My kitchen refit.

[johnny2007]

My one was measured with star wars equipment and it was all wrong.
I ended up giving the measurements myself and they were spot on.
Amateurs!

 

[Koolpc]

my daughters was ll pen/paper and templates when hers was done last year
Mine in 2019 ish was all comouter and tripod laset cameras and things

Comouter and laset must be new tech?

 

[ETAF]

oh dear, very poor typing

 

[Mottie]

Did a bit more butchering of cabinets after advice from the worktop man. Practically nothing left of the top of my drawer unit now which will house the induction hob - maybe I should have bought a smaller one but too late now! Managed to get a couple of units on the wall and could have finished them if Magnet hadn’t have sent me the wrong cabinet - see post #89.

I cooked fish cakes, chips 'n' peas for tea using the microwave, mini oven and air fryer. Can’t wait to get my ovens and hob up and running though.

Under instruction from the worktop fitter, I nibbled out some more of my sink unit to get the inset sink flush with the top. I suppose I’d better seal the raw chipboard now - any recommendations on what to use?

I’ve gone as far as I can on that side of the kitchen now - waiting for the worktop to be fitted and the correct cabinet to be delivered so my next job is to go back on the oven housing, take the ovens out and get it straight before attaching the fridge and larder housings to either side. Again, I'm waiting for an end panel to finish that off. Bloody Magnet!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Foil tape to seal the edge. Or, for a belt and braces approach apply a liberal layer of silicone and then apply foil tape.

 

[Koolpc]

Your dog looks cheesed off!! He wants his kitchen finished!!!

 

[Mottie]

Your dog looks cheesed off!! He wants his kitchen finished!!!

Yeah, she's got the 'ump because she's confined to the lounge as she keeps padding through all the sawdust and walking it around the house. Also, our kitchen bin used to be one that came out from under the sink when you opened the door. Until we get sorted again, we are just using an old bucket with a bin liner and she's taken to delving into it. She's 12 on Friday and she’s just started scrounging for scraps!

 

[Diver Fred]

Under instruction from the worktop fitter, I nibbled out some more of my sink unit to get the inset sink flush with the top. I suppose I’d better seal the raw chipboard now - any recommendations on what to use?

Waterproof PVA.

for 'belt n braces' PVA first, allow to dry then kitchen or bathroom grade Silicon or CT1.
The PVA will penetrate into the timber a little so does improve the protection.

 

[johnny2007]

Under instruction from the worktop fitter, I nibbled out some more of my sink unit to get the inset sink flush with the top. I suppose I’d better seal the raw chipboard now - any recommendations on what to use?

Varnish, I prefer oil based with a bit of dye in it so to see where I've been.
First coat is sucked in by the chipboard, second coat seals it.
Tell the worktop fitters to put silicone around there before dropping the worktop.

 

[Mottie]

Took the ovens out, yet again to straighten up the oven housing. I swear they are getting heavier! I got the sides straight the first time but completely overlooked the fact that it was leaning out at the bottom which would have showed up even more when the end panels were fitted. I ended up having to chop some plaster off the wall up to about a metre in height to correct it. Nothing's ever been straight forward on this job - everything has needed piddling about with - the wiring, the plumbing, the waste, the soil stack, the plastering etc etc. is this normal when fitting a kitchen?

Anyway, ovens are back in - I'll connect that circuit up tomorrow - fridge and larder housings are in, straight both ways, I’m going to hold up fitting the fridge/freezer in because I need to fit the tall end panel which has to be screwed in from inside the fridge housing but at the moment we are using that panel (in its packing box) as a worktop!

Just started building up the larder unit. Had enough for tonight, I’ll finish that off tomorrow.

 

[johnny2007]

Nothing's ever been straight forward on this job - everything has needed piddling about with - the wiring, the plumbing, the waste, the soil stack, the plastering etc etc. is this normal when fitting a kitchen?

Yes Mottie, it happens to every kitchen fitting, some worse than others.
I remember attending several jobs done in 2 days and then taking everything, EVERYTHING out to start again.
No kitchen fitter can do a proper job start to finish in 2 days.
Even a week on a kitchen extension sometimes is not enough for 2 fitters.
Unless they bang everything in, take the money and run.
That can be done in a day.

 

[ETAF]

certainly happens to me in DIY, and having fitted 2 kitchens , i certainly had that happen and some very very late nights- but my brother helped me, and my nephew did the plastering and decorating , over a couple of weekends , as that was his job.

experience counts for a lot , for things like this , our kitchen fitter had been fitting kitchens for 30+years, and i dont think i saw him refit anything
BUT
for example , if you had to do another kitchen, you would now know to make sure the sides fitted and bottom was all ok, before fixing back the first time

took me and my brother 2 weeks to fit a very very small kitchen, but we also did a bathroom, kept existing bath, but did fit toilet and furniture and tile and decorate , at the end of the kitchen , no ovens to fit, no hobs to cut out the worktop - BUT on my own, would have taken forever and i would have made loads of mistakes
I know we spent half a day at least just trying to get the sink unit in and square , nightmare

 

[johnny2007]

The hard work when fitting kitchens is the preparation: plumbing, electrics, walls, flooring, etc.
Once that's done, fitting the cabinets takes no time.
Chasing walls to get the end panels in is very common.
For some reason some walls are on a slope despite the plasterer's best effort.
Planning takes a good load of work, that's why I would never design a kitchen for free.
I would give a quick sketch to give an idea to the customer, but the final drawing, accurate to the mm was for me, only after getting a deposit.

 

[Mottie]

I would give a quick sketch to give an idea to the customer, but the final drawing, accurate to the mm was for me, only after getting a deposit.

Damn. I should have got a deposit off of Mrs Mottie - she's a habitual non-payer!

 

[Mottie]

Saw some results at last today! Fitted the fridge freezer in its housing ( only temporary at the moment as it will have to come back out for me to screw the end panel on), connected up the cookers and built up the larder unit. Mrs Mottie has actually given me some praise and the dog likes it too - just the right height for her to get at the dog treat box!