Is there a market for old kitchens?

[jacoscar]

I am changing my kitchen and I really don’t want to throw it away; I think it’s around 20 years old but still solid

Is there a market for used kitchens or should I consider myself lucky if someone turns up and dismantle it for free?

 

[ktuludays]

I think you'd be lucky for someone to come and take it for free, it's a 20 year old kitchen

 

[JP_]

Can you make use of it as storage in a garage or shed?

It is worth advertising it though if you have time, somebody might want it.

 

[foxhole]

Seen lots advertised for sale on SM.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

There are plenty advertised, I wonder how many really get reused in the end, if it were me, I'd say you can have it for free but must be dismantled and taken away by whoever want's it, (with you offering minor assistance making sure they don't destroy your house). Otherwise you've got to take your time removing it, mark all the units so whoever wants it knows which bits go where etc and then you've got to store it somewhere presumably?

Or you could just remove it carefree in a few hours and save yourself a load of grief. Not so good for the planet though I would agree.

 

[blup]

There is a limited market on ebay etc for individual items that match existing kitchens e.g. cupboard and drawer fronts, cornice, pelmets etc.

Blup

 

[cwhaley]

Those are nice units -- somebody would happily paint and wax those and they'll have even more years' use. Stick them on the local Facebook marketplace and somebody will have them.

 

[lloyda]

When we had our kitchen redone about 10 years ago, the guy who owned the company and did the work asked if he could have our old kitchen doors and drawer fronts, which I suspect were installed in the 1980s, for his mother.

 

[JohnD]

should I consider myself lucky if someone turns up and dismantle it for free?

yes, you should.

not many people have a van, and the competence to dismantle and move an old kitchen, no matter how lovely.

Lots are advertised, but I doubt many are sold.

In some cases, people will buy doors of standard size to modernise or restyle a kitchen, or to enlarge it while matching the existing. This does not need such a large van, so you could try that too.

kitchen units are very handy in a garage or shed.

My old mum used to have a kitchen like that, apparently it was solid oak.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

A little story...

A few years ago I fitted kitchens for a while. Quite a few times I'd turn up to a fit where the client, to save a few bob, had told the salesman that they'd take the old kitchen out, but of course they hadn't because it turned out to be a bit more complicated than they'd bargained for (e.g. hidden fastenings, embedded pipework, etc) - so for starters, don't let anyone into your house to remove a kitchen unless they are a kitchen fitter, but then why on earth would a legitimate fitter want a secondhand kitchen? (unless it's a year old and unused) Next thing you'd sometimes get (once they'd taken the washing up bowl out of the sink and removed the wash basket from the worktop) was "the offer" - if you take the old kitchen out you can have it for free for doing the job. Well, no, here's the deal - I "take" the kitchen out my way, you pay for a day of my labour PLUS the cost of a mini skip and I get to work late all this week to make up time and get your fit finished on time so I can get to my next job on the day I promised the next client OR you take the kitchen out and dispose of it at your own leisure while and I go off to my next booked job (early, which delights most people) and I'll fit you in when I've got the time in the future...

By "take the kitchen out", I meant dismantle quickly and skip the resulting carnage, to which end a recip saw and a selection of blades is very handy. There simply isn't the time to do it any other way unless the client is willing to pay for the labour - and for something that will end up on Freecycle or in your back garden for the next 6 months there isn't the time. Fitting a secondhand kitchen isn't much fun either, especially if you end up having to repair any nasty hidden workarounds. They make good garage storage, however

 

[clifford1]

yes, you should.



My old mum used to have a kitchen like that, apparently it was solid oak.

The doors might be, but what about the insides and back? If it's just the standard chipboard unit with a wooden door on the front it will fall apart in the damp atmosphere of a garage or shed

 

[JohnD]

Laminated chipboard

Though my shed is not damp.