DIY Kitchen, should I even try?

LittleMonkey_2

We're desperate to replace our Kitchen, we've been looking at buying the units and all the fittings and I'd instal it. I've got a basic grasp of DIY (putting up shelves etc) do you think it would be too difficult?

also, where's the best place to get kitchen units, worktops etc cheap but decent.

Cheers for now!

thescouselander

Wickes do a cheap range of "take away" kitchen units. I don't consider it a hard job, the units are pretty easy to put together. The hardest thing will probably be getting the work top looking neat. You've got to be pretty accurate cutting the hole for the sink. Joining two pieces of work top together is a skilled job if you want to do it properly, alternatively you can use those metal joining strips (but I dont think they look as good).

majjie

Can't say whether or not your DIY skills are up to fitting a kitchen ... other people on here may well have opinions though

I do know of a good guide which might help, but it costs £4.95 to download

As for cheap kitchens:
IKEA are good, as long as you can cope with no recess at the back for pipes and such like, and don't mind the carcasse edges being white (they're fine if you choose white doors too!); Wickes have a good reputation but I'd stick to their main range, rather than the TakeAway ones; and you can also get Second Nature kitchens online:
http://www.diy-kitchens.com/

emmahip

Wickes are definitely better quality than b&q - we have done both, it's dead easy as long as the corners of the room are square and your floor is level!

Its worth taking the time to measure and re-measure and work out the best possible fit of all the different cupboard sizes.

Have fun!

andrew-b

Our kitchen was from wickes. We made the big mistake of paying their fitters to fit it though - if i did it again i'd do alot of the work myself and employ my own tradesmen for the tricky bit. We had Wickes canterbury range that you order rather than the cheaper Takeaway range. You'll save a packet by doing as much as you can yourself and it'll be so much more satisfying when it's all done!

Stripping out is quite straightforward though you may need to get a CORGI-registered gas engineer in to disconnect/reposition gas supply.

Any plastering i'd get a plasterer in for...unless your only patching up small areas that your going to tile onto anyway.

Putting together the base/wall units is simple ..much the same as any flatpack furniture (i.e just a question of figuring out what bit goes where!). If you can use a screwdriver it's doable!

If you need to join laminate/wooden worktops though you may be best to get a carpenter in with the right tools (worktop jig/router) and the know-how. Cutting holes for sink/hob isn't too tricky with a jigsaw. If you take your time and double check all your measurements before making any cuts it's all doable by the DIYer.

Plumbing is much more DIYable these days as you can use push-fit fittings to join everything together. I'd likely get a plumber in next time round though.

The electrics and hooking up/altering gas supplies are the parts you should get someone in for. Use a part p registered electrician and CORGI gas fitter for these bits as you need to meet regulations. You could keep costs down by doing any chasing out of walls for the electrics yourself - no point paying electrician rates for jobs you can do yourself.

Tiling is quite straightforward too but invest in a decent tile cutter (electric one for complex cuts and preferably a decent manual type which is much quicker for the straight cuts). Take your time on the tiling and plan ahead before you lay your first tile.

I'd give it a go if i were you. If your willing to learn and have the time and patience go for it. I'm sure you'll have times where you think "why did i ever listen to those MSErs telling me to do it myself!" ...but it'll be worth it at the end!! You'll find plenty of advice here if you need help with anything as you go. Don't forget to take some pictures before/after/during - i look forward to seeing the end result!

Andy

hewhoisnotintheknow

i did mine my self and it was more time consuming than ithought, also i live alone so dont mind living in a building site!

wallbash

Well thought out reply by andrew-b :T

The hardest part ( not a diy job ) is the mitres for the work tops.
But we are thinking that the worktops will 'flow' around the corners!!

I got my mitres cut , but it cost me £45
When I did my parents , bought worktops from a specialist, so they come ready
prepared, but the tops weren't cheap'

Do It

andrew-b

*bows* :dance:

on the subject of mitres if you have cornicing or pelmet above/below on the wall units those need 45 degree mitres on the corners too...can do it with a mitre block/saw. Practice on offcuts first if you can. If the cornice and pelmets are like ours though with an intricate profile it may be tricky so go for a simple design if your intending to do it yourself. Took me ages shaping tiles to fit around the pelmet either side of the extractor for the hob.. the part of my tiling i'm particularly proud of (wasted a few tiles in breakages for that!)!

Another thing try and aim for the distance between worktop and wall units to be a whole number of tiles (don't forget to account for size of grout lines which is what our kitchen fitter did!). I ended up cutting 2 cm slithers of tile all the way round the kitchen wall units- used most of my offcuts for that.

Andy

Pretani

I would consider myself a dab hand at DIY, but after seeing my uncle fit his kitchen and the probs he came across, I got in a professional crew to fit mine. The walls in my house aren't straight or at right angles and my wall units were fitted into an enclosed space, which the guys done a great job in adapting the premade units. The worktop needed to be routeured in two places as it had a bevelled edge on it and the island unit was shaped like the letter 'L', it held fridge, freezer and washing machine. When the two guys fitted it, they had to fit the premade units out from the wall by a few inches, plus make another cavity at the corner to get all the appliances funtioning right.

Unless, your kitchen layout is simple, don't try it yourself unless you've done that type of work before. You'll be surprised at what the profession guys have to do in order to get your kitchen looking top notch.

27col

It is not as easy as people think to put up shelves properly. If you can do that well then I would think that you would be able to tackle installing a kitchen. Remember, wall cupboards have to support a great deal of weight, especially if they have crockery in them, so they need to be really well fixed to the wall. It is probably a good idea to fix a temporary batten to the wall to ensure that the bottoms of the wall units are accurately in line. It might also be a good idea to get someone in to joint the worktops, if they need it. If you try to fit worktops yourself you would have to buy a jointing jig to do it properly, and also run the risk of ruining expensive worktop. If the worktops do not require a corner then no problem. A lot of it is just common sense, just don't try to rush it.
Best of luck if you do decide to DIY.

Igol

Walls are never plumb, floor is never level and you'll end up sat on the floor wondering why someone put 'that' there and how are you going to put 'this' in as a result. The carcasses are the easy bit. But at the end you can at least step back and think 'I did this' and forget about the 'What have I done?' you had half way through Screwfix flat pack carcasses are pretty good and then you can choose whatever doors you want.