Hinges, channels and handles are the brand and grade quoted
Why — act while you have leverage
Hardware is where an interior quotation is most often quietly downgraded. It is small, it looks similar, and it is the part you touch every single day — a cheap channel on a heavy drawer fails within two years.
What to look at
- The brand mark on the actual hinge and channel, against the quotation
- Every drawer opened to its full extension and closed
- Soft-close actually closing softly on the heaviest drawer, not just the sample
Documents to ask for
- Quotation page listing hardware brand, model and load rating
How to check it yourself
Hardware is quoted by brand, model and load rating. Soft-close hinges and telescopic or tandem channels vary enormously in price and life. Check the brand stamped on the fitting against the quotation, and open and close every drawer and shutter fully before signing off — a channel rated below the drawer load feels notchy from day one.
Where this comes from: Manufacturer product specification and load ratings; established trade practice — hardware grade is not fixed by an IS clause (established trade practice)
More modular installation checks
- Photograph before this is covered
- Loose furniture inspected against the order
- Profiles and shutter lines straight, gaps even