fitting a kitchen

Porkie

New Member
Hi all,

my friend is buying a kitchen, from B&Q I think, and they want me to fit it for them. I have only just started out as a joiner so have minimal experience.

What tips/help/ideas can you give me, apart from telling me to get an experienced fitter to do the job, and is there a site where i can get instructions to help?

Cheers
 
best tip i can give you is tell them not to get it from B&Q. from ordering the kitchen to getting the final piece delivered will probably be about 3 months
 
Hi Porkie
I am just fitting my own kitchen (B& POO)
You wont really find anything on the internet its just getting stuck in really. You can get a DVD on E-Bay its by Bricky. Com. If you know nothing I would reccomend buying it as it shows you the basics.

The first thing I would say is look at the plans and make sure they have got there measurements right my were not so I had to tell them to change the design. As long as you get your levels in correctly it pretty easy stuff just like putting flat pack furniture together . Then screw the units to each other level them up fix to the wall job done.

The hardest part is fitting worktops and cornice you could always get somebody in to do them if you havent got correct tools.

Its like anything plan in advance what you need to do its really very simple.

The only thing I wasnt happy with is the gaps between doors and drawers they are a bit larger than I would have liked about 3-4 mm but apart from that no complaints about the quality.

Good luck
Phil.
 
dont get me wrong once the kitchen is fitted they look good. its the customer service, delivery and planners that are useless
 
I wasnt sure to get one off B&Q after what i have read on here but i must have been lucky. Just the design cock up a bit annoying because I had to order a few 150 mm cupboards and wait another week but they did through them in for nothing.

I would say to design it yourself if you are going to fit it then you know exactly what is involved in the fit.
 
Hi Porkie, plan well ahead. If you have to take the old kitchen out first be prepared for the mess underneath and behind the old units. Turn the water off!!! might seem a bit of a silly statement but it's amazing how quickly a flood can develop. Be aware of electric cables buried in the walls. If in doubt get a Sparkie in. Check the floor for levelness, look on plans where any freestanding appliances go.

Once you do start putting units in, always start at an internal corner ensuring units are both level and plumb. Check , check and re-check as you go. Fix units together before you fix them back to the wall.


The home delivery service at B&Q is improving but expect damages. If you know the proper people to speak to at Home Delivery service then things can be surprisingly well sorted out and quickly too.
 
my top tip would be to establish and draw a level line as a datum all the way round the wall where the units are going, (preferably using a laser level), and establish as well where the highest and lowest points of the floor are.

nothing worse than finding out too late that you don't have sufficient adjustment on the legs of the base units , and having to cobble them with packing pieces, or alternatively sawing them down ...
 
cheers everyone.

My friend has already ordered the kitchen, and yes, its taking aaaaaages to get it delivered. I guess the good thing is that they **ed up and gave her a massive discount on a brand new range of kitchen.

Think the main difficulty I am going to encounter (hopefuly), is the joining of the worktops. I can borrow a router from work but whats the best method to do this as I have seen a few different examples about. The kitchen will go around 2 90 degree corners.

Also, how about the sink? It's going to be a basic stainless steel type. Whats the deal with sinking that into the work surface.

I am also charging £500 to install. The kitchen isn't very big. Maybe 4-5metres in length. Is that a fair price to charge? I was told the other day that the general rule is charge the same sort of price that the kitchen cost.

Again, cheers for all the advice.
 
when fitting the sink us masking tape as you can see your lines on it. Measure a few times to make sure its parallel to the front of the worktop . I normally turn the sink upside down and draw round it then step in by 10-12 mm but you might be lucky and get a template. Good luck hope it goes well
 
"I am also charging £500 to install. The kitchen isn't very big. Maybe 4-5metres in length. Is that a fair price to charge? I was told the other day that the general rule is charge the same sort of price that the kitchen cost."

I wish that was true id only do 1 a month :)

1, set base units to a height of 870mm.
2, mitre and DRY fit worktops then layout sink markings disasemmble top0s an use a new coarse cut blade with 0 orbital action to cut sink. seal cutout install sink nito worktop(easiest way to get to all the clips.
3, install tops, hob cutout can be done with tops in place.

Hope that helps a bit :)
 
Hi Porkie,

Some good tips above, my few pence worth are:

After drawing your horizontal levels (as described above) mark off the position of the units (and any freestanding appliances) on the walls, for someone who has done it a "million" times this might be a waste of time but it is worthwhile when you are doing the first few.

If there are any full height units use these to set the heights of your wall units.

I prefer to hang the wall units before putting in the base units because its easier to work off the floor rather than reaching over the base units.

The worktop joints are easier than you might think, there is loads of good stuff on this forum about jointing them, just plan first and don't be too upset if it takes you longer than Joel's 10 mins!
 
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