Time for a new kitchen. Never bought one before. Not a massive change to layout needed, but the terrible laminate kitchen that is falling apart needs to go. Would love solid cabinets but think that might be a bit spendy. John Lewis seems very expensive. Parents have a lovely Neptune kitchen fitted a couple of years ago, but not sure that’s the best value. We have a very good local fitter/builder who will do the work. Recommendations of where to look. Howdens, independents (we are NW Leeds), others?

I don’t know about standard kitchen units, but a friend of ours has a very successful custom kitchen company and he said the prices of units has doubled in the last few months so it might be worth hanging on if you can.

Unfortunately I don’t think the price of wood looks to be going down any time soon. Not sure I can hold out another 5 years.

https://www.diy-kitchens.com/ do great units.

lots turn their nose up at them, but I like ikea kitchens. We get asked a lot where our current one is from and people are surprised that its ikea and how little it cost.

Unfortunately I don’t think the price of wood looks to be going down any time soon.

You’re probably right I’m afraid.
He fitted our existing kitchen in 2002 and it’s still going strong despite the attentions of a growing family of, which speaks volumes for paying for quality as it’s just been repainted again and it looks like new.
We extended the kitchen with new units (made to match the originals) in 2019 and the cost of the new units even then was more than double what we paid 19 years ago.
I’d hate to think how much it would cost to do it now 😫

I’m about to press buy on an ikea kitchen. Will be the third kitchen I’ve bought over the years, first from ikea though. At my price point (cheap as can be as long as it looks half decent) I was pleasantly surprised at the ikea stuff. Quality seems on a par with Howdens, diy, B&Q etc. Price is very good comparatively. There is admittedly less choice interms of ranges/finishes/colours but still more than enough. Certainly enough for us anyway

^^^

all the ikea hinges, runners etc are OEM blum. the pricing is utterly transparent and the 3d planner used to be really good and when you are happy just press order.

I used worktops from worktop express as I needed a run longer than 3m which was the max ikea sold.

I have a 25 yr old IKEA kitchen which is starting to look tired but more recent ones seem to last less well

I  installed a B&Q kitchen in the rental.  Pleasantly surprised at the quality.  Its a couple of years old now and still looks brand new

lots turn their nose up at them, but I like ikea kitchens.

Yep, ours is 8 years old now and still looks great bar the worktop which seems to have a defect on the edge but then considering it was £40 a metre can’t complain

You’re close to the diy-kitchens showroom, worth a look as they have a good range – happy with ours and the after sales support deep in lock down was pretty good.

Worth knowing that all cabinets come prebuilt which should save time for your fitter.

Thanks thebunk and hexhamstu. Have managed to grab a slot at the DIY kitchens showroom tomorrow (55 mph winds have put paid to bikepacking plans, so might as well do something with the day!). They defiantly have the sort of look we are after, looking at their site. I’ll see if I can summon up the energy to stop via Ikea on the way home (this may not happen on a Saturday!)!!!

Another recommendation for DIY kitchens here – I fitted out our utility room 6 or 7 years ago now. It’s good quality and while doesn’t get as hard a life as the main kitchen, it does get a lot of use and has stood up well.

Have you asked the fitter you are using their opinion and/or who he will get a trade discount from!

Have you asked the fitter you are using their opinion and/or who he will get a trade discount from!

Yes 🙂 He is calling me tomorrow to chat through stuff. But I know from the various friends who have used him before, he’ll fit pretty much anything.

I’ve installed some units from Diy Kitchens and from Ikea.
Both were really nice quality.

Ikea one was a few years back now and my abiding memory of it was that it didn’t have any gap at the back to run pipework.
This might be different know, and I’m sure folks who fit a lot of kitchens get around it fine anyway.

We have a very good local fitter/builder who will do the work

I’d ask your fitter for a recommendation, had our kitchen done two-ish years ago, fitter recommended Howdens as it was local to us and carried good stock. He did also tell me not to get a B&Q kitchen as the store was 30mins away and didnt carry stock.

This came in handy when fitting the doors, one was damaged so was able to go up to the Howdens and swap it for a new one in the same journey/same day, my fitter said he once waited 5 weeks for a missing part from B&Q!

The back units are the part of the kitchen that going to sit there for decades and not really cause any issues, the fronts are what gives the kitchen its appearance.

The fronts and the worktops is where you need be spendy. Worktops especially.

So unless you want to remodel the entire kitchen, keeping what you have and just giving it a new appearance will make all the difference. Maybe throw in some extra gadgets like kickboard lighting, or warm air blowers, or even small set of steps faced on one side with the kickboard material as a way of saving space.

I put in a new work surface in my kitchen and it looks a hundred times better. I’ll replace the doors like for like in something more modern and again it will make everything shiny and new and theres been no expense getting in people to rip out and replace everything.

