Cost of fitting a kitchen worktop

[Tenk]

I'm currently in the process of fitting a kitchen. However my DIY skills don't stretch as far as routers and jigs, so I want to get a professional in to fit the worktop.

The units are fitted in a "U" shape, so what I require are 2 mitre joints, a cut out for a Belfast sink, a cut out for a hob and a straight cut along the depth of the worktop (600mm). All walls are fairly straight and at right angles.

I have just been quoted £320 to get this work completed, which seems quite expensive to me. Can anyone tell me if this is a fair price?

Thanks.

 

[ChrisR]

A place local to me (its in Surbiton) charged me £50 to do two mitres(ie 4 cuts) a few years ago. I collected and delivered. So yes it sounds expensive. A jigsaw wil do the hob cutout, and the long cut you could do with a circular saw, with the topface down. The mitres and Belfast cut outs need a router/jig really though.
Ask for a breakdown?

 

[nstreet]

18 mths ago I had a chap fit my new kitchen (18'x8') wall and floor units, worktop on 3 sides mitred joints,sink and hob cut outs, tiled the walls and floor,plumbed in the sink. All for £700.00, he did a superb job (East Anglia)

 

[chip]

I've heard that it's normal to charge £35 per joint. I'd guess that the cut out would be similarly priced and about £20/straight cut. Hope this gives you a rough idea.

 

[Ziggadebo]

I just paid £120 for a mitre join plus £60 to cut out the sink and hob. Ok so he chipped the laminate, scratched the laminate and I have a 1inch gap running down the wall but £180 sounds cheap to me.

 

[ljdottir]

To be honest Tenk, if you have a decent grasp of DIY you could probably do it, you just need to double and triple check all measurements before fitting and get someone to help you hold the bits when fitting into place. I'm sure everyone on these forums will be able to advise the correct procedure. As for cutting out the sink - the sink sits over the top anyway so you don't need a good cut, you just need to get the measurements right. And don't forget to seal it all.

I became quite handy with a router and jig and various other tools when it turned out that my stepdad was completely hazardous at DIY and no-one else could manage it. I know girls are s'posed to not like DIY but that's not true for me! I managed to fit a corner computer desk kinda set-up...essentially the same layout you're talking about with a laminate worktop and cutouts for cables at the back. It probably took me twice as long as a professional but I was well proud of myself for doing it and it was a nice job!

I'm having all my kitchen stuff installed by (supposed) professionals cos I simply don't have the time to do it, plus I'm not touching the gas/leccy work. But if you're looking at it costing a lot of money and you're not a DIY disaster, sometimes it's worth giving it a go. Laminate tops are easily replaced..but don't try doing it yourself with stone or granite or any other special material!

If you're doing the rest of the kitchen fitting yourself, chances are you'll manage fitting a worktop quite well. Considering the previous occupants of my house who fitted the kitchen themselves were complete idiots and everything's done badly, the worktop isn't too bad - so if they can do it, you can

 

[chiny15]

im in the process of fitting some work tops and i am going to see if i can hire a jig/guide so i can do those invisable joins in the work top.B+Q wont £89.00 just to buy one

 

[nstreet]

Practice on the old worktop first, it could be quite costly to get it wrong

 

[DaveAngel]

Cost me £100 for 1 join, trimmed at 4 ends, sinking in a sink and a hob.

+ the guy is going to do my infill as well if he has time.

best get a pro because its visible, and if you mess up, you'll see it. The gig will cost you that much. I'd say £300 odd is out of order though.

 

[snaithsa]

Worth ringing round for prices, and the classic line is 'You get what you pay for' (Maybe!?) ask the guy who quoted how many times he has cut worktops, if he comes back with 'ive got 10 years experience', ask him the same question again untill he answers it.
Ive just started the 'cutting worktops gaf' and i can tell you that the tools are not cheap:
Router: min £170
Ripsaw: min £100
Jig: min £100
bits and tooling: min £50
thens theres workmates etc.. thats just for the basic stuff.
Ive done one job so far for a friend, yes i made some classic mistakes but feel confident enough to make a pro job the next time.

Things i would look out for are, chipped Laminate on the cuts and also the joins being at different heights, you want a smooth join for the worktop surface.
Charging wise i would have a minimum fee and balance that with how long the job took me.

 

[2scoops0406]

I'd imagine he's done it by now! the original post was in February!

 

[snaithsa]

hehe...lol