Appliances, Kitchen and Flooring - Where from?

zesh90x

Hi Guys,

We've finally exchanged, and am now in the process of planning to order bits and bobs... just wondering if anyone has any recommendations of where to look:

1. Dishwasher, Gas Hob, Chimney Hood and Oven - I've been in touch with Appliancecity who are willing to offer a multibuy discount , anybody have any experience with them, also if there anyone else worth talking too?

2. Kitchen - Thinking of going with DIY Kitchens, again any thoughts or recommendations of anywhere else worth checking out. P.S We are South london based.

Also need a worktop - thinking to use work top express, anything obvious i need to think about on this front?

3. Flooring - Looking to get laminates, thinking of going with Direct Wood Flooring or B&Q... anything worth thinking about going down the laminates route ?

Thanks all, apologies if this is the wrong section on the forum for this, hoping other buyers can offer a little guidance, this being my first time, don't want to make any stupid mistakes!

THANKS SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!

princeofpounds

Re flooring - laminates are great these days, much better finishes than there used to be.


I strongly recommend a few things:


1) don't skimp on the underlay. It makes a big difference to the final feel. Personally I go for reasonably thick but not too squidgy stuff. It deadens sound, keeps the feel warm, but doesn't give way too easily, which is a very strange feeling on 'wooden' floors. Similarly, the thinnest laminates can be bendy underfoot, which isn't a great feel. So, for example at B&Q, it's best to go for at least the mid-range - I had the thin stuff in a bedroom with thin underlay, and it was a world apart from the mid-range stuff with good underlay I used elsewhere.


2) if practical, buy a pack before a whole load. It's very valuable to test the interlocking with real sizes rather than sample squares; the joints can vary significantly in quality which makes a big difference to the ease of fitting and the finish. Also, you get to see how it really looks in situ.


3) Don't go for anything too glossy or right at the extremes of light and dark. This is a personal taste issue, but very light finishes show up dirt, whilst very dark finishes show up dust, particularly when they reflect light with a glossy finish. Having a mixed natural wood effect or similar 'complicated' pattern also helps avoid the eye becoming fixed on any little anomalies like dirt.

hazyjo

Depends on budget, surely, and whether you have the cash to buy them or if you're borrowing it.

spadoosh

1) Sounds like you dont have any specific requirements or preference in brands, if you did id suggest looking around a load of retailers in finding the best price for each, you tend to find that one prduct might be cheaper at on eplace but another of the 'set' can be found chepaer elsewhere. Eg bring you in on a promo £300 washing machine (say £50 cheaper than elsewhere , the 'matching' dryer is say £350 (which is £75 more expensive than elsewhere.)

2) DIY kitchens has a good rep on here, like for like few can compete on price but then its very generic stuff so if you want a bespoke design and kitchen, DIY kitchens probably isnt going to cut it.

Youve not mentioned any kind of fitting for all of this and seem to be looking at supply only products, are you sorting your own fitters or DIY? The reason i ask is if youre fitting the worktop you will need the worktop jig and a router, not cheap items in relation to the cost of the worktops, usually cheaper (and easier unless you plan on fitting a number of worktops over your life) to get someone to fit.

3) Its hard to go wrong with laminates now. Comapre the AC ratings (abbrasion class) for durability of the product, the higher the better, goes up to AC5 (AC4&5 are commerical grade products). The main thing you need to do is remove and refit the skirting boards to avoid using the unsightly angle beads. There are some beads that wrap around the boards which dont look too bad but theyre probably more expensive than fitting new skirting boards.

G_M

Your local auction house eg


https://peacockauction.co.uk/


well, this is a moneysaving site.

sal_III

1. Don't get too hung on multibuy discounts, it's likely you can find each individual item cheaper with different retailer. Also don't let the initial purchase cost be the main driver - think about warranty length and customer service, saving £50 now might cost you a fortune in the future.

2. Don't have direct personal experience as the new build we bought came with fitted kitchen, but if I were to look for a new kitchen now, I would probably go with Ikea as a sensible compromise between quality and cost.

3. Flooring - don't skimp on the underlay, check LVT as a viable alternative to laminate. Depending on budget look at engineered wood, which is more expensive, but IMHO better value for money due to longevity and resale value.

zesh90x

princeofpounds wrote: »

Re flooring - laminates are great these days, much better finishes than there used to be.


I strongly recommend a few things:


1) don't skimp on the underlay. It makes a big difference to the final feel. Personally I go for reasonably thick but not too squidgy stuff. It deadens sound, keeps the feel warm, but doesn't give way too easily, which is a very strange feeling on 'wooden' floors. Similarly, the thinnest laminates can be bendy underfoot, which isn't a great feel. So, for example at B&Q, it's best to go for at least the mid-range - I had the thin stuff in a bedroom with thin underlay, and it was a world apart from the mid-range stuff with good underlay I used elsewhere.


2) if practical, buy a pack before a whole load. It's very valuable to test the interlocking with real sizes rather than sample squares; the joints can vary significantly in quality which makes a big difference to the ease of fitting and the finish. Also, you get to see how it really looks in situ.


3) Don't go for anything too glossy or right at the extremes of light and dark. This is a personal taste issue, but very light finishes show up dirt, whilst very dark finishes show up dust, particularly when they reflect light with a glossy finish. Having a mixed natural wood effect or similar 'complicated' pattern also helps avoid the eye becoming fixed on any little anomalies like dirt.