Another +1 for Ikea: my mate got an Ikea one which he really rates. I understand there’s an option with a longer guarantee which has uprated fixings and drawer runners, etc, for a small surcharge — he went for that option.

It went in about seven years ago and looks pretty much like new.

The two “new” kitchens we have had have been second-hand jobbers off eBay and DIY installation. A whole other ballgame!

You might be surprised how competitive local joiners are at knocking up the likes of the ebay units below, or buy from the likes of these.

Ebay Kitchens

May be a lot easier on fitting costs, repaint when you want a new look in ten years etc.

Another IKEA fan. Their transparent pricing is great. Can’t stand the fake discounts and hidden prices that others use.

I’ve installed 2 ikea kitchens, picked up the oak worktop from somewhere on ebay and oiled them myself.

They work great if your room is square with no odd angles. The have no space behind to run services, reasonably easy to modify the backing to move it inboard so you can hide plumbing under the sink – more of a pain if you have to do it across a range of units. Go with the upgraded smooth close hinges / runners – I keep slamming the on cupboard that doesn’t have them.

The hanging system is great for making sure all the cupboards align nicely

So unless you want to remodel the entire kitchen, keeping what you have and just giving it a new appearance will make all the difference.

Honestly the current units are petty much made of cheese! It would be a false economy to refront/retop them! The surrounds are failing and delaminating, the shelves are bent and cracked, the sink bows, the rear fronting (of the half island) is chipped. Its a new kitchen job. The previous owners put them in and everything they used in terms of fixtures and fixings are cheap and awful.

Another +1 for IKEA. I put ours in 5 years ago. It’s doing well.

I got their underglued sink which has been good. No issues. I measured it all up and worked out the location. (It’s near the corner with the boxed in soil pipe with a few different saizedcunits.) I Went in store and the guy in the store checked it and changed the dims slightly. Turns out he was wrong. I went back in someone else double checked and they replaced with no quibbles picked up and replaced a 6m worktop a few weeks later.

Had a DIY Kitchen one fitted last year in the new place after having been given the complete run around by Howdens – opaque pricing, not prepared to send samples – final quote was 2x DIY and that was to my builder ie. after discounts.

DIY come as fully assembled units, not flat-pack, and made from 22mm board, not 18mm like many others. Good choice of unit sizes – height and width, unlike Howdens, which makes it easier to get a better layout. Only downside was there were some shortages – paid for stuff that never arrived as it was a long time between delivery and installation due to delays with house build.

IKEA units don’t come with a service space behind so if you have pipes etc, you have to cut the units. I fitted a few IKEA cupboard units in my workshop but they’re flimsy in comparison to the DIY units.

Had a bit of a mare with Worktop Express too – I sent them a detailed drawing and they kept making mistakes I needed to correct. I’ve bought granite and marble before but they were pretty limited is what they were prepared to do with finished edges. I offered to collect it myself but they wouldn’t let me as they wanted to use their courier which then took 2 weeks. When it did arrive it was in 2 pieces and they refused to accept responsibly – fortunately it was a clean break that is well hidden. Wouldn’t recommend them on this basis.

Worth checking the dimensions of you room to make sure your walls are plumb and square, floor level etc. as quite often you find yourself adjusting units to fit particularly if you have a long run of units.

IKEA units don’t come with a service space behind so if you have pipes etc, you have to cut the units.

deeper worktops (700mm from worktop express), 50mm spacer rail to hang the cupboard units from with a service space, slightly deeper overhang over the drawer fronts. easy.

Fitted IKEA in my utility room weeks after fitting a wren in my kitchen.

The wren was considerably easier/quicker to fit and get a good finish on.

The IKEA stuff was a pain in the arse to assemble and required a fair bit of modifying to get a good fit.

But if it’s transparent. Pricing then yeah Ikea’s considerably higher price Vs wrens actual price per unit is transparent.

I also bought worktop express 44mm worktops (which they do in the funny size IKEA use) and while passible does need final finish before oiling – it’s rough out the box. Again wren didn’t have this issue. Neither did Howdens on a fit out at my folks..

They work great if your room is square with no odd angles.

This might be a bit of sticking point for us. We have an RSJ that is a bit in the way, from when the room was knocked from two into one, and the floor raised to make it all on the same level. Leaves a bit of an odd shape part of the way down the kitchen units. Need to get the fitter to look at that to come up with plan, with us.

Thanks for the all ideas. Think tomorrow we will go to DIY kitchen, Neptune (for the shiny spendy end of the scale) and a couple of local independents to give us an idea. Will look at IKEA online, but realistically I can’t face it on a Saturday!

