# Traditional kitchen installed



## Sawdust (11 Feb 2011)

Well I finally got it finished so here are a few pics







The worktops are solid oak with the addition of about 10,000 coats of Danish oil.






It's not quite finished in this picture as the pan rack at the left now has a shelf underneath and racks for the lids






Internally all the cupboards are made of beech veneered MDF, the carcasses are all 19mm with 12mm backs so are pretty solid. The shelves are all 19mm veneered MDF edged with solid beech lipping. The plate rack was fun to make. It's mostly solid beech but with beech veneered MDF for the sides and back. All of the curved plate supports are solid beech and fit in routed grooves in the shelves. The door with the silver catch opens down and houses the dishwasher and the door to the right houses a built in fridge.

All the doors are on Hettich Sensys soft close hinges and all the drawers are on Blum Blumotion full extension, 50kg load, soft close runners. The thin 'door' in the right corner is a pull out rack for bottles.






All the face frames and door frames are tulip wood which I found very easy to work and took the paint very well. 

This project was a first for me in many ways:


I'd never used solid wood worktops before so the first surprise was the weight! The long worktop is 4m long and 700mm wide and was not exactly easy to move around. It was also the first routed sink cut out I'd ever done so making that initial cut in £350 of oak was a bit daunting to say the least!

I'd never used tulip wood before. I found it a joy to work with; it cuts and joints very easily and is easy on the tools. It also takes paint very well.

I'd never sprayed before so I bought and Earlex HVLP set up and gave it a go. I have to say it's one of the best tools I've ever bought. It's produced the best painted finish I've ever managed.

The design is based on the Chalon kitchens which we felt went well with the type of house we have. Out of curiosity we went into the Chalon shop in Harrogate and were told it would be between £35,000 and £70,000 to do the full kitchen depending on fittings and worktops. Ours came in at just over £2,000 which includes £750 for the oak worktops.

I didn't take as many WIP pics as I should have but here a few showing it under construction. It was a bit of a squeeze to build it in the 20ft x 20ft garage!































Thanks for looking and any comments are very welcome.

Cheers
Mike


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## softtop (11 Feb 2011)

Looks great - you must be really pleased. What a saving! I hope you can persuade the missus that means you've earned some extra tools for the workshop!


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## Mcluma (11 Feb 2011)

very very nice work


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## Sportique (11 Feb 2011)

VERY impressive, thanks for the post - gives me lots to think about :roll: 

Dave


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## Tony Spear (11 Feb 2011)

20ft. x 20ft garage?

You had it easy mate!

When I bought my first house, I built a small kitchen with only a small kitchen to work in! :mrgreen: 

Nice work just the same!


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## maltrout512 (11 Feb 2011)

Nice work Mike.


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## jimmy rivers (11 Feb 2011)

Looks great! Well Done


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## DIY Stew (11 Feb 2011)

Very very nice, eh how much did you spend on Danish Oil he he he


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## tomatwark (11 Feb 2011)

Hi Mike

As one of the members on here who does this for a living that is a cracking job you have made there.

Tom


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## JanneKi (11 Feb 2011)

Which need size did you use for the spraying?


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## Tierney (11 Feb 2011)

Beautiful


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## RogerM (12 Feb 2011)

That's a cracking job Mike - you must be well pleased. 

So that'll be tulip wood frames and MDF panels? 

Paint job looks brilliant. Which Earlex HVLP unit did you buy? And what paint did you use? And did you make a booth or just in your workshop?

Do you find that with no kicking boards you keep losing stuff under the units?

And that price included all the hardware? Astonishing. Much food for thought here.


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## Lons (12 Feb 2011)

Brilliant job Mike, how long did it take. Hard to believe to did the whole thing for only 2 grand :shock: 

_ It was also the first routed sink cut out I'd ever done so making that initial cut in £350 of oak was a bit daunting to say the least!_

   I know exactly how you feel. Had to rout for an undermount sink and then drainage grooves for a customer into a length of mistral at £595 + vat retail  

Took me 10 minutes and dozens of double checks just in case before I plucked up courage to make the first router cut - "squeaky bum time" :wink: 











cheers

Bob


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## Sawdust (12 Feb 2011)

DIY Stew":291skeo2 said:


> Very very nice, eh how much did you spend on Danish Oil he he he



£35,000!!


