kitchen refurbishment - green choices?

Sarri_2

Hello all,

My first post on the forum, though I've been skulking around as a guest for a while!

I've been saving up to get our kitchen refurbished, as we've lived with it being a complete state since we moved in. and now I've got the money I'd really like to try to make as many 'green' choices as possible.

The oven is basically bust bar the hob, so that will have to be replaced, and I'm trying to find one with a good energy rating - that seems an obvious good thing to do? Another obvious thing is the kitchen currently has 2 banks of halogen lights, 3 lights each, which seems over the top in our tiny kitchen, so they can go.

The main thing is that the existing units and sink are beyond just tarting up with new doors and worktops, so will have to be replaced, and I'm not sure what are good things to use? I get the impression MDF is v v bad, and that reclaimed wood would be better?

Sorry for the long rambly post, any advice or sources of inspiration would be great!

Thanks
Sarri

mikeywills

Most new kitchen furniture these days are made from managed timber. I like you are not keen on mdf but unfortunately it is the staple of the kitchen market. Almost all slab doors that are, foil or paper covered are made using it, as the lack of grain stops the rippled texture on the doors. It can also be machined more easily for creating patterns and profiles.
The most green and ethical approach would be to find a local joinery and ask them to source local timber to construct a kitchen for you, unfortunately you will find this to be a very expensive route, so hopefully there are plenty of pennies in the pot.

hardpressed

Would you consider buying secondhand. Lots of people change their kitchens when there is nothing wrong with them. You could probable find a solid wood kitchen at a reasonable price, might need a bit of carpentry to make it fit but with the money you save you can pay for a good carpenter to do it, or it's not too difficult for a DIY expert to do. Green and money saving.

mikeywills

Good thinking hardpressed, there is a lot of demand these days for retro kitchen, and the 50 stylie is very popular. Have a looksee whats out there freeads etc.

CLARABEL

another thing as far as work tops is this:

http://www.smile-plastics.co.uk/

they reuse plastics and make sheets of various plastics from old toothpaste tubes and stuff. i have seen smaples. the toothpaste ones actually smell minty!

anyway, it's not that cheap, but it's certainly green.

have a look.:rolleyes: