Painted kitchens any thoughts on Neptune/Handmade Kichens Direct/DIY kichens

[Lozza50]

We are in the middle of an extension and I am going around in circles with kitchens. Really would like a painted wooden kitchen but has anyone used any of these companies or got any recommends. Shorten my list down to Neptune Kitchens, Handmade Kitchens Direct in Christchurch and DIY-kitchens. Any thoughts or helpful advice....thanks :)

Dairymoo. You can do that no problem at all.

I see what you're after. Very nice

If you're getting the units/doors made by a carpenter/kitchen cabinet makers, its worth looking into having the doors made from a marine plywood painted with a matte lacquer or eggshell.

The doors will then achieve the look you're after. There are other options too. Again depends of what you want.

I'd still ring Higham as they can do similar. What they would charge would depend on what else you want from the cabinets.

Ie the more drawers you have the more expensive it will be. Drawers are lovely but expensive things.

And the more gadgets you add the more it will all cost.

And you'll probably never use most
Of it.

Simple and spend your money on quality built units good appliances and worktops.

Actually Daisy. Just dug through some old info from December and this guy is what you need:

www.mattantrobus.co.uk/commissions.html

You can get exactly the look you're after I think.

There are others but I need to go downstairs and get another file.
Back in a mo

Thank you so much, although that link doesn't seem to work for me?

www.mattantrobus.co.uk/about.html

Hi has anyone used polished concrete on their kitchen floor? Looking at alternative flooring options and this seems to be cropping up a lot.

We've just had DIY kitchen installed. Long one...so here goes!!

Overall we are very happy with it. It looks incredible & much more expensive than it was.

It's their in-house range (Broadoak) painted F & B Manor House gray (walls are Dimpse). I had originally budgeted 15K for the kitchen, but by going direct with them we got the overall kitchen closer to 9.5K (including appliances & cesar stone like quartz worktops).

We still have one issue that we are ironing out with them on our bespoke larder, but they are reasonably helpful & generally give you what you want, so its not too stressful.

This is what we got for the price (when I was researching kitchens this is what I wanted to know):

• Diswasher + integrated dishwasher unit
• Belfast Sink + sink cupboard
• 3 magic corner units with Kosseboehmer pull outs
• Large hob, extracter, decorative hood, large pan draws
• 3 draws/cupboards
• 3 double wall cupboards
• Fridge + integrated unit
• Oven + oven/microwave unit
• Bespoke larder
• Cesarstone like quartz worktops (direct from a london supplier)
• Handles from SDS London (good range)

We were getting quoted by a number of independent kitchen suppliers and for the 15K budget they were suggesting the Second Nature door ranges with their joiner's carcasses. When we started investigating DIY we realised that they were the biggest stockist of Second Nature in the UK, and the independent suppliers would never be able to match their price agreements. In the end, we ended up going with DIY's own range, but it was comforting to note the level of quality & that many independent kitchen suppliers were recommending the same range.

Downside of DIY:

• No plans provided by them, so your joiner will need to be experienced to install them. Worth a visit to their Yorkshire showroom to talk to someone & get their advice.

-Some things were very bespoke and others not. For instance, we could not get a surround to fit our existing fridge (and had to buy a new integrated style fridge). On the the other hand, they built a besoke larder for us.

• Its a big company, so when you have an issue, you had to log it on their website & its quite time consuming to get it resolved.
• i wanted a more high end finish on the draws (oak). I could have had it done, but they were more inclined to suggest their standard metal framed ones for longevity.

Upside:

• Very reasonable
• Very quick turnaround (think they did ours in 3 weeks).
• Joiner commented on quality (far above anything else in its price range)

Hope this helps someone.

We've now had our handmade kitchens direct installed and have been using it for several months.

Overall, very impressed with them. The customer service both before and after was excellent, given that they are a "budget" option, and also when hearing about some dire customer service from harvey jones and kit stone.

The quality is ok - they biffed up a couple of measurements and supplied one door that was warped, and replaced all the components without question and within a few days. Some of the doors aren't a perfect fit, which may annoy perfectionists, but it all feels very solid. Also, my painter said it took him a lot more time sanding to get a smooth finish than he's used to on the high end kitchens. The main point about it though is what good value it is- my kitchen fitter can't believe how much I got for £12k - he reckons it would have been £20-30k for a similar kitchen from a high end company.

You can design it yourself but it takes a lot of time and you need to remember quite a lot of maths (including trigonometry) and it's very stressful. I would (if doing it again) pay the extra £150 for their designer to draw the plans.