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## Sawdust (12 Feb 2011)

RogerM":1o9wxhes said:


> That's a cracking job Mike - you must be well pleased.
> 
> So that'll be tulip wood frames and MDF panels?
> 
> ...



Thanks very much.

Yes, it's tulip wood frames and MR-MDF panels. 

I bought the Earlex HV5000 set-up and used the standard nozzle, The paint is water based Farrow and Ball. I never made a booth, just covered everything in plastic sheeting from Screwfix. The HVLP setup really doesn't make much mess.

I made the kicking boards lower than the smallest ball the dogs play with so up to now we haven't lost anything under them!

The price includes all hardware (i.e. hinges, drawer runners, sink and taps) but not the fridge or cooker.

Cheers
Mike


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## EdK (12 Feb 2011)

I like it mike - thinking of doing something similar and thanks for posting the pics and price. I think a bog standard B&Q / Magnet kitchen would be about £8k ? And the top end are about £25k to £35k - I too wanted something a bit more solid than a B&Q but can't afford even £8k ! Think I will eventually head down the route you took - great work... til then I'll stick with what friend's lovingly call my 'bush kitchen'.... basic to say the least but it moves around the house depending on which room I am working on.


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## ramp34 (12 Feb 2011)

Great job Mike, looks fantastic. How much did you thin the paint down by, i love to use farrow and ball paints and want to use them in my spray system.


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## Sawdust (13 Feb 2011)

ramp34":vv0qmx8z said:


> Great job Mike, looks fantastic. How much did you thin the paint down by, i love to use farrow and ball paints and want to use them in my spray system.



I think I ended up thinning it by about 10%. The Earlex spray kit comes with a viscosity cup and I just thinned until it drained through it about 40secs. 

Cheers
Mike


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## gwr (17 Feb 2011)

Hi Mike great job you have done. can i ask if you made the wall units and if so was there a reason for the different hinges used as i might try something similar. Thanks


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## RogerM (17 Feb 2011)

gwr":2pjuyjjl said:


> Hi Mike great job you have done. can i ask if you made the wall units and if so was there a reason for the different hinges used as i might try something similar. Thanks



I'll be interested in the answer to this one as well. Also do you need just one soft close hinge per door (with the remainder being simple none soft close) or must all the hinges be of the soft close variety.

And as a supplementary question, given that the Hettich Sensys hinges are £4.40 each, is there an alternative that still does a good soft close job?


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## Sawdust (18 Feb 2011)

RogerM":3a5depqb said:


> gwr":3a5depqb said:
> 
> 
> > Hi Mike great job you have done. can i ask if you made the wall units and if so was there a reason for the different hinges used as i might try something similar. Thanks
> ...



I did make the wall unit but a long time ago and regretted fitting butt hinges because the doors swing all over and always seem to bang closed. Also they needed magnetic catches as well which never seem to work very well. I might well make new doors for it as one of them has warped and if I do I'll fit the Hettich Sensys hinges as I much prefer them.

I used two per door even though they are a bit pricey, they are well worth it as they look good, work well and are very easy to fit and adjust. I didn't look at many others, they were recommended by Senior over on the 'other side' who seems to know what he's talking about.

Cheers
Mike


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## devonwoody (18 Feb 2011)

I would add my compliments to this project. Modern day prices are a bit frightening tho.


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## LondonBoy (20 Feb 2011)

Mike, 

That is an outstanding job and very inspirational. 

So having been inspired are you able to point me in the direction of some plans of exactly how you made the cabinets? 

What where the large pieces of woodworking equipment you had to have to achieve this? 

Thanks you the help. I'm hopefully moving to a 1930's house that hasn't been touch since about 1940! I will have a garage/workroom which I want to set up and start producing usefully furniture from. 

Thanks 

LondonBoy


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## studders (20 Feb 2011)

Tony Spear":yb18axp5 said:


> 20ft. x 20ft garage?
> 
> You had it easy mate!
> 
> When I bought my first house, I built a small kitchen with only a small kitchen to work in! :mrgreen:


You had a Kitchen? Luxury.... why when I........


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## Sawdust (20 Feb 2011)

LondonBoy":hkkra7gx said:


> Mike,
> That is an outstanding job and very inspirational.


