Changing a Kitchen Worktop on the Cheap

[smn159]

russy01 said:

Venom said:

No way will the wife go for that option sadly. Having checked out Ikea, that may definitely be the easiest way to go, so long as the cost stacks up.

Could always replace the wife

Cheaper to have a bespoke golden kitchen made and installed by a troupe of expert carpenters, hand reared from birth especially for the task, I suspect...

[Neil - YVM]

Venom said:

Hadn't thought of hiring the router and jig from HSS - not sure why, to be honest. Having had a quick look, it's pretty reasonable at £52 for a weekend.

That said, Ikea are doing pre-routed worktops, are they? The semi-lazy option...

Pre Routed is fine, as long as the room is square.

9 times out of 10, the mason mitre needs to be cut at a slight angle.

With the correct power router, a quality jig, and sharp cutters, it is not a difficult job if you take your time. Read the jig instructions, some cuts are from the top, others from underneath. essentially the router only cuts from left to right.

Maybe not 100% necessary, but we always biscuit the joints as well as clamping them.

[Venom]

smn159 said:

russy01 said:

Venom said:

No way will the wife go for that option sadly. Having checked out Ikea, that may definitely be the easiest way to go, so long as the cost stacks up.

Could always replace the wife

Cheaper to have a bespoke golden kitchen made and installed by a troupe of expert carpenters, hand reared from birth especially for the task, I suspect...

Especially as the wife has provided me with a son, adding to her various claims over my estate...

[dazwalsh]

Ikea prices are attractive but the max length off the shelf is 246cm so your going to have an ugly join if you have worktop runs greater than this.

Oh and they are 63cm deep as their units stuck out further than a standard unit. So you will have quite a large overhang .

[beko1987]

Keep an eye on freecycle? I picked up a new but not needed 8ft length of worktop up last year. Had planned to cut it up for shelves but it was too good for that, so now sits in my mums utility room.

[LordHaveMurci]

Ours is being done on Friday, to remove existing worktops + sink, cut outs for sink & hob & refit new laminate worktops & upstands as well as refit sink (fixings need slight repositioning), agreed a price of £220. There are two joints as it's a U shaped kitchen.

Been quoted about £550 for 3 x 4.2m(?) lengths of Duropal + upstands, sure I could have got it slightly cheaper online but these will be delivered by a local Company when we need them, saving the hassle of storing or waiting for them.

Anybody recommend a decent supplier of Bosch gas hob & extractor, stainless preferably?

[Venom]

That's interesting to know. Ours is a U shaped arrangement also, so costs are likely to be very good indicator if we went down that route.

Personally, I've decided that we're going the cheapy cheap route for the surface material itself - I've been quoted £150 in total for a very basic black laminate top (3x3m), although that price excludes fixings and no upstands as I'll be tiling the walls once the new top's down.