Best painted kitchen

[Fiddledee]

I would like to fit a new kitchen that is painted so that I can change the colours in the future. I know John Lewis do it, also that there are loads of hand painted kitchens available - any recommendations?

I have just ordered mine from Pineland.It comes sanded but not painted ,as i would like the painted country kitchen look.My builder will install and paint it.The kitchen cost is very reasonable compared to other solid wood kitchens

Hi, teta I will have a look. Its for a long term house and I would prefer to repaint when it begins to look tired than refit.

Teta
Have you had your pineland kitchen put in yet? Just wondering about getting a painted solid wood kitchen or going down the mfc carcass/solid wood doors?

On the one hand I want the longeivity and solidity of the wood, but worried that pine might warp and bleed resin. And tempted by the fancy inserts that are available in eg ikea kitchens (you know magic corners, pull out wire baskets, soft closing drawers/doors).

Are the pineland kitchens still user friendly, doors easy and quiet to open/shut etc? Able to take the wirework inserts?

Would love to hear your, or others, experiences?

If I added up the hours I've spent researching or thinking about kitchens!

You could do what I did and get a local carpenter. I have solid pine units with tulipwood doors (don't bleed), and we used the Hafele catalogue for any fancy inserts etc, although I only went for the built-in recycling bins in the end.

Cost about the same as a Magnet would have.

that sounds interesting, but a bit brave! Did you have a recommendation for the carpenter? What area of the country are you in - maybe we could use your guy?
I'll look at Hafele too, never heard of that!
Thanks!

I'm in Gloucestershire but sadly I wouldn't recommend our carpenter; kitchen looks nice but he turned out to be not as efficient as we'd expected, and there were a few issues I'd rather forget!
It is a good way to get a hand-built kitchen, though - as you say you need someone who comes highly recommended and you should ask to speak to former customers, not just look at the lovely pictures he shows you!

Dsamm my kitchen is being delivered this friday.But i know lots of people who have pineland kitchens already and have had them a few years and are very happy with them.According to my builder you have to use a knotting solution to seal before starting to paint.They will make units to any size so you could ask for Ikea size units for inserts.I have ordered an Ikea size sink unit as the domsjo sinks were such good value.They do have soft-closing drawers and i have ordered several pull-out integrated bins for recycling/paper etc.I have customised the size of all my units -firstly to make them taller as my kitchen ceiling is very high [ large pantry cupboard which will also have a vent for my microwave].Special opening backs [for underfloor heating manifold and electricity meter] and small very deep drawers for oil and sauce bottles on either side of the cooker.I will give you more feedback when the kitchen is fitted.

Teta I'd be really interested to see some pictures of your finished kitchen, I have been mulling over the exact same thing (painted units, Ikea ceramic sink, interior fittings), even got the Pineland catalogue. Hope it all goes well!

Ha! Love the domsjo sink - it's on our list too! We also have high Victorian ceilings, so think we'll need higher wall units. Was also looking at very narrow cupboards either side of the range, but love the sound of deep drawers, so much easier to access. Great tips here!! Have you had advice on best paint - so many companies say we don't do F&B but the cynic in me wonders if it's just because it's more expensive for them? I'm aiming for a light french grey type shade. But worried about worktop as we'll have a sanded wooden floor, don't want granite and think maybe a wooden worktop won't look right with a wooden floor?

Rambling now, but I'd love to hear how it goes - good luck for Friday!

I do love the idea of getting good quality units cheaply!

Dsamm.i am aiming for F&B also.Skimming stone on the units,strong white on the walls and maybe elephants breath on the island.All teamed with a cranberry rangemaster and travertine floor tiles.I have just changed my mind from a blue rangemaster and bluegreen island!.I am undecided as to whether to get tiles for a splashback or just an upstand.But i will definately need tiles for behind the cooker and sink.With regards to the Domsjo sink thay are not hard-wearing.I have had one in my utility for a couple of weeks [we are using it as a main washing-up sink as kitchen has been stripped out] and it is already chipped and scratched slightly.You need to use a bowl with it or one of the protective sink-mats that stick to the bottom.[i wish someone had warned me before!].

Wednesday will post pictures when finished.

No way about the Domsjo! But is there any sink that is really hard wearing, or is it like a wood floor that will acquire scratches that you notice in the first 2 weeks and then not really get any worse for 10 years? Maybe the problem is that washing up bowls have gone out of fashion or people are more bothered about the appearance of kitchens than they used to be. Chipping does not sound good. It would not surprise me though if Ikea had invented some kind of cheapo ceramic that is not as hard as the traditional sort.

Thanks re pictures, looking forward to it.

