Has anyone bought a second hand or ex display kitchen?

[Hopedun]

I hate our current kitchen. It isn't that old, maybe 7 years now but it was chosen and installed in a hurry as part of an extension. It just doesn't suit our needs, the units have all chipped or warped (laminate). I hate the laminate worktop.

We are happy to leave the gas, water etc in the same place. The kitchen we have at the moment only has 8 units. We would probably need 10 as I struggle for storage at the moment.

A second hand or ex display kitchen looks like a good option as I could get a professional to fit it. Just wondering how it all works as we've always had someone to measure etc?

We bought ex display years ago from Peter Jones. We already had our kitchen measurements and what was in situ. We basically sat down and reconfigured what there was with our space. It worked. We bought a couple of additional units as our kitchen was bigger. The end result was we had a much higher quality kitchen than we would have bought (as ours was considered large) we also had more splurge items that would have been out of our budget that came with the kitchen. All in all a good experience for us.

That sounds great! Yes that's what attracts me, the having a much better quality option for our 10k max budget than we could otherwise afford. I'm just worried about ordering something that wouldn't fit but maybe my dad would help with the measuring part.

I suppose we'd have to store it somewhere while we waited for a fitter too. It would be worth it in the end though. I'd love a quartz or granite worktop and we'd never afford one without doing it this way.

We did. We bought an ex display top.end German kitchen and appliances from an up market kitchen shop - all done via eBay, and a company specialising in this organised it all including finding a removal company for us. We went and viewed it in person the week before, talked with the shop so knew we could get a few extra units if we needed them as the range was (and still is) available. We would never have even looked in such an expensive shop. The ovens, hob, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, sink, quooker alone came to more than we paid (£9k) and had never been used. The units must have been £30k.

We had the advantage of being at the beginning of a renovation so we had a little flexibility with regards to space. We did have to store everything for a while in a lockup (these aren't flat pack things) and we did have to get new kitchen surfaces as we couldn't reuse them (we cut them up and used in the utility and cloakroom, and sold the rest on eBay along with the sink incinerator).

Definitely worth it if the range is still available so you can get extras. Plus all the drawers etc have all the fancy inserts as you'd expect as a display kitchen

Have a look at ‘complete used kitchens’ in the search term on eBay. You can often buy the granite too. You’ll need someone competent to help dismantle and refit.

If you don't like any part of your current kitchen it's probably not worth trying to salvage or refurbish any of it?

You have to think about how a kitchen is built up because a s/h kitchen will have to be taken back to its components to be refitted. Some adaptations are possible.

Units- these are basically just chipboard boxes, in standard sizes, although they can usually cut down eg base to wall or corner to straight. Interior fittings can be changed.

Doors/fronts, these are often interchangeable so the same size door might be on a wall, base and corner unit. The opening direction can be changed or moved.

Trims- end panels, wall unit cornice/pelmets strips, plinth (kickboard). These are usually cut to size to fit the installation so you might need extra ones.

Worktops - also made to measure but if long enough and with the right layout you might re use some.

Appliances usually are standard size but there still might be some fudging to get the neatly fitted. Sometimes it a freestanding appliance is easier to deal with and doesn't need a unit.

Ex display kitchens are often very small or if large, expensive.
Ones taken out of houses can be a bargain. Either way you have to list out all the components and work out if you can build them back into a kitchen design that suits you and what extra parts you need to buy. And ideally draw it out to the millimetre for the fitter to work from. (As opposed to DIY where you might work it out as you go along).
I have done this but I am a designer and I love details and measurements! It's very satisfying and a way to re use things.

Having said that, your existing kitchen sounds rubbish if falling apart this soon . Do you know where it was from? What exactly is "warping", do you just need to adjust your hinges?

The current kitchen is a Second Nature one. We had a new boiler fitted a couple of years ago which warped a lot of the units due to the water which went all over. We've also had a washing machine leak and the unit under the kitchen sink has also suffered water damage. It's all a disaster and although it may look nice to visitors without close inspection, it really brings us down as we both love cooking etc.

We had a quote to have it fixed and resprayed although I don't mind the colour, it was just to fix the chips. I just don't want to invest anymore money into this shit kitchen anymore.

Yes there's lots to think about and neither of us are competent DIYers so we would need a lot of help to sort this but as I say I'm sure my dad would help. He used to be a carpenter so should have some idea.

