Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

In my experience, the MFI ones have the chipboard on the floor, which
means if the floor is not level you have to pack them up, and also the
chipboard soaks up any water. The B&Q ones have ajustable plastic
legs.

Overall I thought B&Q units were more solid than MFI. I have B&Q units
in a cottage I rent out to holiday makers, after 3 years they still
look almost as good as when new. I can't say the same of any of the 3
MFI kitchens I have had.

Rick

On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:24:36 GMT, Rick wrote:

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

In my experience, the MFI ones have the chipboard on the floor, which
means if the floor is not level you have to pack them up, and also the
chipboard soaks up any water. The B&Q ones have ajustable plastic
legs.

Overall I thought B&Q units were more solid than MFI. I have B&Q units
in a cottage I rent out to holiday makers, after 3 years they still
look almost as good as when new. I can't say the same of any of the 3
MFI kitchens I have had.

Rick

The MFI ones I have have adjustable plastic legs which screw up and
down ........

Stuart

On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:24:36 GMT, Rick wrote:

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

MFI sub-contract their fitting work, we got a good Corgi fitter.
Neighbour 2 doors down got one who was hopeless, they sent him away.

In my experience, the MFI ones have the chipboard on the floor, which
means if the floor is not level you have to pack them up, and also the
chipboard soaks up any water. The B&Q ones have ajustable plastic
legs.

Are you referring to the plinth which in my MFI Kitchen is a sawn down
to size piece of chipboard with the exposed edge against the floor,
and has been stained by water spillages and mopping etc.

Probably a better fitter would have sealed the edge, or got the
heights set up better so he didn't have to leave a cut edge against
the floor. Actually, as a plumber once said to me "Everything in a
kitchen seems to be made of the wrong materials" (

The units still have adjustable legs which the plinth clips on to.

Overall I thought B&Q units were more solid than MFI. I have B&Q units
in a cottage I rent out to holiday makers, after 3 years they still
look almost as good as when new. I can't say the same of any of the 3
MFI kitchens I have had.

Mine is 4 years old and isn't doing badly. It was a top - end model
though, but that AIUI only affects the doors and decor bits.

DG

wrote in message
oups.com...
Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

Have you considered IKEA? - We've been very satisfied with ours that we
DIY'd 15 odd years ago, and we've just replaced the under-sink unit with
similar; again, a very straightforward job to assemble.

IKEA now seem to offer an installation service too (at least from some of
their stores).

Derek ^ wrote:
On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 17:24:36 GMT, Rick wrote:

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

MFI sub-contract their fitting work, we got a good Corgi fitter.
Neighbour 2 doors down got one who was hopeless, they sent him away.

In my experience, the MFI ones have the chipboard on the floor, which
means if the floor is not level you have to pack them up, and also the
chipboard soaks up any water. The B&Q ones have ajustable plastic
legs.

Are you referring to the plinth which in my MFI Kitchen is a sawn down
to size piece of chipboard with the exposed edge against the floor,
and has been stained by water spillages and mopping etc.

Probably a better fitter would have sealed the edge, or got the
heights set up better so he didn't have to leave a cut edge against
the floor. Actually, as a plumber once said to me "Everything in a
kitchen seems to be made of the wrong materials" (

The MFI plinths are normally supplied with a flexible plastic trim
which the exposed chipboard end is meant to sit in. Maybe your fitter
didn't bother fitting it.

As to adjustable legs. All MFI kitchens have them. They have 2 ranges -
Schreiber and Hygena, Schreiber being the more expensive. Only much
older Hygena kitchens didn't come with adjustable legs.

The two MFI Schreiber kitchens I installed 14 years back still look
good.

wrote:
Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

No experience of B&Q but MFI kitchens aren't bad for the price. Wickes
kitchens are slightly better quality than MFI but also more expensive.
I'd also check out Ikea kitchens, I've only heard positive things about
them.

For fitting, I'd try and get hold of a recommended installer directly,
the sub contractors the kitchen suppliers use are a mixed bag and
you'll pay a premium for them.

wrote:
Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

have a look at magnet kitchens, they used to do pre assembled
nylon welded kitchen units which came with a 30 year insurance
backed guarantee. if they still do them they are obviously the
one to go for.

B&Q kitchen units have cardboard backs, wickes have chipboard.
aside from that there's little to choose from, ime.

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

I'm in the process of installing a B&Q kitchen at home right now, so no
idea about the longevity of the units, etc. However, I will say that I
was amazed at the efficiency of reliability of B&Q. I was expecting some
headaches about delivery dates, things not turning up when they were
supposed to, items missing from order and the general fun and games you
often get when ordering a bunch of stuff from a large supplier who (as
far as I can tell) farms out their customer service and distribution to
different third-parties.

