Archive for the ‘Kitchen Fitters London’ Category

Remodeling your kitchen

Monday, January 17th, 2011

The kitchen is the most important room in the house. Not only is it one of the most used rooms, but it is also the room that adds the most value to your house. Whether you are considering remodeling your kitchen to increase your home’s value, or just because you want a nicer place to prepare your meals, you will want to read this article.

Preparation is very important when it comes to tackling a remodeling project. One of the most important factors in a kitchen remodel is the cabinets. Your choice of cabinet style and color and layout will set the mood for your kitchen. Oak cabinets are perfect for a country kitchen. Maple cabinets offer many of the same colors as you might find in Oak, but the grain on Maple is much finer and this gives a more uniform finish to the cabinets. Maple cabinets are the most poplar because they take stain nicely and are affordable. If it is in your budget, you might consider Cherry cabinets. Cherry wood will give your kitchen a more formal feel and the wood will darken over time and Cherry is an excellent choice if it is in your budget. It will really set your kitchen apart. Recently a number of cabinet makers started building cabinets using Birch. This is great for the consumer because Birch looks just like Maple, but costs the same as Oak. If you are on a budget, you should look for Birch cabinets.

If you like to do things yourself, you will want to do some research online to find out about different cabinet sizes and styles. This can help you in determining the cabinet layout and the cabinets that are available in the style you are interested in. I have done plenty of research and found a site, www.ushomeproducts.com, that should be able to help. This site offers a few different brands of cabinets in a number of door styles, species and finishes. The coolest thing is that you can see all of the cabinet specifications on the website and download a specification file if you want to have a printed copy. The cabinets range in price from inexpensive thermo-foil to very decorative and expensive Cherry cabinets. Another cool thing about this site is that the prices are on the site and you can choose all of your cabinets and save the list to come back to a later time.

The Marsh cabinets are a great value. They offer standard overlay doors and a solid wood face frame. The Madison is a Birch door and it is the least expensive wood door style on the site. I had a friend use these cabinets recently and they looked great in his finished kitchen. They looked like the more expensive Maple cabinets, but he paid the same as Oak cabinets. His kitchen turned out beautifully and, since he designed and installed it himself, he saved money!

The High Point cabinets offered on www.ushomeproducts.com are a European style cabinet. That means the cabinets are frameless with a full overlay door. The frameless cabinets are pretty convenient because there isn’t a frame on the front of the cabinet. This is very helpful on cabinets with 2 doors because there will not be a center stile to block the entrance of the cabinet. These cabinets are also offered in a number of door styles and finishes.

The Mid Continent Cabinetry line of cabinets is a framed cabinet with a full overlay door. This line of cabinets offers some door styles that are a little more decorative and they also offer some specialty cabinets like wall cabinets with garages or drawers on the bottom. You might want to consider this brand if you are looking for more custom features and are not as concerned about spending a little more money.

The Look of Your Kitchen Windows Defines The Personality of Your Home

Monday, January 17th, 2011

What does your kitchen mean to you? When you think of your kitchen, do you think of hectic family meals trying to bring everyone together, or is there a sense of calm and tranquility? Do you wish that your kitchen had more or less light? Does it seem as though, even though you’ve made an effort to clean, organize and decorate your home, there’s something about your kitchen that’s just not quite right?

Counter space is at a premium in nearly every kitchen around the world. No matter how much space you already have, it seems as though there’s always a need for more counter space for trimming meat, slicing vegetables and chopping fresh herbs. While great lighting can’t affect the amount of space that you physically have in your kitchen, more natural light can affect the way that your kitchen looks to others – and the way that you feel about your kitchen.

In fact, lighting has such a strong effect that, the same room viewed with two different sets of kitchen curtains can look like two completely different rooms. If you’re looking to make a dramatic difference in your kitchen, sometimes it’s a matter of installing new kitchen windows.

