kitchen worktop

[AJB Temple]

Dishwashers are always noisy unless you go high end. You won't want one running if you are watching TV or having a romantic interlude with your wife. You ahem high pressure water squirting inside a cabinet - it will not be silent. Miele are pretty quiet but cost a pretty penny.

Whatever anyone says, a dishwasher outperforms hand washing hands down. No brainer.

Formica is an interesting choice. Unlikely to add value to the property. But we all do what we like.

 

[Jacob]

Is Formica interesting? When ar worra lad it was all Fablon everywhere. You can still get it. Lovely stuff!

 

[AJB Temple]

Worktop choices for property developers:- in estate agent speak:

Granite (et al, inc Marble) - traditional high end
Recon stone - do you like glitter?
Corian - designery and wow the sink just flows into the top
Polished concrete - "hi tech" flavour of today and premium price (but cheap to make)
Stainless steel - "are you a chef?"
Glass - straight out of a design magazine
Laminated wood - thin bits cheap, thick bits high end
MDF with laminate on top - "this kitchen needs replacing"

The kitchen work surface defines the house for many people. Ludicrous I know.

 

[Jacob]

Worktop choices for property developers:- in estate agent speak:

Granite (et al, inc Marble) - traditional high end
Recon stone - do you like glitter?
Corian - designery and wow the sink just flows into the top
Polished concrete - "hi tech" flavour of today and premium price (but cheap to make)
Stainless steel - "are you a chef?"
Glass - straight out of a design magazine
Laminated wood - thin bits cheap, thick bits high end
MDF with laminate on top - "this kitchen needs replacing"

The kitchen work surface defines the house for many people. Ludicrous I know.

It'll define the house for us too!
Basically we don't want it to look like everybody else's i.e. something between a mortuary or veterinary surgery touched up with dull Farrow and Balls paint :lol:
Going for a mixture of bright colour Formica tops, orange vinyl floor, white IKEA units, some infill and end panels with recycled matchboard

 

[JonnyW]

Hi Jacob. I installed a fully integrated dishwasher in our kitchen - a Bosch thing. Honestly you'd never know the thing was running. Easy to install and fit a unit door too and very easy on the water and leky. You can also set them to come on at night time during off peak power times.

I'm installing a new kitchen in our house next year, and the choice is mind boggling. We were looking at a mix too, with Ikea units etc. Really good quality at a fraction of the price. I'll be fitting a bench seating area around our dining table at the other end of the room, so will get a chance to do a bit of custom cabinet making and seat making. Just makes you feel better designing in your own touches, rather than buy the same page 5 kitchen that everyone else owns.

Good luck with the project.

Jonny

 

[Jacob]

Jury still out on the dishwasher!
We had a look at several options but Ikea came out best so far - on design, price, apparent quality and service in the store. Best thing about the price is its fixed and in the catalogue - no 60% off, buy now special offers, BOGOFs. They had one offer - get cheapest free if you buy 4 appliances, but it's such a bad offer it would have no influence!
Waiting for delivery and erection problems so it might go sh|t shaped yet. Still tracking down a 4' x 12' piece of 35mm ply - they do exist but I'm not sure where.
Just getting utilitarian stuff so it'll be in by christmas or I'm a dead man.
Good luck with yours too.

cheers

Jacob

 

[kostello]

Just getting utilitarian stuff so it'll be in by christmas or I'm a dead man.
Good luck with yours too.

cheers

Jacob

Hope you didn't say which Xmas....

 

[Shultzy]

Jacob, in 1976 I built my kitchen worktops from 18mm mdf, 2x1 under the front to give it thickness and all clad in Formica with a 45deg bevel and no balancing sheet. Last year I built new units. I had no issues with the Formica over this time, apart from the usual dings and scratches, and no warping. The before and after are on my signature.

I used a vinyl floor covering, laid on hardboard, on a suspended wooden floor.

The dishwasher is a Bosch EcoSilence, very quiet, and one of the few to have a top cutlery tray and not the internal baskets.

 

[Jacob]

Jacob, in 1976 I built my kitchen worktops from 18mm mdf, 2x1 under the front to give it thickness and all clad in Formica with a 45deg bevel and no balancing sheet. Last year I built new units. I had no issues with the Formica over this time, apart from the usual dings and scratches, and no warping. The before and after are on my signature.

I used a vinyl floor covering, laid on hardboard, on a suspended wooden floor.

The dishwasher is a Bosch EcoSilence, very quiet, and one of the few to have a top cutlery tray and not the internal baskets.

Thanks for that Shultzy.
Am now looking at framing up the worktop with 18mm ply or mdf set in, and a hardwood edge. I thought there would be enough flex in that to avoid having to use balancing sheets - maybe the sheer thickness of worktops (38mm) is a problem not a solution.

 

[Shultzy]

Jacob, My current worktops consists of 18mm mdf + 12mm mdf + 6mm cement board + 15mm porcelain floor tiles with a 19mm Euro Oak edging. These are screwed directly to floor units and to themselves. I don't think you will have trouble with the thickness, I think it's the rigidity of the units and the top that will stop anything moving.

 

[JonnyW]

Jacob - my other half is currently on the IKEA website. I think we may be settled on a pick an' mix IKEA kitchen. Such a fantastic choice and prices.

We decked out son's room out with IKEA, and the quality was excellent.

I noticed they do a 25 year guarantee on their kitchen doors.