But I had none of that - everything turned up when they said it would,
and arrived in good shape, and looks to be fairly sturdy on initial
inspection. So certainly no complaints at all about them as long as the
kitchen itself end up standing the test of time.
--
Chris Cowley

Ditto for me too. I had the same quandry about 6 months ago. I now am also installing a B&Q kitchen and was surprised by the good quality. They are relatively cheap compared to the others with the added benefit of being able to go instore and buy compatible items. They even sell off the shelf 3.6m long worktops (not marble). B&Q have a really wide range with fancy features, so they are not only basic shapes. Also good if you cock up and buy the wrong thing. Can get a refund simple enough (even without receipt) and they often have sales on.

I bought all my solid oak doors from B&Q online as they were half price at the time, but this offer was not in the store. It is worth choosing a style then looking both in stoe and online, then waiting for say a bank holiday, when they have a good reason to reduce the prices. They never reduce the price of the carcasses, but buy them on a 10% off day and the are cheaper.

Better still, another good thing about B&Q is that you can buy vouchers on ebay and then purchase your kitchen with them. I did this and saved a further 20% (roughly) on the price, which justified me buying some expensive accessories ;-).

Appliance wise, do not buy from any of these shops. It is must better to find the makes/models of the appliances you want then source them on the internet - much cheaper. That is unless you are not installing the kitchen yourself whereby you would probably be best to buy the appliances with the kitchen.

I installed an MFI kitchen in my last house. Cost £1800 for just the woodwork (no appliances) and they wanted a further £1800 to install it!. And that was without any on-site cutting and fudging for awkward corners, out of line walls etc etc, of which I had a lot (especially around a chimney). Also told the shop assistant exactly what I wanted, but realised a week later that I need a few extra bits. Re-order these, they took a further 6 weeks to arrive if I remember correctly. Not very handy when installing and you realise you've missed a critical piece (like a corner post!). With B&Q you could pop in to a store and pick up the missing item.

Carcasses:
They are all the same. White melamine chipboard construction with plastic adjustable legs. The only bit you see is the door, so it is worth investing in good quality items. Am not disappointed with their quality one bit (which surprised me). Identical pewter bow handles were 50% cheaper in the screwfix catalogue.

Hope this all helps.

CC

Chris Cowley wrote:
On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

I'm in the process of installing a B&Q kitchen at home right now, so no
idea about the longevity of the units, etc. However, I will say that I
was amazed at the efficiency of reliability of B&Q. I was expecting some
headaches about delivery dates, things not turning up when they were
supposed to, items missing from order and the general fun and games you
often get when ordering a bunch of stuff from a large supplier who (as
far as I can tell) farms out their customer service and distribution to
different third-parties.

But I had none of that - everything turned up when they said it would,
and arrived in good shape, and looks to be fairly sturdy on initial
inspection. So certainly no complaints at all about them as long as the
kitchen itself end up standing the test of time.

I too had a very good experience with B&Q delivery, etc. I would
definitely recommend the premium drawer kit, and the little hydraulic
bumpers that stop the doors banging.

MBQ

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

I can't comment on the quality of their Kitchens but MFI in my
personal experience they are unreliable. They don't deliver the
correct units and cannot correct their mistakes. To be avoided.

I had to take them to the small claims court to get a refund
on a bedroom suite.

Mark

On 27 Feb 2006 04:26:16 -0800, wrote:

I would
definitely recommend the premium drawer kit, and the little hydraulic
bumpers that stop the doors banging.

Yup, I'll second that. From what I remember, there isn't much of a price
difference between the standard and premium drawer kits, and the premium
seem much sturdier. The door buffers are also fairly cheap and make the
whole thing feel much more professional.
--
Chris Cowley

On 26 Feb 2006 09:12:33 -0800, wrote:

Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.

Last year I was forced to install two MFI ones and would never touch
the things unless you are going to the top of the range.

A B&Q one I helped install was of satisfying quality for a budget one.
No problems and it responded to *corrective surgery* quite well.

Never had a Wickes one.

Have just installed a B&Q kitchen - was on sale, so the whole thing was extremely cheap. I'm really impressed with the carcasses - the laminate is extremely thin though, so mitring is a little troublesome - but care and attention means a really good finish. Forgot lots of bits but 95% were availble in store and even bits I ...er..mucked up...were easy and cheap to replace. One major workd of warning though - the units are generally stacked on the shelves by people who unsurprisingly are not that interested in delicate handling...so do check each and every piece whilst in store - it may take an extra 20 mins but will save you going back time and again. That said, before I started checking in-store I managed to take damaged doors/plinths back with no argument at all. I researched extensively - I dont think you can find better value.....

wrote in message
oups.com...
Looking at a largeish fitted kitchen from one of these 3 companies.
Including installation and oven / hob / hood / washer/dryer and
dishwasher.

Any big pluses or minuses with any of them in your experiences?

Cheers,

Fred.


wickes, but don't get appliances from them (aeg double oven £850 vs £520
on't net)
just replaced a wickes 'canterbury' with their limed oak jobbie

Regards Jeff