Magnets or DIY kitchens?
Discussion
Maybe a dumb question, but if I'm ripping out an old kitchen to put in a new one, will I need the whole room re-plastered to ensure flat walls etc? I just keep hearing from people how expensive plastering can be, so in the big project I'm going to be taking on, the less plastering I can get away with the better.
UTH said:
Maybe a dumb question, but if I'm ripping out an old kitchen to put in a new one, will I need the whole room re-plastered to ensure flat walls etc? I just keep hearing from people how expensive plastering can be, so in the big project I'm going to be taking on, the less plastering I can get away with the better.
I only replastered over a blocked up internal door and wall where new doorway went, and where tiles removed original when they were taken off.The return on the worktop and the glass splashback means that most of the rest was covered anyway. Obviously if great chunks come away when you remove old kitchen then re-plastering will be in order.
DavidY said:
UTH said:
Maybe a dumb question, but if I'm ripping out an old kitchen to put in a new one, will I need the whole room re-plastered to ensure flat walls etc? I just keep hearing from people how expensive plastering can be, so in the big project I'm going to be taking on, the less plastering I can get away with the better.
I only replastered over a blocked up internal door and wall where new doorway went, and where tiles removed original when they were taken off.The return on the worktop and the glass splashback means that most of the rest was covered anyway. Obviously if great chunks come away when you remove old kitchen then re-plastering will be in order.
UTH said:
Ok, makes sense thanks David. Hopefully I'll be lucky with removal and it'll be fairly clean.
Budget for it not to be, room prep is absolutely key, and planning for lighting/electrics and plumbing is very important, much harder to rectify later!A plasterer for a couple of days is cheap when compared with the costs of a new kitchen!
DavidY said:
UTH said:
Ok, makes sense thanks David. Hopefully I'll be lucky with removal and it'll be fairly clean.
Budget for it not to be, room prep is absolutely key, and planning for lighting/electrics and plumbing is very important, much harder to rectify later!A plasterer for a couple of days is cheap when compared with the costs of a new kitchen!
UTH said:
Maybe a dumb question, but if I'm ripping out an old kitchen to put in a new one, will I need the whole room re-plastered to ensure flat walls etc? I just keep hearing from people how expensive plastering can be, so in the big project I'm going to be taking on, the less plastering I can get away with the better.
Not always - depends on how bad the walls are. If you're ripping tiling off, you are likely going to need to repair.Plastering isn't particularly expensive...just some material shortages at the mo. My plasterer is £150 a day plus mats - a good sized room, I normally budget 2 days with him so call it £400 tops with mats. Hardly expensive when compared with the rest of the kitchen.
guitarcarfanatic said:
UTH said:
Maybe a dumb question, but if I'm ripping out an old kitchen to put in a new one, will I need the whole room re-plastered to ensure flat walls etc? I just keep hearing from people how expensive plastering can be, so in the big project I'm going to be taking on, the less plastering I can get away with the better.
Not always - depends on how bad the walls are. If you're ripping tiling off, you are likely going to need to repair.Plastering isn't particularly expensive...just some material shortages at the mo. My plasterer is £150 a day plus mats - a good sized room, I normally budget 2 days with him so call it £400 tops with mats. Hardly expensive when compared with the rest of the kitchen.
DavidY said:
LocoBlade said:
Did you frame the wall cabinets on all sides with end panels?
No only bottom and side that shows ie next to cooker. The top used an pelmut panel on its side, and on the LHS where the cuboards meet the wall, I needed a similar panel to stop the door binding on the wall, again I used some pelmut on its side (so end showing) - this then allowed the light cables to exit the panel on the end, travel up the wall in the gap behind the pelmut panel and onto the top. Using pelmuts like this saved cost as well!!From Above
How do you find the double stacked oven on top BTW, looks like it could be quite awkward to get things in and out without a Neff style slide away door to aid access?
Edited by LocoBlade on Tuesday 29th September 20:08
If there's one thing I don't like about DIY Kitchens - and this is pretty minor but I'm one for details - it's that they supply just the standard 'Clip Top' Blum hinges. If you want to upgrade to soft-close at the time of ordering they'll supply the retrofit Blumotion add-on rather than the built-in Blumotion version of the hinge. The former adds a bit of unnecessary bulk and can get knocked off, and you pay £3 for the pleasure which is a fair bit more than what the difference in price between the two hinge types would be. No hinge arm and boss cover caps either which was disappointing given they do add a certain amount of 'premium' look. They do at least supply horizontal mounting plates rather than the 'old school' wardrobe cruciform type though.
Edited by MJNewton on Tuesday 29th September 22:27
MJNewton said:
If there's one thing I don't like about DIY Kitchens - and this is pretty minor but I'm one for details - it's that they supply just the standard 'Clip Top' Blum hinges. If you want to upgrade to soft-close at the time of ordering they'll supply the retrofit Blumotion add-on rather than the built-in Blumotion version of the hinge. The former adds a bit of unnecessary bulk and can get knocked off, and you pay £3 for the pleasure which is a fair bit more than what the difference in price between the two hinge types would be. No hinge arm and boss cover caps either which was disappointing given they do add a certain amount of 'premium' look. They do at least supply horizontal mounting plates rather than the 'old school' wardrobe cruciform type though.
