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Kitchen Buyer's Guide

There are many decisions to be made when choosing the right solution for your kitchen. Our products are designed to last a lifetime, so it's important you make the right choices. We've created this kitchen worktop buyers guide to inspire you and give you all the information you require to make the right choice.

Contents

1. Planning Your Ideal Kitchen
2. Choosing the Right Kitchen Worktop
   1. Timber
   2. Corian®
3. Sinks & Drainers
   1. Sinks
   2. Cut-outs & Drainers
4. Comprehensive Kitchen Quote
   1. Online Quote
   2. No-Obligation Quote
5. Installation
   1. Delivery
   2. Installation

Planning Your Ideal Kitchen

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A comprehensive plan provides a solid foundation from which to build up your ideas. Unfortunately the planning stage is also the most tempting to miss out when you're desperate for a new kitchen. We recommend you spend time thinking about:

• How your kitchen will be used?
• What appliances will your kitchen need to house?
• Will your kitchen require wheelchair access?
• Do you want your kitchen to be somewhere you can relax?
• Which areas of the room do you and your family use most?
• Will your kitchen be used to entertain guests?
• Will pets be allowed in your kitchen?

The answers to these questions will help emphasise which aspects of a kitchen are important to you and your family. With this knowledge you are able to make informed decisions about the layout of your kitchen.

The next step is to commit your thoughts and ideas to paper. Start by drawing a simple diagram of the room. This does not have to be exactly to scale, however the more accurately the diagram reflects the shape and proportions of your room, the easier it will be to visualise how things will fit together. This tool allows you to create custom graph paper - if your kitchen is 5.25 x 4 metres choose 0.5 cm squares and each square will represent 10cm of kitchen space. Once you've come up with a good representation of your kitchen's layout don't forget to make photocopies. This is where you can start to experiment with ideas.

When planning the layout of your kitchen it is important to think about:

• Access to plumbing for your sink, dishwasher and washing machine
• Location of electrical sockets required for your large and small kitchen appliances
• Gas connection required for your cooker or hob. Remember fitting will need to be carried out by a Corgi registered plumber.
• Extraction and lighting
• Storage both under the worktops and on the walls
• Free work areas to prepare and serve food

Choosing the Right Kitchen Worktop

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Making the right choice for your kitchen worktops is of paramount importance - chances are you will use your work surfaces more than any other part of your kitchen (other than the floor of course!) and they are permanently on display. We offer a whole host of worktop choices which you can found out about in our products section. Here is a quick summary of each:

Timber

Timber work surfaces are the natural choice for those who appreciate the warm feel and beauty of timber. We offer many different species of timber, helping you achieve the look you're after

Corian®

Corian® work surfaces are available in many colours and textures so you're sure to find something to match perfectly. Corian®'s hard wearing properties make it an idea choice for busy modern kitchens.

The our site aims to provide you with everything you need to create your dream kitchen, but remember we're always on hand for kitchen advice and guidance.

Sinks & Drainers

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Sinks

We carry an extensive range of sink units carefully selected to complement our worktop products. Corian sinks can be mounted beneath the work surface creating a sleek look. Franke stainless steel sinks are synonymous with style, performance and hygiene.

Cut Outs & Drainers

Where a sink or appliance protrudes the work surface, we can cut out a section to accomodate. Where the cut-out is visible, for example with under-mounted sinks we sand, wax and finish timber or polish stone.

Comprehensive Kitchen Quote

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Online Quote

If your planning is complete and you know the dimensions of your kitchen, our online kitchen worktop quotation facility enables you to request a price for your kitchen. This acts as a guide and enables you decide if you would like to proceed to the next step, a no-obligation kitchen worktop quote.

No-Obligation Quote

To get the best price for your kitchen we are more than happy to provide a full estimate with no obligation to commit further. We are also able to bring along samples of our quality work surfaces for you to see.

Installation

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Delivery

We deliver throughout the UK. Our specialist delivery team understand how to correctly care for timber or stone work surfaces during transport, avoiding any warping or damage.

Installation

Installing a fitted kitchen and worktops requires specialist tools and experience. Our craftsmen are well equipped to deal with even the most demanding of installations. All our installations come with a 12 month guarantee. If you choose to install your worktop yourself please make sure you have the necessary tools, templates and finishing kit. Remember stone worktops are very heavy and are fragile until fixed, so you will need assistance manouvering the worktop into place.