If you cannot afford new kitchen windows, you’re likely to find that it’s possible to get the same effect simply by changing your kitchen curtains. By taking the time to find the right kitchen curtain brand – by finding curtains for your kitchen window that fit the size of the window and the look that you are trying to capture within your home, you can be sure that you are able to bring in the right amounts of light and still have the privacy that you both crave and need.

After all, choosing the right kitchen curtains is about more than just picking out a solid color swag – blues, greens, creams, yellows or other shades are available, and are likely to be able to fit in with your kitchen decor. Choosing the right curtains is about either creating or completing the look that you’ve chosen for your kitchen.

One popular option that many choose is to select a neutral swag to create privacy behind a kitchen window. Rather than just beige, eggshell or off-white kitchen curtains, many people forego a dense fabric and instead choose lace. This is because lace curtains still provide privacy, but also let in more light – a blessing for those with small, dark kitchens or even larger rooms that have small windows.

Even lightly colored kitchen curtains can help to warm up a room, provided you’ve chosen the right window dressings for your home. Of course, not everyone wants to stick with neutral curtains – some people want flowers, fruits and vegetables or some other country-inspired theme to ensure that all of those who visit their kitchen will be able to pick up on the home-y, warm feel that you have worked so hard to create.

For example, if the theme of your kitchen was country, you may choose kitchen curtains patterned with fresh, ripe-looking apples to complete the look and draw to mind thoughts of a country pantry and mom in the kitchen baking pies. If you’ve always loved traditional gardens, it is possible to use ivy, roses, sunflowers pr even hydrangeas as a medium for bringing the outdoors in

As a word of caution, however, many people it seems, look for ways in which they can mix and match from different styles when they make an effort to update the look of their kitchens. In general, this is a bad idea – even if the windows are far apart from one another – as each pattern serves to divide a guest’s attention (as well as your own) by creating tension within the room.

Why settle for mis-matched curtains in any room of your home? Why struggle to find the right look only to realize that creating it simply is not possible? When you have the right kitchen windows – and the right look in mind to complete them – you’ll find that it’s easy to choose and stick with a style.

Take your time and really consider what you’re looking for. After all, the look of your kitchen as well as the look of your home, can be greatly affected simply by making the wrong choice.

A Fiited Kitchen Is A Must For All Homes

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

If you are thinking of a new fitted kitchen this article may help you. We are all trying to save the planet and a new eco fitted kitchen may be the one to go for. You can only say that it is a good thing that the attention of our consumers and waste of our fuel consumption has begun to tear up our culture as a whole. Along with the media focus on the urgent need for radical efforts in energy efficiency and reducing emissions, we were stunned to learn of recent estimates of a waste of 33% of all United Nations and even buy uneaten food per day of supermarkets in the UK (estimably much worse than pre-refrigerator times).

In this article, I would like to discuss how these modern developments in today’s kitchen design information. As the kitchen is often the largest contributor to the waste products and energy, concentration is very justified. Although a relatively new approach in what we might call the development of “conscious consumers”, there are some exciting new developments in the drive to combat the waste of our customers in their origin.

Looking for a few websites that offer kitchens, we find that the better tour companies offer a free design / consultation “services. When planning a consultation, openly and frankly we set our vision of the kitchen we are thinking, and establish a kind creative space where ideas can be sent back and forth. The bottom line for design consultants is to preserve the image we have of the kitchen, so again we are strengthening our original vision with the training experience, professional and impartial.

We could consider this further and find that the examples of kitchen equipped shop and brochures are mainly a product of thinking and talking about design, texture and finish of the cabinets can be anchored around a countertop strike as a central axis, for example – not a choice made, and if we think of ourselves as clients-cum-designers from all these options will be aspects of the finished kitchen that really come to life and make this more central area of the house truly unique.

If is also important to consider when it comes to your new fitted kitchen model to leave yourself enough time for work performed. This is due to a complete new design and re-adaptation of a fitted kitchen, which will include aspects such as lights, fixtures, furniture, appliances, flooring and countertops can take anything up to about ten weeks to complete all the work to will be carried out a kitchen fitter by his team of construction contractor.

