Kitchens - good fitting, what does it mean?

bluewater

Hi all, would appreciate your comments.

We're in the process of choosing a new kitchen and have arranged design visits from two independents and Wickes and Howdens. Have read most of recent posts on kitchens and will check out Benchmarx after Wickes have quoted. But my question is about fitting. It's repeatedly said that good fitting can make a budget kitchen look good and vice versa. But what specifically can be poorly or expertly done? Leaving assembling flat packs aside which I suppose can be bodged, surely fixing the units in place and getting them level isn't too hard. I can appreciate that joining laminate or composite worktops requires skill and some specialist tools and that here there is an opportunity to make a mess of it, but if going for templated granite or quartz that shouldn't be a problem should it? Are we talking about getting doors and drawers to operate correctly or what? Thanks.

Doozergirl

bluewater wrote: »

But what specifically can be poorly or expertly done? Leaving assembling flat packs aside which I suppose can be bodged, surely fixing the units in place and getting them level isn't too hard.

Even kitchens fitted by fitters can be not that great. The fact is that creating a really gorgeous fitted kitchen is more than putting together cabinets usually. It's making them fit into spaces seamlessly so it looks like one piece of furniture. Houses are rarely straight - you can a have a corner with the floor and two walls all going off at slightly different angles so it's a job to get things perfectly straight.

I can think of two families that have fitted their own kitchens and they're not great. Even when they look lovely when just put in, there's something missing to me in the look of it. And they quite quickly start to go wonky, kick plates falling off etc. The fact is that creating a really gorgeous fitted kitchen is more than putting together cabinets usually. It's making them fit into spaces seamlessly so it looks like one piece of furniture and knowing which order to do things to make it look it's best.

Our carpenter is an absolute joy. It usually isn't straightforward to fit a kitchen, there's often pipes and things to work around, so he'll build me a 'bespoke' cabinet from pieces or little gaps to fill when walls aren't exactly straight and he can create slithers that are cut to the curve of a wall! It's the experience to do things beautifully and solid and be able to hide any flaws that the room provides you with. I can present him with an issue or an idea and he'll look at it for a while and just when you think he hasn't got a clue what to do, he'll set to work and produce something fabulous.

We didn't recommend him to friends once because he sometimes doesn't turn up when he says he will but when they found themselves a fitter and were unhappy, we felt really guilty. It looks lovely but there are just little things like slither of gaps between units and the pelmet where the under cabinet lights shines through and one of the worktops has been fitted with the wood not running the same way, slightly sloppy brushmarks on the worktops. It's a craft.

If you want a gorgeous, really quality looking home then good carpentry is essential.

bluewater wrote: »

I can appreciate that joining laminate or composite worktops requires skill and some specialist tools and that here there is an opportunity to make a mess of it, but if going for templated granite or quartz that shouldn't be a problem should it?

On the contrary, granite is a massive investment and if those units aren't exactly true then the risk is there for it to crack. The installers won't take responsibility for that. We've seen that recently on this board.

phill99

The saying 'the devil is in the detail' is what springs to mind.

Its not just a case of making sure the units are level, but that the fronts are also perfectly in true so that the doors than meet correctly.

The mitres on cornice and light pelmet are a dead giveaway if a bad fitter has been used. A good fitter will do these perfectly so that they look as though they are factory made. Ditto plinths.

Its also how ant irregularities will be treated. Very few kitchens are 'true' ie the walls / floor run out and its how these are dealt with. A good fitter will spend time adjusiting units / worktops so that there are no obvious gaps etc. Also, there will always be in fill panels and again, fitting these correctly will make all the difference.

Plus ensuring all of the doors and drawres are square and don't foul on anything.

If you are having a laminate worktop, a decent fitter will ensure taht the exposed edges made as a result of cutouts for sink and hob are PVA'd / varnished to stop them blowing if there is anu water ingress.

These are just a few examples.

When you walk into a new kitchen, you will always notice if it has been badly fitted. Yoiu won't notice if it has been well fitted.