Wow, thanks for the advice buddy, didn't think about all these factors. Any advice on where to get laminates from, also are there any links of the type of designs/colours you would recommend?

Here is what i was thinking to go with:

https://www.diy.com/departments/colours-dolce-natural-walnut-effect-laminate-flooring-1-19m-pack/81086_BQ.prd?ds_rl=1272379&gclid=Cj0KCQjwl8XtBRDAARIsAKfwtxBFB0_1CWQAhXRrPyx6xLJnaBhLYGW-SSC2KOPNmR2JN3LHfEtdtg8aAl88EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Any thoughts?

zesh90x

hazyjo wrote: »

Depends on budget, surely, and whether you have the cash to buy them or if you're borrowing it.

I am fairly flexible, budget not "too much" of a concern, but i don't want to go above and beyond, sort of aiming for quality, but not necessarily an uber premium range.

zesh90x

spadoosh wrote: »

1) Sounds like you dont have any specific requirements or preference in brands, if you did id suggest looking around a load of retailers in finding the best price for each, you tend to find that one prduct might be cheaper at on eplace but another of the 'set' can be found chepaer elsewhere. Eg bring you in on a promo £300 washing machine (say £50 cheaper than elsewhere , the 'matching' dryer is say £350 (which is £75 more expensive than elsewhere.)

2) DIY kitchens has a good rep on here, like for like few can compete on price but then its very generic stuff so if you want a bespoke design and kitchen, DIY kitchens probably isnt going to cut it.

Youve not mentioned any kind of fitting for all of this and seem to be looking at supply only products, are you sorting your own fitters or DIY? The reason i ask is if youre fitting the worktop you will need the worktop jig and a router, not cheap items in relation to the cost of the worktops, usually cheaper (and easier unless you plan on fitting a number of worktops over your life) to get someone to fit.

3) Its hard to go wrong with laminates now. Comapre the AC ratings (abbrasion class) for durability of the product, the higher the better, goes up to AC5 (AC4&5 are commerical grade products). The main thing you need to do is remove and refit the skirting boards to avoid using the unsightly angle beads. There are some beads that wrap around the boards which dont look too bad but theyre probably more expensive than fitting new skirting boards.

1. DIY Kitchens - The kitchen isn't huge so don't need something very bespoke, so i guess DIY kitchens might work for me, not sure if they come and take measurement to help you plan a kitchen or whether you need to sort that privately. Do you know who the rep is by any chance, might get in touch ?

2. No, i will be getting the kitchen and work tops fitted, often for worktops most companies selling offer the fitting service as part of it. Just not sure whether i should be going down the route of Granite or Quartz, main concern is i want it to remain nice and shiny, and not get scratched, so be durable... but also not pay a huge price (if i was able to afford it i'd have gone down the ceramic route).

Mutton_Geoff

I personally hate laminate flooring, it looks good but it's horrible to walk on, is always dusty and sounds terrible even with good underlay.


Carpet is much warmer and sound proofing, easier to clean. Areas where you want hard flooring, seriously consider allowing for solid wood flooring (generally a softwood base with oak etc veneer on top).


Wickes often have stuff on offer and it's as easy to lay as laminate (albeit a lot thicker) and sounds a lot better under foot. The thicker wood also acts as a better insulator between you and the concrete floor.


Appliances, shop around once you have carefully chosen the make/model you want and watch out for minor model number differences that the manufacturers use between different retailers to confuse the consumer!


I'd also highly recommend DIY Kitchens, I've installed several of their kitchens in my various houses/utility rooms.


Final advice, live there for a while before you spend money, it's easy to blow the lot in advance of moving in only to find you might have wished you did things differently when you get used to the new home.

zesh90x

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

I personally hate laminate flooring, it looks good but it's horrible to walk on, is always dusty and sounds terrible even with good underlay.


Carpet is much warmer and sound proofing, easier to clean. Areas where you want hard flooring, seriously consider allowing for solid wood flooring (generally a softwood base with oak etc veneer on top).


Wickes often have stuff on offer and it's as easy to lay as laminate (albeit a lot thicker) and sounds a lot better under foot. The thicker wood also acts as a better insulator between you and the concrete floor.


Appliances, shop around once you have carefully chosen the make/model you want and watch out for minor model number differences that the manufacturers use between different retailers to confuse the consumer!


I'd also highly recommend DIY Kitchens, I've installed several of their kitchens in my various houses/utility rooms.


Final advice, live there for a while before you spend money, it's easy to blow the lot in advance of moving in only to find you might have wished you did things differently when you get used to the new home.

1. Thanks buddy, will check out solid wood laminates too. On the DIY Kitchen front, did you measure the kitchen up yourself, and design it all on the website yourself, or do they offer any kind of assistance?

2. On the appliance front this is what i've decided on:

IQ-500 90cm Frameless Gas On Glass Hob BLACK - £535.00
Make: Siemens Model: EP9A6SB90
Serie 2 60cm Fully Integrated Dishwasher - £360.00
Make: Bosch Model: SMV40C30GB
64940 90cm Chimney Hood Without Rail Chrome Badge BLACK - £260.00
Make: Rangemaster Model: LEIHDC90BC
IQ-500 Multifunction Single Oven STAINLESS STEEL - £540.00
Make: Siemens Model: HB535A0S0B

I have found sites with cheaper prices then those quoted by ApplianceCity above as part of multibuy, but the reviews for those sites on Trustpilot are often horrendous...
Thanks.:j