Thanks very much.



LondonBoy":hkkra7gx said:


> So having been inspired are you able to point me in the direction of some plans of exactly how you made the cabinets?


Unfortunately, I drew all the plans ages ago using Coreldraw and I can no longer run it because I'm now using Windows 7. If I do manage to get it to run I'll get some copies and send you them. If it helps, I'll describe the construction instead:

The carcass sides, bottoms and shelves are made of 19mm beech veneered MDF and the backs are 12mm veneered MDF. They are joined using a combination of biscuits, nails and glue. I made 6 carcasses altogether, two large corner ones, two wide ones for the drawers either side of the cooker and two narrower ones. The corner ones were slightly more complicated but it was all straightforward.

I edged all of the shelves with solid beech about 50mm wide and then rounder them over. This gives them a lot more strength and is much tougher edge than iron on veneer.

The face frames are tulip wood 50mm wide and 20mm thick and they are all joined with mortice & tenon joints. The doors are also tulip wood but with MR MDF panels (6mm thick) and then a moulding has been fitted inside.

The worktops were cut to length with a circular saw, and joined using worktop joiners. The sink hole was routed out.




LondonBoy":hkkra7gx said:


> What where the large pieces of woodworking equipment you had to have to achieve this?


My table saw did most of the work, ripping all the hardwood and as it has a sliding carriage, also cutting all the panels (I make the initial cuts in the 8x4 sheets with a circular saw). All the hardwood was bought rough sawn so I also used the planer/thicknesser a lot. The router table was used for cutting all the grooves in the doors and also for rounding over all the edges of the shelves. Cross-cutting all the frames was done using a sliding mitre saw. I used a nail gun a lot for pinning it all together so you can include the compressor in the list as it's pretty heavy!

I have a bandsaw and a lathe as well but didn't need them for this project

Cheers
Mike


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## jsworkshop (22 Feb 2011)

Wow,what a stunning kitchen,you must be very proud of your achievement and the praise you've got.looks abosoloutly faultless very well done.........


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## Mooeee (14 Apr 2011)

Mike
Fantastic Kitchen, where did you buy the kitchen fittings from?, the stainless slide in cupboard fittings and the drawer runners?

Thanks

Mooeee


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## Wouldchuk (16 Apr 2011)

Hello Mike,

I'm about to start my own kitchen build and very similar to yours, although ill be pleased if it looks half as good....

A quick question to clarify what i cannot quite tell from the pictures - im planning an identical carcass with face frame arrangement but have been trying to work out the issue of brining the drawer slides and hinges flush with the face frames from the thinner 'depth' caused by their being mounted on the carcass - did you use a shim/chock/padding piece - its hard to tell. I think that's what you have done.

Do you just make it so that it is exactly flush with the edge of the face frame and then mount onto that? If so, then i guess it is relatively simple... 

famous last words... 

Thanks for any hints - i will no doubt be back for more!


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## Sawdust (17 Apr 2011)

Wouldchuk":2xn2jfbm said:


> Hello Mike,
> 
> I'm about to start my own kitchen build and very similar to yours, although ill be pleased if it looks half as good....
> 
> ...



Hi,

If you look closely at this picture you can see that I fitted wooden shims to the carcass which matched the 'overhang' of the face frame so the runners are flush with the edge of the face frames. I just used offcuts and planed them to fit as they are invisible when the drawers are fitted.







Also in this picture, you can see the blocks I put behind the hinges.






I think you can get face frame hinges which are cranked to go round the frames but I wanted the Hettich Sensys ones and could only find these ones so I needed the blocks. As these show I made them out of solid beech and rounded them over.

Good luck with yours and if you need any more info, just ask.

Cheers
Mike


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## Sawdust (17 Apr 2011)

Mooeee":1z4qncbo said:


> Mike
> Fantastic Kitchen, where did you buy the kitchen fittings from?, the stainless slide in cupboard fittings and the drawer runners?
> 
> Thanks
> ...



Hi,

Thanks. I got the runners and the stainless steel slide from Isaac Lord.

This is the basket http://www.isaaclord.co.uk/productDetai ... 45/546/567 it was pain to fit and get the door straight but it works well.