We had an all pine kitchen at our last place which looked lovely and was fine. my one complaint is the drawers weren't super slidey in and out. This time around we didn't want to spend as much for a bespoke kitchen so we got one from DIY kitchens and painted it ourselves. The insides are MDF carcasses, and the doors are solid oak. You can also choose to have them paint it a F&B colour if you want, but my understanding was that it would make it like a super thick wipeable surface and we wanted something that looked a bit more natural/country.

I wouldn't worry too much about knots. A reputable company will paint over knots with the stuff that keeps the resin from coming out. Also, with DIY kitchens the doors were oak so we didn't have to worry about knots, which saved that step.

One last thing is that F&B don't do oil based paints any more. We used the waterbased eggshell last time around and I felt like it wasn't thick/wipeable enough so this time around we got a Leyland colour equivalant and I'm very happy with the results.

sparky - i really want super slidey in and out drawers - i don't want to huff and puff when I'm trying to get a spoon! I think some of the wooden kitchen places do soft close drawers these days, but I'm not sure if they can do it for big pan drawers, in which case I'd rather have them in a cupboard.

We have also looked at DIY kitchens for the painting their oak too!

And we also don't like the sprayed doors despite all the companies saying it's the best option - if they look plastic why not have real plastic?

Does anyone know if it's easy enough to paint over that sprayed finish, or do you have to strip/sand it right back and start all over again? Or does their paint act like a nice undercoat (yep, trying to save myself some work!).

Dsamm i also hate the sprayed door look.But saying that i love my Ikea kitchen cupboards in stat white that are sprayed mdf i think.With ceramic handles they look really good in my utility.Dsamm i am having deep pan drawers - on metal runners in my kitchen.I also wanted metal runners for the deep drawers either side of the range but they couldn't source small enough runners apparently.I havn't ordered soft-close drawers for the rest and i hope i don't regret this decision.
I wouldn't have thought that you could paint over that type of finish as the paint has nothing to adhere to,but i am no expert.

Yes, I agree if they're supposed to be modern and slik that's fine, it's just when they look like fake wood, or when the real wood ends up looking plastic that I don't like it.

Am also considering ikea for our utility or something cheap I can paint in the same or complementary colour as our wooden units.

Have you seen the pan drawers on metal runners in action? could you imagine them dealing with a couple of le creusets etc?

I can't seem to get the decision made, and god knows how many paint testers I'll end up using to get the colours right? Walls, island, dressers, units... I think lighter colours for most of it with maybe a couple of bits with a bit more colour just for interest. I'm worried the room will be a little bit dark!
Getting so many good ideas and tips here - it's great!!

We have lots of le creuset so i hope so!.The kitchen is arriving monday and comes ready-built so i will test it.

This might be useful for getting ides.

Or even ideas

we got our wonderful kitchen from handmade kitchens of christchurch, unbelievably good value for money, painted in f & b bone with carerra marble tops, slate floor. looks like a martin moore kitchen, probably fifth of the price. happy kitchen hunting!

DIY kitchens supply doors in "sanded" finish, ready to be painted, so no need to strip anything. Herhonesty reminds me that we saw handmade kitchens when they used to have a showroom in camden and they did look very nice too. Our pine drawers did have soft close runners but after a while it just seemed like they weren't balanced anymore and you need to push on both sides rather than a "one handed close."

We have Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch too - oak, then painted it ourselves in F&B eggshell. Very happy with it

My Pineland kitchen has arrived.Complete with soft-close drawers on metal runners and integral bins.Builder is fitting the ones he can, as tiler is still in action on parts of the floor.Plasterer is also here as he was sick last week so the kitchen is chaotic.My new travertine tiles are covered with bits of plaster and dirt already![hope it cleans off well].The good news is that the Pineland units look really good and appropriate for the house.I have decided to do a panel of Victorian/Edwardian arts and craft tiles above the cranberry range as i have several different colours to mix in.I just need some suitable rustic/old cream tiles for the surround.

We went for Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch too - it was delivered last Saturday and apparently there is lots of it and it looks well made, according to our builder! House is in Uk and we are currently in Hungary. Am dying to see it!

Herhonesty - I don't suppose you have any photos do you? Would love to see it. I wanted a similar colour scheme to yours but DH not keen on a pale worktop with pale units. Reckons we need contrast. Our floor tiles will be pale too. So I am reluctantly edging (being pushed!) towards black granite which I didn't really want.

Also - how was the F&B paint? We are going with a Dulux one. A pale grey.

will try and get one done tonight.. we were happy with f&b but made a big mistake of not putting matt varnish over it and so now are going back over to do this.