Yep - I found the same as the above and agree, the new built in blumotion hinges are nicer...Edited by MJNewton on Tuesday 29th September 22:27
Agree about the covers too - they cost peanuts so surprised they don't offer these at least, I also bought some of the restrictors to stop cupboards opening into others. Plinth seal is another upgrade I bought - looks much better finished IMO, especially if floor isn't quite flat.
2 things I would recommend with DIY is the metal extended pan drawer sides that clip on (£15 a pair) and the dovetailed oak top drawer boxes (£30 each)
LocoBlade said:
Cheers for that, useful info
How do you find the double stacked oven on top BTW, looks like it could be quite awkward to get things in and out without a Neff style slide away door to aid access?
Not been a problem, it isn't 'that' high and the top door is shorter (in height). so not really an issue. Its also less used (its a cooker/microwave, and I normally don't use microwaves, but some one who regularly uses one might find that they want it lower).How do you find the double stacked oven on top BTW, looks like it could be quite awkward to get things in and out without a Neff style slide away door to aid access?
Edited by LocoBlade on Tuesday 29th September 20:08
CorradoTDI said:
2 things I would recommend with DIY is the metal extended pan drawer sides that clip on (£15 a pair) and the dovetailed oak top drawer boxes (£30 each)
Agree, the metal sides are a godsend, and are a must for all deep drawers. We went for the wide oak insert for the drawer above the pan drawers under the hob, it works well.DavidY said:
Not been a problem, it isn't 'that' high and the top door is shorter (in height). so not really an issue. Its also less used (its a cooker/microwave, and I normally don't use microwaves, but some one who regularly uses one might find that they want it lower).
Ah yeh I can see now it's a compact one, the reflection somehow made it look full size. We've actually got almost the same Bosch 8 Series combi, we do use it quite a bit and yours is probably 15-20cm higher ours now which the wife wouldn't tolerate. I think if we end up stacking them I'd probably look to see if we can mount them in the bottom of a double oven carcass omitting the plate warmer and then see if the top shelf could be dropped and a 15cm longer door fitted to fill the gap.A quick note the standard DIY Kitchens filler panels were not the right size for plugging my 'blank hole' after I'd fitted the two oven units, but with a phone call, they supplied me a panel that I could cut down within 5 days.
Generally if its a cosmetic panel you can get them very quickly, as they are continually making them, its the carcass builds that go into the main schedule and take a long time.
Oh and watch out for the delivery trap, the cheapest delivery offers no help in getting items from the lorry to the house, so either pay a bit more for assistance or have a couple of mates on hand. Mine turned up at 8pm at night!
Generally if its a cosmetic panel you can get them very quickly, as they are continually making them, its the carcass builds that go into the main schedule and take a long time.
Oh and watch out for the delivery trap, the cheapest delivery offers no help in getting items from the lorry to the house, so either pay a bit more for assistance or have a couple of mates on hand. Mine turned up at 8pm at night!
DavidY said:
A quick note the standard DIY Kitchens filler panels were not the right size for plugging my 'blank hole' after I'd fitted the two oven units, but with a phone call, they supplied me a panel that I could cut down within 5 days.
Generally if its a cosmetic panel you can get them very quickly, as they are continually making them, its the carcass builds that go into the main schedule and take a long time.
Oh and watch out for the delivery trap, the cheapest delivery offers no help in getting items from the lorry to the house, so either pay a bit more for assistance or have a couple of mates on hand. Mine turned up at 8pm at night!
Out of interest what were the delivery charges like, from basic to the assistance one? Generally if its a cosmetic panel you can get them very quickly, as they are continually making them, its the carcass builds that go into the main schedule and take a long time.
Oh and watch out for the delivery trap, the cheapest delivery offers no help in getting items from the lorry to the house, so either pay a bit more for assistance or have a couple of mates on hand. Mine turned up at 8pm at night!
From memory I think its about a £75 difference
Because the units are pre-built (and packed in cardboard) they take up quite a bit of space. I was fortunate in that I could unload them into a double garage.
If you unload them into your empty kitchen you will not be able to move!
Also remember that tall units have to come into the room on their backs, so make sure you have the ceiling height to get them upright!!!
Because the units are pre-built (and packed in cardboard) they take up quite a bit of space. I was fortunate in that I could unload them into a double garage.
If you unload them into your empty kitchen you will not be able to move!
Also remember that tall units have to come into the room on their backs, so make sure you have the ceiling height to get them upright!!!
DavidY said:
From memory I think its about a £75 difference
Because the units are pre-built (and packed in cardboard) they take up quite a bit of space. I was fortunate in that I could unload them into a double garage.
If you unload them into your empty kitchen you will not be able to move!
Also remember that tall units have to come into the room on their backs, so make sure you have the ceiling height to get them upright!!!
I'm going to be the same as you, I'll have a big garage to put it all in at first which is a relief. Because the units are pre-built (and packed in cardboard) they take up quite a bit of space. I was fortunate in that I could unload them into a double garage.
If you unload them into your empty kitchen you will not be able to move!
Also remember that tall units have to come into the room on their backs, so make sure you have the ceiling height to get them upright!!!
So looks like up to £175 for delivery? I guess that's not too bad for £25k worth of kitchen!
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