The MN lessons learnt kitchen thread.

[jollydiane]

I have read loads of kitchen threads so here is my conclusions.

1. Plan for where you bin is going to go.
2. Handless kitchens look lovely but can wind you up.
3. Floor Tiles look stunning but can be a bugger to keep clean.
4. Splash-backs are very practical for cleaning and can look stunning although some of you think they look naff.

What else should I add to the list before I make my purchase?

The one area I'm really stuck on is flooring. I want something that I can use my lakeland steam mop on (another MN suggestion) which I love.

Hi all I'm looking at kardean flooring and wondering if anyone has it, and which one ? Thanks !!

Hi all I'm looking at kardean flooring and wondering if anyone has it, and which one ? Thanks !!

MieowTheCat if you uncoil the kick board there should be handy space behind to store your spare bits.

Unclip not uncoil!

Great thread to find when planning our new kitchen. I love maximising space so v keen on kickboard drawers. For my dining area I'm planning on a row of cafe style bench seats attached to the wall where the seat can be lifted & storage below used-handily we're sitting on the kind of thing I mean now.

Really leaning towards Lino for floor as cheap & fast-we've a wall to knock down, external door to brick up, internal door to move & new windows & patio doors to do too!

Any other space saving tips or words of wisdom gratefully received!

We are 2 weeks into a major kitchen/ hall refurb. Wall knocked down, floors pulled up, replastered, new lighting, woodwork and painting. The painter is here today so the kitchen will be ready to install from tomorrow.

The kitchen is from Wickes and is being delivered tomorrow, cream gloss, no handles. Induction hob, eye level double oven, oak work tops. Two big pan drawers and a corner larder unit. No fancy internal bits as frankly we just can't afford them. We're having a Karndean type floor but it's not Karndean, again in an oak look.

I've had a kitchen fitter/builder to cost and do the work (electrician costs are separate). So far it's been seamless with tradesmen following on one after the other - he's organised it all and I'm impressed so far. He certainly lives up to his reputation.

We live in a 3 storey house so we are out of the way for most part, I'm so excited to see it all come together. It's just a pain having a makeshift kitchen in your living room!

I'll post pictures when it's done.

Sounds fab BG-I've just been to look at floors-was leaning towards vinyl/Lino-not really sure of the difference between these & karndean etc but due to the shape of ours we'd need a join & not sure how invisible they'd be. Now leaning towards laminate. Think I'm anti tiles & that's as far as I've got!

Our builder told me that laminate is no no in a kitchen as if something goes wrong the whole length of laminate has to be taken up.

Our kitchen will be finished on Tuesday and it can't come soon enough. We are fed up of eating sandwiches, toast and microwave meals. It's a pain.

We now have to wait for the floor guy to arrange to fit the floor.

Has anyone used Roomsense fitted kitchens? What's your experience of them?

I can't figure how to bookmark this and the MN search function is useless, hence the post!

Thanks for resurrecting this thread! We're FINALLY starting the process of kitchen extension planning and I remembered this thread but couldn't find it.

Bumping. In the planning stages and loving all the tips.
For those who have gone through the process, any issues with managing without water/cooker/washing machine etc until the job done?

I've been without a kitchen since October until today - extension! Ikea sell a small plug in, one ring induction hob called TILLREDA. With this and a microwave, you can cook quite a bit of food. We bought ready-chopped packs of veg (no space to cut anything) and cooked them on the hob, with a microwaved main. Ready-chopped stir fry in packets, with fresh noodles, is also brilliant.

The Tillreda hob also decided us against a huge 6-ring induction hob in our final kitchen. We figured that on the rare occasions we need more than 4 rings at once, we could use the portable one, and at all other times, the extra space would be more useful.

My main tip is to plan where absolutely everything goes, down to your teaspoons. It does your head in to figure it all out, but it really does mean that the final result suits your stuff.

October Wow whisky I am dreading it. That little Tillreda looks nifty enough.

Yeah, it feels like eons. Though I did have to have a whole new room built to put the kitchen in, so unless you're about to do that, don't be put off/filled with dread and horror!! A new kitchen in an existing space should be months quicker

It's a really neat little hob, yet a beast in terms of heating things up. So fast compared to my gas cooker!

We saved up washing until the weekends, then twisted the builder's arm to plumb in the washing machine temporarily, using a squeezy rubber connector.

Don't get laminate in a kitchen. We bought some that was supposedly suitable for in kitchens, but one of the DC spilt a glass of water and by the time it was cleaned up (really wasn't long at all) the laminate had bubbled.

trixy are you talking laminate worktops? I'd have thought they were really robust as they are quite popular. Have been looking at granite but can't justify £3,500 compared to a £400 laminate one.

housework. I agonised for months over the worktop as people (kitchen sales people!) kept telling me houses in our area needed high end worktops at £4 -6k . In the end we just couldn’t justify - or afford - granite or corian and went for a Carrara marble effect laminate from work top express for most of the worktop and iroko wood on the island. I love the laminate! It looks gorgeous and is a dream to look after. Our friends spent £6k on granite and spend all their time polishing to keep it looking good! Our laminate cost £400

I'm only little. And we have elderly relatives who live with us. So we planned our new kitchen to have finished worktop heights of 860mm

Sure, some people will moan that it's too low. But it's my kitchen, and it's perfect.

No it was in response to another poster downthrwad wondering whether to have laminate flooring. I only realise after that it's a zombie thread!

We've had laminate worktops several times and they've been pretty robust.

whisky we have a wall to knock out and electrics and plumbing to go in, going to wait until warmer/lighter nights before start.

Singing that's good news. I've still got loads of research to do but that looks a good website, lots of choice. Been looking at Wrens but they only have 7 online.

trixy Totally agree about not having laminate floor in a kitchen, going for ceramic tiles.

This thread has been a great help. We have stayed away from kitchen showrooms so far because we don't want to be pushed into something without knowing exactly what we want/need. I have a huge list now

@whiskyowl you're a genius regarding the Ikea hob. I've been fretting over not having a 5 burner, but begrudge the extra £200 for an extra one on an induction hob. I'm now going to get the plug in one, use it for the 3 months we won't have a kitchen and then stash is in a cupboard for the rare occasions that we need more hob space. Thank you

I'm glad it's going to help someone else out 4years! It's a really well-designed little thing too, a real pleasure to use. It's got the (obvious) advantage of being portable, too - I'm thinking it might be useful to take to big events/weddings/family occasions in future where a bit of extra hob space might be a blessing.

Whisky we might even use it camping as we only have a single burner stove and for long trips we get an electric hookup! Such a great idea

It would be great for that! Keep the box as it comes REALLY well packed in that plastic stuff that is a bit like polystyrene, only much tougher. It would stand up to a lot of camping I reckon!