please educate me on kitchen (need a new one!)

lat321

Hi

another one of the long time readers posting first time.

we are in a terraced house and need a new kitchen. its a galley type kitchen. we are in Reading.

I have read through few threads here and even got one quote from benchmarx and an independent supplier. however need to ask some things:

Kitchen is 3 m by 2.5 m approx. Appreciate some of these may be subjective. Our budget depends on when we do it and i am keen to get value for money rather than simply saving money.

Budgets (kitchen cabinet supply only)
Budget now: £2500
Budget in 6-9 months: £3300
Budget in 15-18 months: £4000

Of course we are keen to have it done ASAP so we can start using new kitchen. Our current one is quite old and couple of cabinets are broke but otherwise is functional.

1) i saw advise that avoid foil/vinyl door. what are these doors? are they still MDF?

2) Is it quite necessary to have back panel at 18mm? i saw diy-kitchens which in general gets good reviews only have 8 mm back with 18mm support rail?

3) I plan to source appliances myself. what are good mid-budget appliances?

4) Is it possible to fit appliances at later stage? i.e. get kitchen fitted now and use existing free standing appliances and then wait till a decent deal comes up to buy appliances? if so, do i just need to buy front appliances panel now i.e. are all integrated appliances standard so as to fit at later stage?

5) Any general tips on layout of galley type kitchen?

6) I hear about "painted kitchens". Are these simply doros which are painted? if so are they MDF or solid Wood or it depends on range? what are advantages and disadvantages. Any ideas as to how much it might cost?

7) What are these "gernan kitchens". We got a quote from Benchmarx for £2000 for their "Oxford" range, while their "somerset" range is aorund £3300 . Somerset has solid doors. The independent suppleir quoted us around £3100 for a "german" kitchen with MDF doors. Are german kitchens quite good?

Thanks a lot for reading these questions.
Peter

lat321

anyone please?

ryder72

Hi lat321

I wouldnt rush into a kitchen. A quality kitchen will last 20 years so buy the best you can and get it properly planned.

1) i saw advise that avoid foil/vinyl door. what are these doors? are they still MDF?

They are rubbish and the preserve of low end kitchens trying to achieve the look and feel of a more expensive kitchen without the durability.

2) Is it quite necessary to have back panel at 18mm? i saw diy-kitchens which in general gets good reviews only have 8 mm back with 18mm support rail?

Not at all. A well made carcass doesn't need a back to give it strength. Its wool that poor kitchen manufacturers try to pull over peoples eyes. The back should only prevent things from falling out the back.

3) I plan to source appliances myself. what are good mid-budget appliances?

You will never go wrong with BSH appliances.

4) Is it possible to fit appliances at later stage? i.e. get kitchen fitted now and use existing free standing appliances and then wait till a decent deal comes up to buy appliances? if so, do i just need to buy front appliances panel now i.e. are all integrated appliances standard so as to fit at later stage?

There is no such thing as a deal on integrated appliances. As a large buyer from BSH we get and offer very keen prices all year round and we never get seasonal discounts from them. Get it all in at once. Its almost impossible to retrofit integrated units into spaces for freestanding appliances and getting a good fit.

Are german kitchens quite good?

They are very good but then I am going to be accused of bias.

Good luck