Other things I've learnt-
National companies that charge you separately for fitting add a 100% mark up on the fitters costs.
There is a lot a good fitter can do!
Painting costs are really high!
You should be able to negotiate the "sale" prices from national companies all year round.
You need to be on site 100% of time during fitting to deal with problems!

I used 'Unfitted Kitchens' who hand make and paint. The do a number of free-standing pieces as well. Very pleased - cheaper than most of the competition when we used them 3 years ago. As the name suggests anything that needs fitting i.e. sink/plumbing etc. does have to be done by your local builder but I would recommend them.

mmm Roundhouse... We wanted a modern look kitchen that wasn't as sterile and cold as a german style kitchen. I loved roundhouses warmer walnut interiors but yes ££££! We went with a company called Simon Benjamin Furniture www.simonbejamin.co.uk who handmade us our lovely kitchen with walnut interiors and frame behind the door, Its just what I wanted and they were very helpful and friendly so I would certainly recommend them.

We opted for a plain quartz worktop which works well with the modern cabinets and is fairly maintenance free. We also really wanted a polished concrete floor but again £££! Ended up going for concrete effect porcelain tiles which looks great.

There's so many options out there to pick from though! Im glad we chose well in the end and can just enjoy it all now :)

Please excuse a really, really basic question (I am new to all this, and very daunted) - by googling, I got a sense of the difference between German and English kitchens that you have all been talking about. The German ones are more modern and 'sleek' right?

When you say that German engineered kitchens are better quality, which companies are you thinking about? (i.e. which ones should I investigate?)

My budget is so much smaller than the ones that you are all discussing - it is only £10k max. I had thought I could only really afford Ikea with that, but it sounds as though I might be able to get something a wee bit better?

I can't spell, sorry! www.simonbenjamin.co.uk .

Shovetheholly in my brief kitchen experience I found that the 'German' style kitchens were very modern and clean with lots of fancy gadgets and gizmos. The 'English' ones were more traditional and 'woody'. We went somewhere in between because I love both but couldn't choose. Good Luck with your new kitchen.

You sound like me Wolfywolfe . We are trying to make that decision now. Do you have any photos? I contacted Simon Benjamin after reading this thread but they don't come to W London unfortunately. Currently considering Naked Kitchens in Norfolk. They do birch plywood construction. Does anyone know if that's definitely better quality than MDF, HDF etc?

Well, I love cheese too it has to be said! :) I do somewhere, I will take some new ones and post or link or something (will have to tidy up first though)

Ah that's a shame, we're SW London nearish Kew so maybe your just a little bit too far? Ours is Birch Ply inside and painted doors. It's really sturdy which is what I wanted, something that will last a long time.

Hi

We used DIY kitchens and they were great - SO much cheaper than everybody else and really well made, fully wood, units. The brand is 'Ultima' which you may see else where.

You can see some pics here: www.mylondonextensions.com/projects/kitchen-extension-with-playroom-space-streatham?image=82

Hi

We used DIY kitchens and they were great - SO much cheaper than everybody else and really well made, fully wood, units. The brand is 'Ultima' which you may see else where.

You can see some pics here: www.mylondonextensions.com/projects/kitchen-extension-with-playroom-space-streatham?image=82

Anyone got recent experience with either Neptune or devol?

We've been recommended Ardent Kitchens in Hampshire as an alternative to Neptune www.ardentkitchens.com
Friends have just used them and they came in at around half the price and the quality was good. Haven't seen the kitchen in the flesh but our friends are very excited with it.

devol look pretty gorgeous too though

It's really a budget question. We got a DIY Kitchens last year and we're really impressed with their service. You can get an in-frame style wood kitchen- it's good quality. It's certainly worth a drive t their showroom in Wakefield.

We just had our Neptune kitchen fitted - so pleased with the results. Pm if you want more details.

I was advised against marble as it soaks up stains which obviously is not great in the kitchen - is this not true?? Yet to do my kitchen so I'm interested..

Prices must really vary for different units or maybe other posters have found sales, but I looked at Devol (much more expensive than Neptune) and HMK (slightly more expensive). I was very pleased with our Neptune kitchen, good quality, excellent fitters who did alot of extra bespoking work. I have heard that others havent been so happy so perhaps it depends on which branch you use (we used Kit Stone Marlborough).

If Id had the extra £4k I would have chosen Devol as I think their quality was a bit better, but our fitter was so fantastic that Im not sure overall it would have been worth it.