Your kitchen is the room of your house that can really bring your family as you all cook together there and some eat there, and is often used as a place where family catch up on what has been his day. Due to this fact it is important that the style and layout of your kitchen reflect your personality and family life, but also must, but decorated in a style that reflects all the rest of the family home. So please make sure that when you are going to decide on your new kitchen cabinets you choose should a style appropriate to the rest of its interior.

Kitchen Islands – An Ideal Addition To Any Kitchen

Monday, November 29th, 2010

Adding a kitchen island to your renovation requires careful planning.

The main features of a kitchen island are:

It provides a suitable place to congregate and eat.

It provides a useful spot to do some basic clean up of utensils and dishes.

And an island provide an excellent food preparation area.

And last but not by any means least, it gives you an opportunity to create much more valuable storage which is always at a premium in any kitchen.

Choice of Kitchen Island

The two basic types of kitchen island are:

• Portable Unit

• Custom Built fixed unit.

The use to which you put your island will dictate your choice. Will it be for storage primarily or a more interactive unit used for food preparation, eating with the family or for washing and cleanup?

Clearly your budget will have an impact on your choice of kitchen island but also the dimensions of your kitchen will play a part.

A custom built fixed unit used primarily as a storage area can be transformed into a miracle of modern kitchen design with the addition of a sink or dishwasher. A small compact refrigerator or wine cooler would be a nice add-on, together with an oven or microwave. A warming drawer would be a valuable addition too. In other words, a kitchen within a kitchen!

Here is where your flair for shape and form comes to the fore! Every conceivable shape can be utilized in creating your kitchen island. It doesn’t have to resemble the old table in the middle of the room. It can be L shaped which is cool; round, oval or simply rectangular. Each shape will give you untold possibilities for your storage or eating patterns. Counter tops could be split level to allow for both food prep at the lower level and a high level for eating. Seats will need to be chosen to match the island, should you add a seating and eating section. Either traditional chairs, stools or even bar stools but these can be a bit precarious after a few glasses of chardonnay so think carefully before you make the final decision!

The design of the counter top needs to reflect the overall theme of the kitchen and the material used needs to be carefully matched to what its intended use will be.

The placement of a custom built kitchen island that will be used for both preparation and eating functions needs careful consideration. If you are contemplating a multi-function unit there are certain crucial elements to examine.

First, what space is available for through traffic? Ideally you need at least 45 inches of clearance from the edge of the island to any other furniture or objects around it. If this is not observed then it will be impossible to walk around the unit with any comfort, and all your great plans will be for naught!

A few extra inches on top of this will ensure ease of traffic movement

Second of all… Lighting! Good and well positioned lighting is an absolute essential for a kitchen to safely fulfill its purpose. Your island needs to have a specific light or lights so that food preparation is easy, safe and also for eating purposes. A centrally located light or lights will fit the bill here.

Having a cooktop on your island requires adding a ventilation hood. A ceiling suspended hood is one option. This aspect of the island design is where you should bring in the specialist to advise, once you have your basic design worked out.

Installing a sink or dishwasher in the island will require the services of plumber and often additional planning to accommodate the necessary water pipes and drainage. Not always easy to install but worth the effort involved.

Any electrical appliance that you intend to use on the island will necessitate locating the power outlets on the kitchen island well away from the possibility of water splash while cooking or washing. Water and electricity need to be kept well apart but then you know that.

So to sum up…its crucial to take your time to analyze what you intend to use the kitchen island for and list all these points down so that you don’t forget anything. Each type of usage requires planning and budgeting.

A Wide Range Of Helpful Kitchen Appliances

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

In our kitchens we may find that we need a lot of different gadgets and gizmos to help us get food stored, prepared or cooked as well as a place for our clothes and dishes to be washed and dried. The kitchen is often considered the lynchpin of any household as almost everything even socialising is done in the kitchen. There are plenty of appliances that can help make these tasks easier or quicker to complete and best of all they don’t always have to clutter up our kitchens.

