place cabinet has been almost completed, but the process of waiting for the cement to dry in the middle is quite long, so there is no photographic record. It takes about 8 days, during which time you need to water constantly to prevent cracking. Considering the time efficiency, the master suggested that we go outside to customize the quartz countertop, and let the manufacturer of the custom wardrobe at home customize the wall cabinet and floor cabinet door for us. Although the customization process took a long time, requiring a 28-day wait for construction, it was worth the wait to ensure the final result and overall uniformity.

Installation of wall cabinets, floor cabinet doors and countertops

After careful construction and waiting, the red brick cast-in-place cabinet finally ushered in the final presentation. The solid foundation and simple white molded custom cabinet doors and faux quartz countertops make the overall effect eye-catching!

Because my cabinets are a combination of cast-in-place red bricks and a small amount of woodwork, when I open the doors, I don't have the same unpleasant smell as my neighbor's custom cabinets. This is very gratifying to me and validates the wisdom of our choice of non-traditional customization.

The cabinets are very well planned, with the left area designed for the stir-fry area and the right side for washing and chopping vegetables. This layout not only conforms to daily usage habits, but also makes the kitchen workflow smoother, which greatly improves the convenience of use.

The custom-made countertops have a fine closure, and we chose large particles of quartz stone, which is rugged and durable, very strong, and has good waterproof properties. Such a choice of materials not only ensures the practicality of the cabinet, but also adds to the overall aesthetics.

Detail.

Above the wall cabinet, we also installed a small light strip to add a warm and intimate atmosphere to the cabinet. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional, providing ample lighting for the operation of the kitchen and making the cooking process more comfortable and convenient.

The effect of closing the kitchen door is not bad, right?

The cooktop and sink hood are also installed!

In the design of the cooktop, we reserved the corresponding slots according to the size of the hood. After installation, the slots were perfectly matched to the hood, without any large gaps, and the overall result was very beautiful. At first, the family did not understand such a design, but as the project was completed, they all praised the mother-in-law for her vision.

Although my sink's sink was a little lacking in planning and I chose the design of the countertop basin, which led to a slight trouble when sweeping the water, overall, the advantages of the red brick cast-in-place cabinet far outweighed its disadvantages.

Merit:

1. Waterproof and moisture-proof: Due to the high humidity in Wuhan, the red brick cast-in-place cabinets perform well in this regard, providing better protection for the kitchen.
2. Environmental protection: Compared with other custom cabinets, the material selection of red brick cabinets is more environmentally friendly and reduces pollution.
3. Strong and durable: The structure of the red brick cabinet is more stable, and you don't have to worry about heavy objects such as chopping bones.

Shortcoming:

1. Takes up space: Red brick cabinets require more space and may not be friendly to small kitchens.
2. High requirements for mason masters: The construction process requires experienced mason masters, and the technical requirements are high.
3. Difficult to dismantle: Once completed, it will be relatively difficult to make alterations or dismantle at a later stage.

Overall, red brick cast-in-place cabinets have their own unique advantages, but there are also some limitations. When choosing, you need to weigh your own needs. While there are some savings over custom cabinetry, it's also important to consider the inconveniences it can bring.