Lost in a tangle of kitchen decisions!

BSW89

Hi all, 

We're in the process of purchasing a new kitchen and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the decisions. 

We've paid a refundable deposit to Wren after the salesman said we had nothing to lose from delaying but their 'best ever sale' was about to finish - of course 2 months later its still going! Since then we've read lots of horror stories and bad reviews about Wren online but then they do sell far more kitchens than some companies, so proportionally there will be more horror stories. To Wren's credit, the salesman has been brilliant.

We've had other quotes too - Benchmarx and Howdens were slightly more expensive than Wren (a few hundred pounds), while DIY Kitchens is £2,500 cheaper. We went to the DIY Kitchens showroom today and it all looked good, but then I looked at Trustpilot - filtered for the 1/2 star reviews and there were horror stories there too!

I've also noticed Wren only put half-depth shelves in their cabinets (why!?) and that only the front of the door is the chosen colour, the reverse is white. 

We're also unsure whether painted MDF vs foil-wrapped MDF is better (painted sounds more premium but apparently chips more easily?), whether to go wood grain effect or smooth (inclined towards smooth but maybe wood grain would be more forgiving for any scratches), and what colour combination to go, and we keep jumping between quartz and solid wood. 

Any advice on the specific areas above or more generally.. how to not get overwhelmed? It seems to me there are so many things that could go wrong it's taking all the fun out of it 

sugar-walsh

We've just installed an ikea kitchen, love it. I have chosen dark wood effect, with white work tops. One problem I have is I'm constantly cleaning them as they show everything. 

I've also installed all drawers, makes life so much easier, and a galley, rather than a u as I hate corner cupboards. 

Wood worktops are lovely, but not brillliant around the sink, in my experience. Don't be afraid to mix and match counters though. 

I almost think it doesn't hugely matter where you get your kitchen from, you need to make sure it's fitted well. An expensive kitchen badly fitted is worse than a cheap kitchen well fitted.

Doozergirl

Choose what you love. It doesn't have to be that hard.  

Benchmarx and Howdens should price match Wren and DIY.  

Wren would be at the bottom of my list because Howdens and Benchmarx are very easy to do business with and changes can be made immediately.   If you want a simple life, pick one of those two.  

From what I hear of Wren if everything arrives it's fine but if something is missing then the after sales is poor.  Their company culture is also cutthroat.  

I'd probably choose DIY kitchens if you have the time and confidence to get the design correct - they have the nicer options of colour coded cabinetry and a slightly wider range of options.  I found their system of dropping my small number of questions to the bottom of the online queue frustrating when I tried to purchase and gave up after about 10 days of trying ti have a conversation and waiting days between replies.  They may have changed that.   

I got Howdens to price match them instead... have used them for 2 decades now and only once did they mess up (door colour) and it was fixed the same day.  

housebuyer143

Having just spent months planning my kitchen and it being halfway finished as we speak, I would say design what you like, go away and think about it, think how you will use it, how much maintenance you want. 
Look on Rightmove at other houses for sale and look at their kitchens, go to showrooms. 
I thought I knew exactly what I wanted, and then changed my mind completely on colour scheme and changed it on other things as it got closer to the fitting date.

It takes many months to properly think it through in my opinion. Most important is what you need first and foremost, be that a large sink, certain appliances, a certain amount of cupboards etc.

My dad is a kitchen fitter and he loves DIY kitchens. Put it in his own house.

FreeBear

BSW89 said: We're also unsure whether painted MDF vs foil-wrapped MDF is better (painted sounds more premium but apparently chips more easily?)

Foil wrapped is easily damaged by heat. Ovens will need heat deflector strips on either side. Even then, you may well find the foil lifting. Should you desire a plinth heater (with a conventional central heating system, well worth having), the foil wrap on any doors/drawers will start to lift.

After five or six years, you may well find the foil losing adhesion around the edges and you start to catch it when you reach into the drawer or cupboard.

Foil wrapped looks good for a few years and is a low cost option - Handy if you are tarting up a property in order to flip, or you are on a tight budget. If you have the money, solid wood or painted MDF if you must.

DairyQueen

Our new kitchen was fitted last autumn. Very happy with the service provided by DIY Kitchens. Questions answered promptly via email and they sense-check the order. Our kitchen fitters were impressed with the quality of the units and worktops. No damage, nothing missing, everything fitted.

The online kitchen planner and design guidance provided by DIY Kitchens were essential.

Designing a kitchen is time-consuming and daunting but if you do your research it's also fun and rewarding. If I (60-something with zero prior experience) can do it then anyone can.

GDB2222

I'll vote for paint, as it can be repainted when necessary. Our kitchen was installed 25 years ago, and we had it repainted once - about 10 years ago. It still looks pretty good. 

gwynlas

We have had two Wren kitchens as they supplied assembled cabinets at a time when Howdens pricing structure depended upon the whim of the salesperson and the persistence of the customer. I would just choose what you love and what suits purpose. Similarly I prefer granite to wood having moved to a house where wood had been poorly maintained but have used wood elsewhere as the cheaper option knowing it needs maintenance.

horsewithnoname

If you are anywhere near Daventry, this place is worth a visit whether you buy from them or not. There’s gadgets and fittings I’d never imagined and such a help in getting the kitchen I wanted https://www.crown-imperial.co.uk/daventry/

EssexExile

horsewithnoname said:

If you are anywhere near Daventry, this place is worth a visit whether you buy from them or not. There’s gadgets and fittings I’d never imagined and such a help in getting the kitchen I wanted https://www.crown-imperial.co.uk/daventry/

Don't mention Crown on here, people will have a fit! Well they did last time I mentioned I have a crown kitchen. It's been in 16 years now and still looking good.

horsewithnoname

EssexExile said:

horsewithnoname said:

If you are anywhere near Daventry, this place is worth a visit whether you buy from them or not. There’s gadgets and fittings I’d never imagined and such a help in getting the kitchen I wanted https://www.crown-imperial.co.uk/daventry/

Don't mention Crown on here, people will have a fit! Well they did last time I mentioned I have a crown kitchen. It's been in 16 years now and still looking good.

Oh, why? I love mine 🥰