WHITE GLOSS KITCHEN - BUT AM SLACK AT CLEANING - YES OR NO??

[hippipotami]

Am hoping to have a new kitchen in the summer, and have chosed a white gloss one. However, have two young children, a dog, a cat and a messy husband, as well as a large mudpit of a garden and access to the garden (and back in!!) is only through the kitchen.

I am not overly on top of the whole housekeeping thing - I don't clean my kitchen untill it has reached the 'Oh my word the kitchen is a mess' stage.

Sooo, white gloss kitchen - am I certifiably insane planning this??

Slate floor is a brilliant idea! Didn't think of that. I think you may have a point with the cream tiles. The ones I vaguely had in mind do have a slightly pitted surface. And am not sure I could cope with glossy floortiles. Especially not when covered in food splogdes, muddy footprints and pawprints.

But slate.... would match the roof of the house (wtf, of all things to consider!!!) and nicely offset the white...

I was going to have a stainless splashback behind the cooker, and then just an upstand made of the same material as the worktop all the way round the rest.

Or tiles??

on glass splashbacks and sockets i guess they'd do what they did for out ss splashback and do a template so it'll come in one piece with holes all made to measure.

on floors, we have painted floorboards. black gloss. cheap and looks good when clean but sigh it's never clean what with dog and food and crumbs. still, we'd run out of money by that point so it was hobson's choice!

glass splashbakcs what a stoppid idea

lol I think the dirty cream tiles actually prompted me to re do the whole bathroom!

Not overly keen on glossy floors full stop - reminds me too much of Spain.

So the natural rough look inevitably means dirt trap. Best something that doesn't show it so much.

Take this kichen has to be a stream lined cleaning delight?

I had a look at stainless steel splashbacks - very nice. I think it would look great with the stainless steel upthingys.

I do have a very tight budget - but my treat to myself was the large mixer tap with a shower hose thing coming out of it. All solid metal not chrome. Not entirely sure in what context I will use said hose but it is very beautiful. Have spent a long time pulling it out and in again.

So you Abstrakt cupboards, oak surfaces, tiled floor, stainless steel backsplash - done.

Me Abstrackt cupboards, beech worksurfaces, floor undecided, possibly white tiles on backsplash (with only one or two rows on cupbards). Stainless steel chimney extractor fan.

Still too many choices...

(I have already sent back no less than 4 sets of new white goods as I hovered between slimline dishwash, fridge,integrated, not integrated. [hangs head in shame]

did slate floor and its fab.. wasn't expensive, and if uyou make sure seal well easy to clean. Doesn't need much cleaning as never looks really dirty!!

We have a white gloss kitchen with black gloss woektops and I LOVE it!! I dont like to do much housework as there is too much fun to be had instead. The cupboards are easy to wipe down if there are any marks, but the only one that really needs it is the one next to the dishwasher. Would recommend it to anyone.

The tinted glass splashbacks were very nice in Ikea. But I was worried about those holes from the plugs!

Add me to the "just about to buy white glossy kitchen gang!"

Can I be really rude and ask you ladies to talk prices?

How does ikea abstrakt compare to MFI space for example?

I think I will go for the solid oak workbenches with black slate floor. Will that be nice do you think?

Will the solid oak stay looking good for years?

lol - it is a club.

I didn't check the MFI prices - previous dodgy kitchen put me off (but I think they have got better).

B&Q do lovely white gloss ones - but needs six weeks to order, and I am just not that organised, decisive and co-ordinated enough for that. (the Ikea ones you take away that day).

The Ikea ones are about in the middle of range for their prices. About £60 for a cabinet and door. So lots cheaper than Magnet etc.

Your combo sounds good - but I would say that wouldn't I!

Also - I hear you have to be a bit careful with solid wood, Knive scratches, heat and water major culprits. But on the positive you can just sand any marks out,. (Need to replace kitchen burn marks on the laminate worksurface).