A lot of appliances can be taken out of storage when we need them and stowed away when we are done with them, like food processors or food mixers. These are typically not used every day and so we don’t need them to be sat out on our worktops and counters cluttering up the kitchen. A lot of people take pride in their kitchen’s appearance, signified by the number of designer kitchens that have been fitted over the years and many adverts on the television showcasing all the modern developments that our kitchens could hold.

This is why appliances like health grills and coffee makers could do with being able to be put away in a cupboard so that our kitchens retain that style and sleekness that we have always wanted. Some appliances that used to stand out can even be hidden away or built into the rest of our kitchen worktops and cupboards too.

Cookers, dishwashers, washing machines and fridges can all be hidden away behind closed doors to retain the overall appearance of your kitchen, with the added benefit of noisy appliances like washing machine and tumble dryers having their noise dampened by the cupboards. Some kitchens even have their microwave ovens hidden away inside cupboards at eye level so it is easy to keep an eye on whatever you’ve got being warmed up.

With modern kitchens being more focussed on their appearance we are still able to have all the appliances we need and use but can have them hidden away when guests come round to create a stylish look and all our appliances hidden in cupboards or under work tops. If you’re interested in new kitchens being fitted or any new appliances to help you out around the kitchen like food processors, health grills or even dishwashers then you should check around online and have a word with local kitchen fitters to see if you could arrange to have the kitchen of your dreams fitted with all the gadgets and appliances you want.

Learn How To Fit Kitchen Worktops The Right Way

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Are you searching for the answer to the question, “how to fit kitchen worktops”? Cut your search short and pay attention to a few of the following things to know how to fit kitchen worktops. These things will help you complete everything in the most efficient way.

First of all, you should make sure you have all types of tools in place. You won’t be able to complete this entire fitting task if you have to run to fetch certain tools in the middle of your fitting work. So, first of all, you should make a list of what you need to remodel your kitchen.

Here, it is essential to mention that you should hire a professional if you want granite or other such types of worktops to be fitted in your kitchen. The reason is that these worktops require special type of cutting and you won’t be able to get right cutting equipment to do it on your own.

When fitting a kitchen worktop, you should keep another important thing into perspective. This thing is about installing wooden worktops. For these worktops, you should make sure you take specific precautions for lifting them up. Many people try to drag these pieces, but that’s not the right thing to do. And, if you think you are in no position to arrange some lifting equipment, stay away from handling things on your own. In this case, you will always be better off hiring a professional kitchen fitter.

The fact of the matter is that there are many people who want to learn how to fit kitchen worktop, but not all of them finally become able to do it in the right way. The reason is that people just pay attention to the basic procedure of fitting worktops and never pay attention to specific things. You should not commit this mistake if you really want to learn how to fit kitchen worktop in the perfect way.

Which Kitchen Worktop Suits You? Consider These Pros and Cons

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

The type of worktop you choose will depend firstly on personal taste and then what your budget will allow. The common choice for most people, mainly because of their low cost, is a 40mm laminate worktop. The other advantage is low maintenance – just a wipe with a damp cloth will keep them clean.

There is a wide choice of designs and colours available from imitation wood to imitation granite. Another advantage over natural work surfaces is the ability to absorb low impact when placing a cup or plate down without chipping the bottoms or being very noisy.

There are a few disadvantages which, if taken into consideration, will not detract from an otherwise good work surface.

The first is the fact that the bull nose or rounded nose is only available in straight runs. Any angled corners or radius ends have to be machined flat and a flat piece of laminate glued in place.

The other thing to be aware of is that any joint or cut in the surface is a potential problem area waiting to happen. If puddles of water are left on a joint over time the chipboard will swell causing the laminate to lift. If an electric kettle is placed over a joint the heat from below will affect the joint. No hot surfaces such as hot pans from a hob can be placed directly onto the work surface as this will also lead to blistering.

So with care, laminate worktops are a good choice in a standard kitchen.

