Another Kitchen Post...

Doozergirl

Ruski wrote: »

If it's STAX the warehouse I wouldn't bother - very low end flatpacks.

Yes, cheap rubbish. You might stick it in your tea room at the office or a cheap rental property (I wouldn't!) but not in your home.

Hello123_2

Is it really that bad?! Like the look of one just worried about the quality from stax.

Any opinions on the b&q Cooke & Lewis range?

Thanks

Leif

Hello123 wrote: »

Any opinions on the b&q Cooke & Lewis range?

They look nice in the displays, although the displays are often badly fitted. A colleague bought one, and had it fitted by a relative. He says it is good, and in photos it looks really nice. It came as flat packs, and he assembled them himself to save his relative some work. I have no idea about the quality of the carcasses, and chipboard (apparently there are various grades, the flat I rent has low grade which is expanding and splitting after ~5 years).

Doozergirl

There isn't a huge differentiation between all of these kitchens. None is so far superior to another that there is a boon to buying a particular product so what you want really is to find your favourite ranges and get the best price overall. I really do add value to places that stock the kitchens it seriously reduces the possibility of time delays through missing items or very last minute changes to the plan.

Play them all off against each other a few times and see who comes out on top.

Re: Stax. We have a STAX account and half of the stuff in there is cheap tat. I certainly wasn't impressed at all with their kitchen or bathroom stuff and I really would avoid it. There is no focus on attention to detail in that place and the staff are surly and can barely raise a grunt I'd hate to have a problem to even see if they could deal with it effectively.

Cooke & Lewis are flat pack again, so you have to build the units to start with and I've rarely found Cooke & Lewis competitive, although they have a wide range of units. When I did place an order about three years back, they didn't even phone me with any kind of prospective delivery date so I had to cancel and I've had nightmares with trying to get their bathroom products delivered as well. The IT range does a job when it's on special offer - cheap and cheerful, but doesn't seem to last very long! I like Magnet but can't get them down cheap enough and there is another independent supplier we use that genuinely are a better product, very like John Lewis who come in more expensive than Howdens but cheaper than Magnet for us.

skipton

My OH used to manufacture and install interiors, including hand made kitchens for wealthy clients costing upto £100 each. He recently designed and installed a quite stunning kitchen for me, using nothing but IKEA furniture and the whole kitchen including, lighting ,insulation, false walls, flooring, furniture, worktops and appliances for less than 2K. We found that careful choice at IKEA in all things allows you to get really well designed items at absurdly cheap prices so I would say its not the furniture that counts so much as the inspiration of the designer and the care and expertise of intallation.

Leif

skipton wrote: »

My OH used to manufacture and install interiors, including hand made kitchens for wealthy clients costing upto £100 each.

Apart from the fact that I think you meant to write £100K, what were the carcasses made from in these expensive kitchens? I have always assumed that chipboard is used in most kitchens because it is very cheap, whereas marine grade ply would be just as stable, but superior in most other respects, apart of course for the price. Even then, how much more does play cost?

cddc

Hello123 wrote: »

Any opinions on the b&q Cooke & Lewis range?

Thanks

Not bad at all to be fair. Gloss doors are lacquered rather than cheap vinyl wrap and cabinet construction is decent for the price point.

Two negatives

1) Dont have the greatest rep for delivery accuracy or service.

2) 1 year product warranty only! Compare that to, say Ikea for instance or anyone else in the market at that kind of price point or even lower.

ic

Hello123 wrote: »

Ikea prices are good but they only do white country style as far as I can see Please correct me if i'm wrong.

I did link this one earlier, which might fit the bill: http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/S69868630/#/S99868638

Leif

cddc wrote: »

2) 1 year product warranty only! Compare that to, say Ikea for instance or anyone else in the market at that kind of price point or even lower.

I can think of one comparably priced brand that gives a 20 year warranty. I won't mention the name because I am sure others do similar. Still, the warranty is probably only covering faults in manufacture, rather than for example melamine peeling off due to being knocked.

cddc

Leif wrote: »

I can think of one comparably priced brand that gives a 20 year warranty. I won't mention the name because I am sure others do similar. Still, the warranty is probably only covering faults in manufacture, rather than for example melamine peeling off due to being knocked.

The problem that is most common is with vinyl doors "bubbling" as the vinyl comes away from the mdf underneath. Most other sellers at round about this price point will replace doors in these circumstances for at least 5 years after purchase. Not B&Q.

Other reasonably common issues include drawer runner and hinge problems.

Most issues with kitchens are caused by poor fitting rather than faulty materials but it is nice to know you have a decent period of comeback if you do have problems.