Fitting a kitchen is not a job a handyman is likely to undertake and not typical of the type of jobs I will do for my customers. It does however show you the level of skill and attention to detail that you can expect on any one of your smaller jobs.
They say a picture paints a thousand words so I thought I would show you some pictures of the work I recently completed in my own home.
I designed the new kitchen from scratch and the next stage was to source the units, appliances, plumbing and decoration materials.
I ordered the units as flat-pack from IKEA and the solid oak work tops were sourced on special order. All appliances were sourced independently and B&Q were as ever the main suppliers of Tiles, Paint, Fixtures & Fittings.
Delivery dates confirmed, I then removed the old kitchen and prepared the walls by filling and sanding the holes left by the old units. In preparation for the Karndean flooring, I removed the old ceramic floor tiles and applied a flexible skimmed layer to the floor. Just like every other house, none of the floors or walls are square so having built the units as they were to be installed, a great deal of care taken to level them and square them to each other so the square worktops would fit correctly later.
They say a picture paints a thousand words so I thought I would show you some pictures of the work I recently completed in my own home.
I designed the new kitchen from scratch and the next stage was to source the units, appliances, plumbing and decoration materials.
I ordered the units as flat-pack from IKEA and the solid oak work tops were sourced on special order. All appliances were sourced independently and B&Q were as ever the main suppliers of Tiles, Paint, Fixtures & Fittings.
Delivery dates confirmed, I then removed the old kitchen and prepared the walls by filling and sanding the holes left by the old units. In preparation for the Karndean flooring, I removed the old ceramic floor tiles and applied a flexible skimmed layer to the floor. Just like every other house, none of the floors or walls are square so having built the units as they were to be installed, a great deal of care taken to level them and square them to each other so the square worktops would fit correctly later.
Units tend to be a mixture of standards widths ranging from 100mm wide to 1000mm wide, resulting in odd gaps remaining at the end of a fixed run of units. In this case you can see I was left with a 90mm gap between the sink base unit and the wall.
In this instance I cut down and re-manufactured a 100mm base unit to create a bespoke unit for trays.
You can also see in this picture, the ventilation grill that I fitted in the plinth panel where it passes below the integrated fridge freezer. This is an often 'overlooked' finishing touch but is essential for fridge freezers and built in ovens if they are to operate efficiently and economically.
As you can see in the below picture, I have fitted the white, high gloss 'underground' tiles. These were finished using waterproof grout, very important not only where they are close to sinks but also where they are vulnerable to food splashes, so the grouting will not discolour.
In this instance I cut down and re-manufactured a 100mm base unit to create a bespoke unit for trays.
You can also see in this picture, the ventilation grill that I fitted in the plinth panel where it passes below the integrated fridge freezer. This is an often 'overlooked' finishing touch but is essential for fridge freezers and built in ovens if they are to operate efficiently and economically.
As you can see in the below picture, I have fitted the white, high gloss 'underground' tiles. These were finished using waterproof grout, very important not only where they are close to sinks but also where they are vulnerable to food splashes, so the grouting will not discolour.
I completed all the emulsion and gloss painting before the solid oak work tops were finally released from their protective covers. I then gave them a light sanding and treated them to protect them from drips and spills.
As you can see from this picture, I have used mitred joints where two worktops meet at right-angles and I sealed these joints on assembly, this is to prevent ingress of water that would otherwise force the joints apart.
Finally, I cut the oak wall edging strips to length, mitring them at 45 degrees where they meet in the corners. As you can see in this picture, I also cut and fitted mitred edges to the bottom of the wall cupboards.
As you can see from this picture, I have used mitred joints where two worktops meet at right-angles and I sealed these joints on assembly, this is to prevent ingress of water that would otherwise force the joints apart.
Finally, I cut the oak wall edging strips to length, mitring them at 45 degrees where they meet in the corners. As you can see in this picture, I also cut and fitted mitred edges to the bottom of the wall cupboards.