However, if the design of the kitchen has a Belfast sink for example, then a laminate worktop, around the sink area, is out of the question.

The next option is a wooden worktop made up of many strips of wood glued together to give the correct depth, usually around 620mm.

Wooden surfaces may be cut and shaped to suit the shape of the base units so that if a hob unit protrudes forward as a feature or radius corners are needed they can all be done and then the front edge can be profiled with a router as well as the ends along the end grain. This is a big advantage over laminate and, unlike a granite top, the fitter can fit wooden worktops, so there is no delay in fitting the tops.

The wooden tops need 3 coats of oil on the top and underneath. To achieve this I start to oil the underside of all wooden tops the first day I arrive to fit the kitchen.

As the oil takes 12 hours to dry I give them further coats on day 2 and day 3. By day 4 I can begin cutting and machining the tops. When all the worktops are fitted and sanded the tops are given 3 coats of oil over the following 3 days with a light sand between coats.

Once the kitchen is in use the worktops will need occasional oiling. This will depend on the amount of use they have had so it could be once a month or twice a year. It will be down to the customer how much they want to look after their work surface.

I know past customers who have never oiled their tops since I installed them and several years later ring me to ask how to remove the staining around the sink area. This staining is very hard to get rid of and depending on how bad it is will determine how much wood needs to be removed by either sanding or planing and sanding.

I usually recommend a heavy sanding then 3 coats of oil over the following 3 days.

If you choose granite worktops they are measured and installed by the granite company you choose. When all of the base units are in place the granite installer will usually create templates of the layout out of 4mm to 6mm hard board or MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard).

All overhangs, curves, sink profiles etc are cut very accurately so that the templates can be taken back to the workshop and transferred onto suitable pieces of granite so that little or no work needs to be carried out in the kitchen to make it all fit correctly.

The joints are filled with a 2 pack resin, appropriately coloured to minimise the visual impact of the joints.

After installation the granite is cleaned with a spirit to remove traces of grease, dust, finger marks etc and then coated with a sealer to prevent or minimise any accidental staining.

All types of worktops have their own advantages and disadvantages of price, durability , exclusivity and maintenance.

It all boils down to 1. What you like, 2. If you can afford what you like, and 3. Whether you are willing to put in the time to look after your ideal choice of top.

Kitchen Fitting – How it Can Transform Your Home

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

Thinking of replacing your kitchen? You should! It can transform your home dramatically. Whether you want to replace the cupboard doors or the entire kitchen on a small or large scale, I’m sure you will be able to find something in your price range, whether your on a small budget or there’s no limit to the funds.

A new kitchen can add a considerable amount of value to your home especially if you have shopped around for the best products and used your common sense to get the best out of the space you have. There are so many designs available on the market you will be spoilt for choice, You can mix an match designs to suit what you like. You want your kitchen to stand out an be noticed so don’t be scared or abstract colours or designs.

Spending a lot of time thinking about the appliances you want to incorporate into the kitchen can have a dramatic effect, You want to consider whether or not they will be integrated, Built in or simply just sat in place under the worktop. Do you want all silver appliances all white a mixture of colours there are lots to choose from, Getting the wrong ones can make your expensive new kitchen look out of place but getting the right ones can make it spectacular.

Don’t be afraid of incorporating some lights into your kitchen maybe sum down lights or some up lighters under the cupboards some small lights in the plinth hanging lights above the table, You can create fantastic shades pattens and designs if you incorporate coloured lights behind glass doors into recesses and around islands.

There’s so much that you could do to create a truly amazing kitchen with all the different products available on the market you could truly hit the jackpot and add allot of value to the home, For any body looking to buy a new home the kitchen is one of the main rooms they want to be done nicely it could be the deciding factor for the sale.

Look over several different designs an models before deciding try mixing different styles together to create a one of a kind kitchen an not just an of the shelf model, Pay sum attention to where you want sockets switches an outlets you wont want cables from appliances running along the worktop in plain sight. Do you have enough room in the centre of the kitchen for an island, Some hidden storage space some accessories to make your kitchen be all it can be.

