Builder installing kitchen

Designing a new kitchen is an exciting journey and it is easy to lose yourself in the process of planning and designing your beautiful new kitchen without knowing what to expect from the installation. Whilst every kitchen is unique and features different cabinetry, appliances and materials, our designers have put together this helpful guide to outline what you can expect from your kitchen installation.

Preparation

Preparation is incredibly important when it comes to kitchen installation and a properly prepared site will go a long way to ensuring a smooth, timely and high quality installation.

So what does a fully prepared site look like? All plumbing and electrics must be in position prior to installation and water and electrics will need to be live in order for the installation to be completed. If you are building your own home or doing a significant kitchen extension requiring new windows and doors, you will also need to ensure that any new windows and doors are installed prior to the delivery of your kitchen furniture and appliances. By leaving your property open and easily accessible you can run the risk of items being stolen from your site prior to installation so, whilst this is a rare occurrence, we recommend to play it safe by ensuring that your home is fully secure.

Having a fully secure home doesn’t just help security, it also provides a dry environment which is suitable for your furniture and appliances. All new properties and extensions have gallons and gallons of water from the build so it is important that your kitchen is installation when this moisture has reduced to avoid any defects caused by moisture.

There is one final element that should be completed prior to installation and that is the decoration. Your room should be fully painted and decorated prior to the installation of

your kitchen including skirting, coving and flooring. Having the flooring in place not only provides a higher quality final finish, it also means that your kitchen installer has final dimensions to work with and can adjust your kitchen cabinetry to fit the room perfectly. When it comes to decoration, it is easier for your decorator to paint or hang wallpaper before the kitchen is installed as they don’t have to mask around all of the cabinetry – it also minimises the risk of damage from accidental knocks and spillages. You may need to ‘snag’ the decoration on the walls after the kitchen installation to touch up any marks, however this is more preferable than spilling paint on your beautiful new kitchen cabinets or worktop.

Installation

Your installer will begin by unwrapping cabinetry and placing in position before fixing them in to place. Once all cabinetry is in position, the next stage is the installation of your solid surfaces such as worktops, glass and mirror. At Extreme, if you opt for any of our specialist finishes such as liquid metals, fabrics and leathers, these will often be installed at this stage. First, a template visit will be carried out when exact measurements are taken so that the surfaces can be cut to these precise dimensions. The solid surfaces will then be cut back in the workshop and fabricated especially for your kitchen, before the installers return to install these into position.

What happens next depends on whether your kitchen company offers ‘Dry Fit’ or ‘Final Fit’ installations. At Extreme, we carry out ‘Final Fit’ installations as standard however we have outlined the differences below.

Think of the ‘dry fit’ as your kitchen’s dress rehearsal – the preparation has been done, everything is leading up to its final presentation. In a ‘dry fit’ kitchen installation, all the units and the appliances will be assembled however electrical connections to lighting and appliances will not be completed. Whereas, with a ‘final fit’ installation, all final connections to plumbing and electrics will be carried out. At Extreme, we commission all of the appliances to ensure that they are in proper working order.

We hope that you have found this guide helpful. To find out more about how our experts ensure that your kitchen is installed to the highest standard, contact one of our design studios.