The runners are Blum TANDEMBOX Drawer Runners: http://www.isaaclord.co.uk/productDetai ... subCat=000

Cheers
Mike


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## Mooeee (17 Apr 2011)

Mike

Thanks very much for the reply, I will take a look at the links you have posted.


Thanks Again

Mooeee


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## Wouldchuk (20 Apr 2011)

Mike - sorry, i've just PM'd you a bunch of questions which I hope you are able to spare the time to answer - your help much appreciated!


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## rehaylock (7 Jun 2012)

tomatwark":88s039pz said:


> Hi Mike
> 
> As one of the members on here who does this for a living that is a cracking job you have made there.
> 
> Tom



Hi, Tom, new in Jedburgh and got some woodwork to do. Who do you recomment for veneered sheet materials in the Borders?

Best regards

Richard


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## johnf (7 Jun 2012)

First time I have seen this a cracking job you should be proud of what you have achieved 
Treat yourself to a bigger workshop with all that saving


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## Lons (8 Jun 2012)

rehaylock":1j494z3v said:


> new in Jedburgh and got some woodwork to do. Who do you recomment for veneered sheet materials in the Borders? Richard



Try these guys:

NESP - 0845 6349700 http://www.nesp.co.uk

they are based in the North East but I'm pretty sure they deliver to the borders with their own lorries.
I buy Mistral worktops from them but have had veneered sheets and edging tape. find them very reliable and competitive prices. Also sell some hardware and accessories.

Bob


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## rehaylock (8 Jun 2012)

Many thanks, Bob!

R


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## tomatwark (8 Jun 2012)

Hi Richard

What are you wanting ?

There are not any sheet suppliers in the the borders as such, but Tweedside Timber in Berwick stock some and will get other stuff for you. I use them for odds and ends.

I use various people for my sheet materials and tend to use the larger companies like Meyer Timber in Newcastle but I am normally buying 10 plus sheets at ago.

Most of the builders merchants have accounts with the larger guys and will get stuff for you.

Tom


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## angelboy (8 Jun 2012)

Great job! Well done!

I'm planning to make my kitchen in a new build and have just completed finished building a test cabinet. Just have to spray and fit.


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## ex-71 (11 Jun 2012)

Oh I like that. Congrats on a lovely job.
I start ripping my kitchen out next week in order to do a similar job. Trouble is, now I've seen this one ....................

steve


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## rehaylock (11 Jun 2012)

Thanks, Tom. I'll be after beech/birch veneered 19 mm mdf to turn into shelving (to start with) New house, needs shelves everywhere! I've found a Glasgow firm that ships 2440 x 610, which is very handy as I need shelves 300mm deep! A bit of rebated solid to go on the front edge and underneath plus the brackets and I'm done!

R


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## fee55 (14 Jul 2014)

What a beautiful job ! bet you are very pleased with it


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## Fatboy (14 Jul 2014)

very nice job, good skills


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## rhrwilliams (22 Sep 2014)

Really Really nice job. Looks fantastic and for £2k you'd never believe it. 

Are the base units sitting on legs ? I cant really see from photos? And did you joint or plane the Beech to MDF....can you plane MDF (I'm new to this  )

I'm trying a similar project at the moment. Ive build one base unit for a 100kg sink (Yes 100kg SINK !!!!! Its HUGE ) and this is made out of solid wood / Morticed and tennoned frame (see pic).....but this is because the sink weight so much and I plan to make the rest with veneered MDF, housing joints and face frames, but struggling to work out how to support it without seeing plastic legs as I won't have plinth. 

Note - the attached pic's legs are too long and 50mm needs to chopped off so gap at base (like your kitchen) will be very small. 

Richard


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## WoodMangler (23 Sep 2014)

That's really nice. I must make sure my Mrs doesn't see these pictures, or that'll be my spare time all spoken-for for the next few months...

_eta: oops, just noticed the OP date on this, sorry _


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## John Brown (23 Sep 2014)

Don't be too sorry. I never would have seen this if it hadn't suddenly appeared in the list of new posts!
I'll add my praise, on the off-chance that he OP is still around.


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## Matt B (30 Sep 2014)

I have spent a couple of decades designing kitchens.
It is great to see someone produce work to this standard at a sensible price point.


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