Fitted Kitchens

Fitted Kitchens Installation

1. Remove old fitted Kitchens
Before new fitted kitchens are installed you should prepare the room, Remove the old kitchen and wiring, plumbing etc not being reused. Once the new services are in place before you install new fitted kitchens get any plasterwork repairs carried out and give the walls a coat of paint. Once the kitchen sink has been removed, it’s a good idea to fit an angled washing machine valve to the cold supply for filling the kettle while you’re without a kitchen sink. Fit blanks to all other exposed pipe work.

2. Fitted kitchens plumbing and electricity
Before you insttall fitted kitchens is the ideal time to carry out plumbing and electrical alterations. As fitted kitchens are the place where most electrical appliances are concentrated, it is important to check that your existing wiring is capable of coping with the load placed on it at busy periods.
Fiitted kitchens should be fully planned out in advance, obtaining a design layout will help you to determine the position of all electrical and plumbing services to the nearest millimetre. As well as reducing fitted kitchens installation time, arranging your own first fix should also reduce installation costs.
Fitted kitchens require a lot of wall socket boxes and tails of cable for sockets below worktop height can now be positioned where required. Provision should also be made for ceiling and kitchen unit lighting at this stage.

Fitted kitchens gas and water services can also be positioned in preparation for kitchen unit installation as can any waste pipes or extraction holes.
At this point it is important to refer to the laws relating to work on gas appliances or fittings.
Once the pipe-work is in position behind the relevant fitted kitchens units, fitting isolating valves will eliminate the need to shut off the house water supply whilst the fitted kitchens installation is being carried out. Provision to access these valves can be made later when fitting the kitchen units. A good point to remember at this stage is to ensure any pipe-work passing behind integrated appliances in fitted kitchens is installed tight to the wall and at a low level depending on the appliance depth and configuration. Overlooking this point will mean your integrated appliance doors will protrude from adjacent cabinet doors.

3. Check your walls
After removing your old fitted kitchens it’s worth checking the condition of the plaster.
The finish and strength of the walls ultimately determine how fitted kitchens will look and to ignore it at this stage may spoil the final fitted kitchens appearance.
Fitted kitchens against perished plastering means the plasterer standing on your kitchen worktops trying to reach the bare wall above your new kitchen units. You may find that although your walls can be re-plastered after fitting, your kitchen worktops and sink are badly scratched.
If major plastering is required once you have removed your old kitchens, be sure to give it sufficient time to dry before fitting any kitchen units as they will swell due to moisture content
Although time taken on completing the above will of course prolong the fitted kitchens installation, it will ultimately bring you peace of mind and you’ll be safe in the knowledge that all your surfaces are sound.

4. Fitted kitchens final step
To ensure easy fitting of fitted kitchens kick boards you need to mark levels on the wall.
Firstly, determine the depth of the floor covering and add this measurement to the height of the units (without worktops). For example: Depth of tiles = 12mm. Height of units = 870mm. A line will be made at a height of 882mm. This will allow easy fitting of the kickboard on fitted kitchens.
Having completed the preparation it’s now time to begin fitting the units and providing services have been positioned correctly this will be a much easier task than you thought.