Last but not least make sure you choose the right people to fit the kitchen ask if you can see some of the work they have done or if thy have references you can check, You wouldn’t want to go through all the trouble of designing the perfect kitchen for somebody to fit it badly.

If you want an experienced kitchen fitter to help you in London, then call Capital Fitters today.

Stainless Steel Countertop – The Modern Choice

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Besides being a beautiful addition to your kitchen, the stainless steel countertop is stain resistant, heat proof and very hygienic. The stainless countertop is made of sixteen gauge type 304 steel and has an edge that will keep liquids from running onto the floor. A stainless steel kitchen will always maintain its style and is the preferred material for kitchen countertops by professional cooks and any cook that takes the task of cooking with a serous outlook.

Because of its strength, steel has always been considered ideal for food preparation. Kitchen designers today are adding warm wood hues and painted tiles in combination with steel. Stainless steel countertops are made away from their installation site from a template and mounted to plywood. They are then reinforced with soundproof coating. Various lengths of the countertops can be built from just one sheet of metal, without seams. However, the longest sheet of metal is generally available in ten feet lengths. If the countertop needs to be seamed, the seam is made in the center of the sink area. A hairline seam can be sealed with silicone under the joint before the countertop is installed. When the countertop is welded and finished the seam will be invisible.

The reflective quality of the stainless steel countertop adds to its beauty by reflecting both natural and artificial light and drawing together the colors of the kitchen’s décor. Although the stainless steel countertop is strong it is subject to scratches. It is recommended that when cutting or chopping a cutting board is used.

Stainless steel countertop maintenance is easy. All you need is detergent and water to clean it. You do have to avoid spilling some things like ketchup, salad dressing and other vinegary items on the countertop as they will leave a white mark. You can remove this white stain with a very soft scotchbrite pad.

A study was made by the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management regarding sanitation using six different countertop materials. The countertops were contaminated with E-coli and then washed with detergent and water. The stainless steel countertop eliminated the largest percent of E-coli cleaned from its surface.

Save on Kitchen Remodel With Refacement Or Refinishing

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

You just moved into your new house that you picked at a bargain basement price. The reason for the wonderful price is that it needs a some work particularly in the kitchen. Just remodeling the kitchen alone can cost a small fortune let alone the rest of the home. What is a person to do if you only have a small amount of cash and want the biggest bang for you buck?

One of the most expensive pieces of a kitchen remodel are the cabinets. They have to look nice as they are very prominent but a complete tear out for new cabinets is expensive in labor and materials. Fortunately, there are two much less costly options if you are willing to take on a do-it-yourself project. And don’t worry – neither one takes super powers in order to complete them!

The more expensive of the two options is refacing your cabinets. With refacement, you purchase a kit of veneer and new doors. Several manufactures sell the kits so it is likely you will find a finish that appeals to you. The basic process is quite simple – remove all the doors, apply the new plywood finish to the cabinet ends, cover the front of the cabinets around where the doors would be with veneer, and install new doors and hardware. Once this is done your cabinets look brand new with a slightly different style! Plus you will have saved about 80% on the cost of a complete reinstall.

Things to keep in mind: Be sure to clean the cabinets before applying the new veneer. It might not stick very well if it is not cleaned. Also, be precise and sure before making any cuts. The job will only turn out as good as your cutting skills so pays to make sure you are cutting in a stable environment and not just “free handing it”.

The second and even cheaper alternative is refinishing. With this option you retain all of your cabinetry but you simply strip it and repaint or stain them. It can be more work than refacement as you have to address every single surface and repainting is time consuming. However, it is much cheaper than even refacement since your only costs are painting or staining supplies and perhaps new hardware for a slightly different look. If you are really tight on funds but have the time, this is a great way to get a new look.

Now there is no excuse not to improve the look of your kitchen. If you spouse protests over costs, you can educate them on alternatives and you can both be happy!