Jonny

 

[Max Power]

You should have a look on some of the kitchen fitters forums . IKEA are perceived as mediocre at best

 

[JonnyW]

That's good to know Max Power. I must admit, I've not seen any of their kitchens. We were going to take a trip along next year, to have a good look over them.

Jonny

 

[DiscoStu]

We have a dishwasher. It's our 2nd or 3rd one and it probably 10 years old. We don't pre rinse or anything like that (that seems to defy the point of a dishwasher). We are a family of 5 and fill it during the day and then stick it on as we go to bed so noise isn't an issue. They are pretty quiet anyway (much much quieter than a washing machine). As someone else said nearly all of them have a delay function so you can set them to start at 3am if you like. Most plates etc are dishwasher safe these days so we don't have a load of stuff that has to be separated. In fact I can't think of anything that doesn't go in it. It does a great job of cleaning and is meant to be a lot more economical than hand washing. If mine broke down today I'd be straight out to buy a replacement.


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[Beau]

Kitchens not my thing last one was 30 years ago with solid Iroko tops. Should have stuck with them I would be filthy rich by now!
Looking at doing kitchen worktop about 3000 x 1000 with inset sink. Want Formica top bright colour not available in preformed worktops so first thought is 18mm birch ply plus laminate, either hardwood lip or just planed ply edge. Formica and birch ply available 3050mm
Is that a good idea?
What other options are there; is there a manufacturer who would stick our chosen surface on some other sort of board frinstance, or other laminates besides Formica?

NB got to be done by christmas :roll:

PS does everybody have a dish washer nowadays (I never have) and are they suitable for an open plan living-room/kitchen (noise?)

Cant see a problem with your plan. Our tops are 2x18mm birch ply with a 3mm constructional veneer on top and solid front. No balancing veneer on the back and no problems to date. As for dishwasher we went for mid range Bosch and it's very quiet and think the next model up was even quieter. This in an open plan living space and happy to run the dishwasher when we are in there. You can hear it but it's not an intrusive noise. Never commit to which Chrismas a project will be done by.

 

[paulm]

We have a dishwasher. It's our 2nd or 3rd one and it probably 10 years old. We don't pre rinse or anything like that (that seems to defy the point of a dishwasher). We are a family of 5 and fill it during the day and then stick it on as we go to bed so noise isn't an issue. They are pretty quiet anyway (much much quieter than a washing machine). As someone else said nearly all of them have a delay function so you can set them to start at 3am if you like. Most plates etc are dishwasher safe these days so we don't have a load of stuff that has to be separated. In fact I can't think of anything that doesn't go in it. It does a great job of cleaning and is meant to be a lot more economical than hand washing. If mine broke down today I'd be straight out to buy a replacement.


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Agree entirely with this, wouldn't be without one and thinking about it, haven't been for the last twenty five years or so !

Much more hygenic and effective at cleaning than hand washing.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Jacob]

Kitchens not my thing last one was 30 years ago with solid Iroko tops. Should have stuck with them I would be filthy rich by now!
Looking at doing kitchen worktop about 3000 x 1000 with inset sink. Want Formica top bright colour not available in preformed worktops so first thought is 18mm birch ply plus laminate, either hardwood lip or just planed ply edge. Formica and birch ply available 3050mm
Is that a good idea?
What other options are there; is there a manufacturer who would stick our chosen surface on some other sort of board frinstance, or other laminates besides Formica?

NB got to be done by christmas :roll:

PS does everybody have a dish washer nowadays (I never have) and are they suitable for an open plan living-room/kitchen (noise?)

Cant see a problem with your plan. Our tops are 2x18mm birch ply with a 3mm constructional veneer on top and solid front. No balancing veneer on the back and no problems to date. As for dishwasher we went for mid range Bosch and it's very quiet and think the next model up was even quieter. This in an open plan living space and happy to run the dishwasher when we are in there. You can hear it but it's not an intrusive noise. Never commit to which Chrismas a project will be done by.

Thanks for that. "Constructional" veneer means thick timber veneer?
I'm using Formica so maybe this is sufficiently different from a timber veneer to require a balancing backing sheet?

 

[kostello]

The new design of ikea cabinets are not as good as the older version...
But IMHO the life of a fitted kitchen has more to do with the care it was fitted with.

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[Jacob]

You should have a look on some of the kitchen fitters forums . IKEA are perceived as mediocre at best

I've read a lot of reviews!
The ones that count most are the final users - and IKEA gets a good rating in general, even if fitters don't like them.
For me IKEA are tops for absolutely crystal clear pricing (no special offers, dubious mad discounts, haggling) and very efficient sales front. It's not here yet so I might have to change my mind later.

 

[Beau]

Thanks for that. "Constructional" veneer means thick timber veneer?
I'm using Formica so maybe this is sufficiently different from a timber veneer to require a balancing backing sheet?[/quote]

Yes for "constructional veneer" read thick veneer. Should be more stable with Formica than 3mm of wood. Also being a kitchen top it's presumably got the extra support of the cabinets on the off chance it tried to cup. Would have thought balancing veneers are far more important when the overall makeup up is thin but it's going to take lot to make 36mm of Birch ply go walkies.

Edit.
Just re read your opening post and realised you are using just 18mm ply. Hmmm maybe a balancing sheet might be a good plan. As for the looks of Formica and the bare ply showing I like it and did exactly this for some cupboards in our bathroom. Can post some pics if interested.