Can I join in?
I got the MFI shiny white kitchen a couple of months ago. I really like it, doesn't get grubby easily but I do have very low standards on the cleaning front. Looks great with thick oak worktop.
Didn't get anything else from MFI though, the sink, tap, worktop, appliances etc. were all from internet dealers, which was cheaper.

am a real ikea fan for kitchens- they're maent to have the best cupboard build. knew a guy that worked for very expensive kitchen company- smallhorn or something who went into kitchen design and they used to use ikea carcas and handmade doors.
they also got which best build for cupboards a couple of years ago... but their delivery service is awful and they never seem to have everything you need at one... but I suppose swings and roundabouts etc

Strangly, as I half expected rubbish service,it bing Ikea, ordered my kitchen 8pm Saturday night - delivered by the independent, but on site, people the next morning Sun. I think all pieces present and correct. Couldn't fault it.

busy, if you're going to get the stainless steel handles, make sure you hang them all in the same direction, don't have some up and down, and others across the cupboards, much sleeker to have all the same way
fwiw, we have the fake oak worksurface (f0rget what it's called) and it looks good.

Aaargh, flooring crisis - dh is not sure the slate floor will look too 'harsh' against the white/wood/cream combo of the kitchen.

Shall I just hit him with a frying pan now, and revive him when it is all done???

Good tip about the stainless handles, but I was going to put them across drawer fronts (ie horizontal) and vertical on the cupboards. Not sure about putting them horizontal on a cupboard door. I think I would confuse myself as to which side they openend...

We have a black slate floor with our creamy/yellow doors and I think it looks fine. The only thing is that looking after slate is not as easy as you'd think...

We went for dark beech worktops which I think was a mistake so we're going to replace them with black granite in due course...

mumpbumb - why the mistake with the wooden counters?

I know granite is beautiful....but so expensive. Has the wood been awful?

All - well I think slate will look lovely with the white cupboards. Frying pan definitely needed to dissenters.

For flooring we are going for a cream tile (the Oxford design from Homebase) - slightly mottled so hopefully will hide some of the dirt - and plan to use a dark grout for the same reason!

I would have liked a solid wood floor but that would have involved digging up the existing floor to lower it....

I had a bit of a crisis regarding our steel splashbacks when I noticed the electrician had started to put a socket on the wall I wanted the splashbacks on - I've decided to do without the extra socket in that corner now - hope I don't regret that later!

I don't know what to do with the electric sockets really. In the wrong place for splashbacks but needed for kettles etc.

KTeepee - what colour are units? Floor cream and ? units and ? worksurface?

It is just that I am not sure that the wood looks right in what is essentially a monochrome kitchen. The wood itself is fine - hard wearing and I have oiled it a couple of times with linseed oil which brings it up beautifully. We won't be replacing it too quickly - have lots of other stuff and granite is definitely a luxury for us!

We have matching cream tiles which we put on in a Flemish bond pattern with a stainless steel splashback behind the range cooker. The power points are in the tiled areas...

I have white gloss shaker style units from Schreiber (I think) fake gloss laminate cherry worktops (sound horrible but look nice), gey metallic cheap tiles (with a view to replacing with more expensive ones when I had money, ha ha) white walls and one lilac wall. Though I say so myself - it looks lovely, clean and fresh and has aged well (about 3 years old)

Busy, our units are the Adel cram and the worktop is oak (also from Ikea). I can't tell you how it all looks yet as it's still in boxes - hopefully the builder will make a start on fitting it this week. I now have use of my washing machine again though, hooray!

To cream tile or to slate tile, that is the flooring question!!

I think the wood worktop (be they oak or beech) will 'soften' the monochrome effect of the kitchen - perfect for an older house.

We are planning to fit our own kitchen, but need to find a tiler and plasterer. Urgh, am dreading the mess, hard work, and all that goes with it.

But can't wait for it to be finished!!! It will be so fab to have a new kitchen!!

I have been living in mess and muddle for months. Water leak, insurance job, new bathroom (because of leak) new kitchen indirectly because of leak.

Have lost lots of weight - as no nibbling, no food, no kitchen!!

I think slate personally. Better contract with white. White and cream not so sure about - but get that right floor times and will look ace.

Going back to Ikkkkeeeaaa tonight for more worktop pondering. I don't expend this much emotional energy on work....

Don't forget about the pipe issue - Ikea units are slightly deeper than MFI and B&Q. More faffing for fitter or plumber.

contrast not contract.

Agree slate will look nicer with the white - and be better at hiding dirt! Didn't want anything too dark on our floor because the whole reason for doing the extension was to bring more light into a darkish room...