Recommendations for fitted kitchen supplier Co. Meath??

peabee

Can anyone recommend a good but reasonable fitted kitchen supplier in Co. Meath? Also do I need to know exactly what I want before meeting the fitter or do most places offer designers to help decide what I want? Am new to this so apologies if I'm asking silly questions!!!

session savage

Hi Peabee.
I worked as a kitchen designer and maufacturer for the last 5 years. I can tell you that anyone who cant offer design advice should be avoided as they are probably cowboys.
The main things to decide on when your getting a new kitchen are;

Finish: Solid doors (according to personal preference) look the best generally (although there are exceptions.) Lots of people want solid doors so they can say they have a solid kitchen but in reality its not always the most suitable. The cons to solid is they are more prone to cupping, warping and joints failing (thats not to say it always happens though).
Also with a shaker style solid door (depending on manufacturer) most of the centre panels are veneered MDF with a solid frame. Thats all well and good until about two years down the road when the veneered panel has aged more. This is especially prevelant in maple shaker when the centre panel goes a deep honey colour and the frames are lighter. You can avoid this by ensuring the centre panel is solid (check the back of the door to see if the panel is raised) or you can get doors made out of a solid wood and covered completely with a final veneer. EG a door could be made from solid beech frame with a MDF panel and all finished in a maple veneer.
Also solid is usually most expensive.

Foil doors; These look most like solid doors as they are made from laminated MDF but each piece of the door is laminated seperately then the door is put together. This means you have real joints and the grain goes the right direction. Foil finish is not as hard wearing as vinyl but look much better.

Vinyl; Vinyl doors are basically MDF moulded doors wrapped in one piece of vinyl veneer on the front. These doors are available in a staggering variety of styles and colours. The pros are cost, and also they never age (colour wise) So if in 5 years you damage a door you can usually get one the exact same (providing they havent been discontinued) and the colour will match your kitchen.


With regard to the layout of the kitchen get yourself some magazines and search the net for some inspiration. Dont pay too much attention to the "kitchen design triangle" its a good way to start but its not going to ruin your kitchen if you cant get that triangle layout people harp on about. (trust me I have a degree in design) Also dont try to force things into your kitchen if they dont fit. If you dont have room for an Island or an AGA with an overmantle, accept that they wont fit and move on. I did a kitchen for someone before who insisted on an aga with an overmantle in the smallest frikkin kitchen you ever saw. She had barely any wortop space left after the sink and aga and mantle went in, but thats what she wanted.
Think about the funcionality of the kitchen as much as the look (the old form over function debate)

Some final pointers

>Drawers are really handy.. but you WILL fill them. Pot drawers are great IMO
>Make sure if you go for laminated Wtop that the laminate is wrapped under the front bottom edge.
>Floor (tile or whatever) BEFORE the kitchen. Some people will tell you it dont matter but if you ever get a leak the water will flow out from under the kitchen and you will notice, whereas if you tile after the kitchen goes in and you get a leak the water will pool up to the level of the tile and that can get messy.

I know ive said a lot so i hope I didnt wither you with it all. Feel free to ask anything else.


Oh and I dont know of anyone I could recommend up in Meath but Kinane Kitchens in Toomevara travel all over the country and they have a fantastic showroom and great stuff. (I used to work there)

TskTsk

I'd recommend a chap in Dunboyne. He designed, built and fitted my kitchen for me and I'm completely happy with it. I'll PM you his contact number.

audiboy

TskTsk wrote: »

I'd recommend a chap in Dunboyne. He designed, built and fitted my kitchen for me and I'm completely happy with it. I'll PM you his contact number.

Hi would you still have the details for the guy from Dunboyne who built & fitted your kitchen.