New Kitchen - Sourcing/Fitting Quartz Worktop

[uptoyou]

Hi all,
Hope for some advice.

Am fitting a new kitchen myself and am doing it on a budget.

I know what i need in regards to units etc...but not the worktops yet.

Would these usually be ordered only once the units are actually in and place so as to get exact measurements?

Also, what are we the most affordable ways of sourcing woktops - kitchen suppliers, stone suppliers...? And is it possible to fit yourself?

Any other advice welcome! Thanks.

 

[bobasd]

quartz w/t is not a cheap material or a cheap fittin - the w/t alone can cost more than the whole kitchen.
without goin on about how to etc - short story is dont try to DIY it.

laminate 40mm w/t's are cheap an diy doable if you hire the gear an are willin to take a risk.
for any work top all kitchens need detailed plans an exact measurements for cutouts.
units have to be plumb, level an fixed.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

With stone-type worktops it's normal to make-up a physical template after the units have been fitted and fixed in place. As Bob says the units need to be in-line, level side to side and end to end (a pet peeve of mine when I used to joint kitchen worktops for DIYers a few years back was that 8 out of 10 of them hadn't got the unit tops levelled so I had to do it for them - which sometimes caused a "discussion" about who was to pay for it). Stone suppliers can work from your templates, but won't take any responsibility for how well or badly it fits. They will probably also refuse to do anything other than to deliver to the kerbside (can't really blame them for that) - leaving you with the problem of getting it off the lorry, into the house and into position. All I'll say is that the weight of stone, quartz, etc means that the job takes quite a few bodies who know what they are doing to accomplish it without damage or injury. I'm always more than happy to see professional stone masons humping a worktop or bar top into position - happy that I'm not doing it, that is. Good luck if you want to try it

 

[Notch7]

Quartz sounds like composite.

Stone I guess you might referring to granite.

Both will cost typically £2500- £5000

Definitely not DIY fits.

Most chippies and builders I know get a company in to template, supply and fit.

Granite is similar in weight to paving slabs -imagine a paving slab 2.5m long x 6mm deep......heavy.

And really fragile around hob, sink cutouts.

Go for a square edge laminate, they look pretty good. They have a postformed front efge but the corners arr just small pencil rounds.

 

[ivixor]

For DIY, you can't beat solid oak worktops. They are very cheap right now and can easily be cut, sanded and fitted by any DIY'er. Much better than laminate.

 

[uptoyou]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

Firstly, I'm kind of pleased to hear that quartz worktops are not a DIY job, as I guess it's one less thing I need to worry about sorting myself!

I am planning on using DIY Kitchens for the cabinets, which is allowing me to afford quartz worktops. So although laminate or wood is an option, I'm keen on trying quartz.

So it seems that I only need to worry about the worktops (no matter what material I go for), after the kitchen cabinets have been fitted?

Couple of questions:

1. Would stone suppliers measure, supply and fit, or would I need to go to a kitchen worktop specialist (any suggestions)?

2. If I were to plan and purchase all the cabinets, would a kitchen fitter be happy doing the actual installation to my plans (any idea on current day rates in the south (Berks))?

 

[Deleted member 174758]

1. Would stone suppliers measure, supply and fit, or would I need to go to a kitchen worktop specialist (any suggestions)?

Some stone firms are happy to template (NOT measure), supply and fit. You need to enquire with the individual firm as to what they do - they all seem to have different specialities in my experience

2. If I were to plan and purchase all the cabinets, would a kitchen fitter be happy doing the actual installation to my plans (any idea on current day rates in the south (Berks))?

A guarded yes. I'd advise getting a fitter on board before planning and purchasing your kitchen. Having the fitter in at an early stage might well cost you a little more, but he should be able to advise on how best to do certain things and on what would be required so that you don't miss stuff. TBH when I used to do domestic installs I preferred to be brought-in early on because in the main it saved me having to make repeated return calls to install odds and ends which had been missed or to undertake work-arounds caused by inadequacies in the original design.

Can't say about Berks, but where I am in Lancashire rates are currently around £200 to £250/day and upwards, although that does tend to include the fitter supplying all his own screws, fixtures, fittings, silicon (which can add up to £20/30 day consumption) as well.

 

[uptoyou]

Some stone firms are happy to template (NOT measure), supply and fit. You need to enquire with the individual firm as to what they do - they all seem to have different specialities in my experience


A guarded yes. I'd advise getting a fitter on board before planning and purchasing your kitchen. Having the fitter in at an early stage might well cost you a little more, but he should be able to advise on how best to do certain things and on what would be required so that you don't miss stuff. TBH when I used to do domestic installs I preferred to be brought-in early on because in the main it saved me having to make repeated return calls to install odds and ends which had been missed or to undertake work-arounds caused by inadequacies in the original design.

Can't say about Berks, but where I am in Lancashire rates are currently around £200 to £250/day and upwards, although that does tend to include the fitter supplying all his own screws, fixtures, fittings, silicon (which can add up to £20/30 day consumption) as well.

Thanks JobAndKnock, gives me something to think about!

 

[ivixor]

You can order the quartz worktops via diy-kitchens. They will outsource to a specialist who will come and template, then install.

 

[uptoyou]

You can order the quartz worktops via diy-kitchens. They will outsource to a specialist who will come and template, then install.

Didn't realise they did that too, will check that out. Thanks!

 

[Tigercubrider]

There are also companies who will come and fit granite "veneer" over existing worktops (or ply that you have made)
The stone is thin but they make the edges match
https://www.granitetransformations.co.uk/find-a-showroom/south-east/hare-hatch-showroom

 

[badgeraudio]

We got our kitchen from DIY-Kitchens and self fitted.
We got a Quartz worktop from DIY-kitchens as well.
IT was out sourced to, http://www.naturalstonesurfaces.co.uk/

Cant fault the guys at all. They came and did a lazer measure rather then a template.
Then a team of 3 came to fit and were Great.

Mike

 

[uptoyou]

Thanks both, will likely compare DIY Kitchen prices with going direct to naturalstonesurfaces!