I make kitchens amongst other things and pretty close to you. I used to think I was expensive but then saw what a pal paid for wren kitchen and nearly fell over. I make all my kitchens from birch plywood and solid. I would be happy to have a chat if you wanted to. Sorry if this is too much of an advert, but thus is me nealcrampton.co.uk.

@NealC.

Trade related question. What are you using to do lipping on the ply ? is it solid lipping, iron on stuff or bare edge. If its solid whats your method for attachment. biscuits,festool jointer or router profiles.

Just had a little goosey at your portfolio. That fumed oak cabinet is gorgeous.

As are the other cabinets. Top class.

I use a 4mm solid lipping which I machine at 4 by 19 mm. Glue it on with lots of masking tape without alignment and then flush it to the face of the ply with a belt sander. Doing a whole kitchen is a bit tedious, but then it is work!

..and thanks for the compliments.

Yeah no  probs. Always praise quality workmanship

I do this, though not in industry now myself. But we used a lot of double sided veneers ,mdf with  oak or black walnut and biscuited it on, before same as yourself planing and sanding it flush. Edges are notorious as you know for getting a good fixing to.

I just wondered as there’s a set of router cutters that machine positive/negative profile into edges which gives a better glue surface. Only they’re about £120, and if you for example were using that type to find out any info. It’s a bit spendy for me these days for the odd job.

Going through this at present and was in Ikea a couple of nights ago and have booked a design appointment for next weekend. Was impressed with their higher end units and as others have said, transparent pricing. Which? rate Ikea top for robustness with John Lewis next from a list which includes Wickes, DIY, Magnet, Howdens and Wren. John Lewis, no surprise, we’re top for customer service. Have had the Magnet design appointment and a quote but wasn’t clear how it all added up. They appear to have ever present ‘sales’ which always make me suspicious. Quality seems OK but similar to Ikea.

I have installed a few Ikea kitchens, if you understand their limitations its fine. As people say build off 25-40mm batons. Also take care when assembling cabinets as easy to get off square a bit, then you wonder why you cant get a long run dead straight? I know installers dont like ikea cause its more work:)
Also lots of companies do fab fronts, to make them look un-ikea? Reform, Superfronts, plykea etc.

We have an IKEA kitchen..maybe 18 years old and I have no issues with it but the wife is insisting we paint the doors. They are solid oak and have grooves down them which will make painting a pain. Got a quote for a respray/paint the other day, £1700 for 17 draws and doors! Yikes. Was going to just change the doors but bloody IKEA have changed the standard sizes and no longer support the dimensions so a bit stuck. She bough some of that chalk paint for kitchen doors and we put some on the back of one…it looks crap.

In the middle of building up a b&q kitchen. Its mdf and pre drilled, tapped etc. Instructions are useless so theres time undoing and redoing stuff.
Trying to improve it with better countersink holes, glueing the dowels equidistant etc.
I spent alot of evenings on ebay buying appliances and bits and bobs, got some bargains on ex display, never used things. I think better hinges, handles, hobs, hoods, lighting etc improve the look no end. A cupboard is a cupboard, but soft close hinges and quirky lighting can bling up a kitchen cheaply.
Mind you, it wont be cheap. Even with getting things like splashback at 90% less than rrp it all adds up.
Black nickel usb sockets are lush but not cheap.
Its daft things like corner posts, pelmets and cornice lengths that add up fast.
Some incredible looking graphite units with copper fixture kitchens around.
Given what the b&q units cost in the end (£1600) i could probably have got a slightly better quality carcus for the same money. Wickes look good and surprisingly so do Homebase.
Also watch out for sizing, some manufacturers have weird cabinets combinations

DIY Kitchens. Now, what’s the question?

I found IKEA to be a bit ropey, and having seen some of their recent kitchens once they’ve been used for a year or so i’d steer clear. I’ve heard they used to be much better, but quality seems to have slipped.

Avoid Wren. Garbage kitchens with a huge marketing budget and very “old school” sales techniques (MFI sales people seem to have found a new home).

Finally, think carefully if you really need a built in wine rack or cupboard that unfold like Optimus Prime. This seems to be how you turn a £4k kitchen into a £17k one.

Had an IKEA kitchen about 10 years now, so the older version. Holding up really well. Don’t know what their newer stuff is like.
Worktops and upstands from worktop express. Finished with osmo top oil. Not sure is worktop express quality has dropped as I bought some thinner stuff before Christmas to make some shelves out of, and it was heavily bowed.

Excuse the mess, it gets heavily used in a house of 5.

lots turn their nose up at them, but I like ikea kitchens.

Our IKEA kitchen is going on 13 years-old now, and we discovered during lockdown that they could easily be refreshed by taking the doors off and painting them.

Still going strong, and a damn sight cheaper than the alternatives!