What Kitchen Would Experienced Kitchen Fitters Recommend?

It's an extremely competitive market and they're all trying to get your business. Get tactile with the goods and don't be blinded with BS sales patter. I don't fit kitchens day in day out, but my experience of Howdens kitchens to date has been very good.

Whoever you choose, careful fitting can make even a 'cheap' kitchen look like a star and vice versa...it's all in the details

 

I posted on another thread, I was disapointed in the robustness of DiyKitchens units. I bought some for my placecand the didn't last 3 years before. I had to start repairing them - this year they are all coming out to be replaced with my own. Just wish i had the time a few years ago to avoid wasting a lot of money.

If you notice a lot of views on this thread, few posts. Recomending a kitchen brand is a poiskn chalice as every one has horror stories on every brand.

 

anyone fitted cook and lewis "click" range?

 

not me

 

I'm not a fitter,but had one supplied & fitted by Magnet. Can't fault the kitchen & the fit. I'm sure that no one is taken in by 50% off sale, but we were happy with the final price.

 

I was planning on buying from DIY kitchens, in what way did they start falling apart?

 

When I looked at kitchens in B&Q, the salesman tried to tell me the carcases of the Cook and Lewis range were made of real wood.

 

Well, I suppose technically, they are. (chipboard is real wood and glue really). Some of the doors are made from solid wood and a lot aren't though.

A good kitchen fitter can make a cheap kitchen look fantastic,,,, A bad kitchen fitter can make the most expensive stuff look like utter carp. One thing I find is, most owners don't look after their kitchens too well, so after a few years it looks carp anyway.

 

I agree JoinerJohn, some people don't look after anything.

I've given up putting the mother-in-laws cupboard doors back on their hinges as she seems to think the cabinet designers factored in hanging a heavy coat on the opened doors

 

I had an inframe kitchen.
The drawer slides on mine were mounted on small spacers,the weight of the drawer had too much leverage and pulled the screws out,
The drawer fronts were made of very thin ply that couldn't support handles being fitted to them.
Paint very thin and worn through.
Some of the door and drawer beading now has gaps where the glue has failed.

I had an ivory white colour and boy is it difficult to remove stains from it, not so much as it gets dirty but anything is so hard to shift off the surface.

I would seriously look at making (or buying) the carcases separately and buying the doors and draw fronts. The other option would be to go to a local woodworker/ wood machinist and get them to quote for one. You could be surprised how cheap it is from them and you can get what you really want

 

(Chust thought I'd jump in a say that my 10+ year old MFI kitchen is still in very good order. Also an in-frame design, so runners and hinges have these large spacers, and the bludy kids slam the drawers shut every bludy time. But no faults or issues whatsoever. Ok, one handle snapped after a year or so, but that was replaced instantly under warranty - chust before they went under...)

 

At the end some of the MFI kitchens were pretty good but 10 years is about the limit for most kitchens these days. Not so much as the build quality but fashion changes and for some people it is a big status thing to have new kitchens even though most new kitchens cost more than their car

 

We too have an MFI kitchen fitted 15 years ago. As the doors are starting to get a little tired we are going to replace the doors along with some nice black worktops.

I have checked all the carcases, & they are all fine. No damp bits & still very strong.
So far been impressed by Howdens, (also been to HB, Wicks, Magnet) so going with them, hope they last 15 years.

 

Howdens are normally trade only

Quite a few door suppliers on the web

 

Yes sospan, your right. Its not what you know, but who you know.

 

Not a problem but I know a lot of general customers turn up at Howdens with the expectation of taking away units but get disappointed when they are told they only sell to the trade.

TBH when I look at the Howdens kitchens, I am not that impressed by the quality and some of the doors look very cheaply made but each to their own

 

Howdens made the units for MFI so their doors should be a straight swap.

 

I can always supply a top quality mtm kitchen & almost always beat the likes of howdens / b&q etc ! The experience of 30 years of making & fitting them gives you very good contacts & products. I work on my own & have very low overheads, which is the main issue I think.