Kitchen fitting, where to start?

[Ian H]

I spotted it but didn't want to say X X X

How many of these would you put between each set of units?

 

[Doggit]

with the C&L units, you'll find 2 drill points at the rear top and bottom of the units, but just one T&B is necessary, but sometimes you'll fit one to the front as well - it just depends on how the units fit nicely side by side.

 

[Ian H]

Thanks Doggit, I got an extra pack from screwfix so should be able to put at least 2 in each.

I had to hack a unit to make it fit, one of the expensive ones too!!

It looks a bit rough from the back but thankfully it fitted

Tomorow I need to cut the back bits off 2 carcasses, because we are having a 900mm worktop over 600 and 300mm units (back to back).

The sticky outy bits are 43mm, would you just cut 33mm off to leave a bit of strength in the unit?

This is the bits:

And where we are at so far:

 

[Doggit]

Just cut of what's absolutely necessary, as the backs provide a degree of stability. But you cut bit more than that off, in order to get the right overhang. And well done on the unit, I'm sure it looks good from the inside though.

 

[Ian H]

Yes, it does looks decent in the inside but shows an orange edge. I forgot to take the shelf out, cursed, then realised it needed cutting anyway!!!

 

[aptsys]

Just looking at the position of some of the pattresses for sockets etc, did you check the cable runs? Some look awfully close to where you'd have to drill for the wall cupboard fixings...

 

[Ian H]

Yes, both of the corner wall units brackets are very close. The wires go up dead centre of the boxes so I should have missed by a bit.

Now you mention it though I might just open the plaster above the unit to to make 100% sure.

 

[cjard]

Couple of things I picked up when fitting my DIYKitchens kitchen:

• They provide a good instruction manual, worth reading
• They don't provide any angle brackets, so get some of these: http://www.screwfix.com/p/stretcher-plates-zinc-plated-38-x-28-x-25mm-10-pack/12920
• The hinges are 3 dimensional adjustable; th screws to move a door left/right and in/out are obvious. The screw to move it up down is hidden away inside the hinge mech
• Ensure your tall units are fixed to the wall, especially if they feature pull out larders
• If you have an oven built into a tall unit ensure any heat it generates can escape up the back and over the top of the units
• You may find it better to fix a 2x1 batten to the wall, get it dead level, and then fit units up to it individually, adjusting the fronts via the feet so theyre level
• Don't wind the feet too much as they easily jack the adjacent cupboards out of level
• If a unit has adjustable height shelves, a dob of silicone on the pegs to stick the shelf to it will stop the shelf sliding out if you place something heavy on it then later pull on the heavy thing without lifting it
• Ensure your screws penetrate only 2/3 of the wood (after adding on the thickness of the stretcher plate) for MDF - even if a screw doesn't pierce the front it can leave a visible lump if it's too long
• You can get iron-on colour matched edging from DIYK to hide any orange edges. Actually you can get it from many places including ebay. They will post it for free if you call them and ask to send it in relation to a previous order (they have some rule like to even order anything from them you have to be ordering a kitchen unit at the same time, but they relax this for accessories if you provide the order number of a previous kitchen)
• If a plinth is mdf, don't sit it on the floor; mopping will cause it to soak up water, blowing the face off. Set your plinths with a 5mm gap off the floor covering
• To remove soft close drawer fronts, there's a lift-up lever mechanism (i think - memory's fading now) under the "ultimate" badge on the side of the drawer
• Work out your floor levels and ensure your highest point and lowest point can be accommodated by the leg adjustment screw
• Fit your lower cabinets before your upper ones; your picture of the missus reaching into the cupboard does not represent how far she'll have to stretch when she has to lean across a 650mm-sticking-out lower worktop too
• My wall units are 26 inches above my base units, and this is considered high. They were 30 inches but she couldn't reach them. We didn't want them lower (about 20 inches in our last kitchen) because we like feeling like there's a lot of room between the worktop and wall cupboard underside
• Consider not fitting some wall units unitl later, when you've used the kitchen and worked out if you really need that much storage space. We haven't really used our wall units yet and some base units are empty. We totally overestimated the amount of storage we needed, and were quite ruthless when moving, throwing out **** like food processors and pans that we never use, and tens of bags of pasta that went out of date 4 years ago. A kitchen can feel quite hemmed in if it's stuffed full of wall units.

 

[Ian H]

Excellent tips, thanks very much for taking the time to write that reply