I've been looking into this myself. Saw some on gumtree but not sure about getting them taken out, would probably want to hire professionals. Also cane across https://www.theusedkitchencompany.com/ possibly England based and I'm not. But looks like good discounts.

Thanks I might give them a ring and see how it works.

Have done this several times but much better to find one direct with the showroom, if ex-display, or the owner (if used) rather than 'a broker' like the Used Kitchen Exchange/Company as you are just paying extra for their, not insubstantial, fee for marketing it

In the process of doing this at the moment for our new house that is hopefully going through, or here if not! Kitchen 1 has Belfast sink, integrated dishwasher, breakfast cupboard, larder and some other units plus an island, some wood worktop.

Kitchen 2 I want mostly for the granite worktop and I would think I can use some of the units. Will paint everything to match and change handles. Including delivery the two combined are 2k.

I've bought at least 7 used complete kitchens and some including appliances on eBay. I always go for a large kitchen knowing some units will be left over. My dh and adult DS have to hire a lorry and travel to dismantle then fit into one of our btl properties. I usually have new worktops and plinths and sometimes new handles. You can pick up a decent kitchen for about £1k if you collect and dismantle yourself.

@caringcarer are they easy to dismantle without damaging much?

You start by taking down wall cabinets. DH and DS have taken down lots so are good at it now. They use power tools with a battery, so no leads to worry about. You need a power screwdriver and drill. It depends how they have been attached to the wall. DH says most have been put up with brackets the wall units hang on. The doors get taken off first then wall units down, then worktop off. The worktop often can't be used again unless you want to have exactly the same format in your own kitchen, so sink and hob in the same place. It's not always possible because your kitchen might be in a different shape. That's why we just get new worktops. If granite worktop they are very very heavy and will need 3 strong people to lift a 3 metre granite worktop into a van. Side panels off next, then base units out. Sometimes people have cut bits out of base units for piping etc. DH says a person with average DIY skills could remove a kitchen. It takes 4-6 hours depending on the size of the kitchen. It's best to have 2 persons removing things as one needs to hold whilst other unscrews. It has meant we can buy good quality kitchens for our btl's rather than cheap new B&Q ones. Once fitted you would not know they are not new. Some of the kitchens we have bought have been quite new and high spec. My son recently bought a house it had a very old fashioned oak kitchen. I found him a Symphony kitchen called Cranfield in a stone colour. It had a double Neff oven, Bosch dishwasher, integrated Bosch fridge and freezer, a hob with 5 rings and cooker hood. It is only 18 months old and still in stock at Symphony kitchens so he can add to unit's if he wants to. The whole kitchen with appliances, granite worktops, upstands and splashback cost £500. That was the starting bid price but no one else bid so got it cheap. A lot of people are put off by having to remove and collect but if you filter at the closest distance and find one close to where you live you can get a real bargain. You'll have to hire a large van/lorry. DH & DS then unloads at the house. Then rebuild it at their leisure. We usually get new plinths and worktops and sometimes new handles. For £1k you should get a decent kitchen. Tenants often comment on what a lovely kitchen in the btl when they move in. Things don't really get broken. Possibly an odd unit back but they don't show once re fitted.

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195742156370?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=rsTlg1FKT0q&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=grn2ux5ht_y&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY. Something like this one.

That one is already dismantled.

@caringcarer ah thanks so much for putting so much effort into that reply, really well explained. Yes husband stonemason so reasonable skills and all the tools necessary. So definitely worth looking at second hand, we'll be taking this route for sure. Like your son saw a great bargain the other night on gumtree, 2500 for all appliances and large kitchen. But 500 was really great!!! We are only researching a refurb atm so not at that stage yet but with everything so expensive need to make cutbacks where possible.

I collected up several ex-display kitchens one January sale time, bought a load of really nice wooden doors from a reclamation yard (they were from a kitchen unit manufacturer, and fitted it all myself. The doors were what you'd now call 'shaker style' and came up lovely with a light varnish. Bought new worktops, a new sink, new tiles (reduced in sale) the oven was by as skip - but worked, they just had new kitchen and cba to clean the old one! Hob was a new one with a big dink in it (£5 in B&Q sale) which my panel beating mate beat out and you could barely tell. Flooring was new.
Total cost about 1/100th a new one (this was 1984)