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Kitchen fitting

Tools needed for kitchen fitting.

January 16, 2023 by Carl Lewis

If you’re planning on fitting a kitchen, you will need a variety of tools to complete the job. In this article, we will be looking at the tools needed for kitchen fitting, as well as how they are used during the installation process.

Below you can see a full list of tools you will need, followed by when and how they will be used:

tools needed for kitchen fitting.

Hand tools

  • Set of screw drivers
  • Hand saw
  • Tape measure
  • Pencil
  • Set of spirit levels
  • Masking tape
  • Hammer
  • clamps

Power tools

  • Cordless drill and impact driver
  • SDS drill
  • Jig saw (downward cutting jigsaw blades)
  • Circular saw
  • Router + worktop jig
  • Laser level (optional)

Installing base units

When installing base units, the first thing you need to do, is make sure they are all in the correct position, and level all the way around. This is usually achieved by attaching the legs and winding them up or down, till they are in the correct position.

Legs will sometimes be pushed into pre-drilled holes and hammered in. However, on some kitchens you may need to screw them in place. This can be done with a cordless drill or your manual screwdrivers.

To level the units you have two choices:

  1. Use your spirit levels.
  2. Use a laser level.

The latter does make things far easier, as it will help you to level your units on all edges. However, even with a laser level, you should still manually check your units with a spirit level.

You can see a good, affordable laser level for fitting kitchens by clicking here.

Once your base units are level and positioned correctly, you can fix them in place. The tools you use will vary slightly, based on the surface you are fixing too. However, assuming you are fixing to a solid wall, you will need to drill holes with your SDS and then fix in place with your impact driver.

If you don’t already have an SDS and this is a DIY installation, I would recommend a 240v corded SDS, as this will be more affordable. You can see a good example by clicking here.

Also, a good quality cordless drill and impact driver can be picked up at a reasonable price. I personally own an 18v DeWalt set that you can see by clicking here.

Installing wall units

Once your base units are all fitted in place, you can move on to the wall units. The height will need measuring with your tape measure and marking with a pencil, along with the location of your fixings. In most cases, wall units will be hung with kitchen cabinet hanging brackets.

These are fitted inside the cupboard and a rail is fixed to the wall. Fixings used here will be the same as your base cabinets, so the same tools will be required.

Just like your base units, you should make sure that your wall units are fitted plumb and level. The hanging brackets will usually have a screw that can be adjusted. This will enable you to move the unit up and down, to achieve the perfect level. This can be done with your manual screwdrivers.

Again, this can all be checked for level with your spirit levels.

Cutting worktop joints

Fitting your worktops will depend on the material they are made from.

For stone worktops such as granite, you should always hire a professional to install them. On the other hand, if you are installing a standard laminate worktop, you will usually be doing this in one of two ways.

  • Creating a butt joint with a router
  • Using a jointing strip

The latter is much simpler and will only require you to screw your jointing strip to the end of the worktop. However, this is a cheaper look. If you want a high-quality finish, then using a router to create your joint is a better idea.

To do this, you will need a router and a worktop jig, in order to cut both sides of the joint, as well as cutting holes for the connecting bolts underneath the worktop.

You can see a decent DIY router by clicking here.

You will also need a kitchen worktop jig and some straight cutter bits to complete this job.

Shortening, cutting, and fixing worktops

If you need to shorten your worktop, the best tool for this job is a circular saw. You will need to mark where the worktop needs cutting and then cover with masking tape. Next flip the worktop over and cut from the bottom. This combined with the tape, will stop your laminate chipping.

Use a straight edge (spirit level) to create a guide and clamp it in place. This will ensure a perfect straight cut. You can read about a good budget circular saw I bought recently by clicking here.

The other cuts you will make, are for things like sinks and hobs. These will be cut using a jigsaw with a downward cutting blade. Again, you should use masking tape to protect the worktop from chipping.

Finally, you will need to fit your worktops to the base units. This is relatively simple; it will require you to pre-drill holes with your cordless drill and screw the worktop from underneath.

Fitting doors, drawers, and handles

This section is relatively simple and all you will need is a manual screwdriver. When fitting your doors, the hinge plates are attached inside the units. These will usually have pre-drilled holes and push into place. Following this, they can be screwed through the provided screw holes.

The hinges attached to the doors in a similar way. Once the hinges and hinge plates are attached, you can slot them together to hang the door. Following this, the hinges can be adjusted in various ways, to align them correctly. This can all be done with a manual screwdriver.

Your drawers may need assembling. However, this is usually very simple and again a screwdriver is all you need.

Finally you can attach the handles, by screwing them to the doors and drawers.

Conclusion

This is a rough guide of the tools needed for kitchen fitting. Obviously, every job is slightly different, so you may use slightly different tools in certain circumstances. However, the tools provided here, give a rough guide of what you will need to instal the vast majority of kitchens.

Just remember, this is a skilled job. In order for you to do it well, you will need to ensure that everything is done correctly. If in doubt, you should speak with a professional carpenter or kitchen fitter.

Filed Under: Kitchen fitting

Best fixings for kitchen wall cabinets

January 11, 2023 by Carl Lewis

When fitting a kitchen, your units need fixing securely in place. This will ensure that they remain fixed in the correct position without any movement.

On most surfaces, 5mm x 60-80mm screws will be enough to get a good strong fixing. If you are fixing kitchen units to a solid wall, you will need to drill into the masonry and install brown plugs to screw into.

If the walls are dot and dab, you will need to use special plasterboard fixings in order to fit the units securely.

best fixings for kitchen wall cabinets

Best fixings for kitchen base units

During the installation, the base units need to be levelled. This is usually done by winding the legs to adjust the height of the units.

The same level should run across the tops of all your base units and can be done with a spirit level. You can also use a laser level to make the job a little easier.

Units should be level on their front and back edges. They should also be level from front to back. If this is done correctly, the units will also be plumb, and they should all line up perfectly together.

Once you have adjusted your units so they are level and in the right position, you can fix them in place.

Base units are often fixed with small L-brackets, these screw into the sides of the unit at the back. This allows you to fix to the wall, through the bracket, holding the unit securely in place.

To attach the units, you will need to mark through the brackets, where the fixings will be placed. Following this, you should carefully remove the units to pre drill holes for your fixings.

Fixing base units to solid walls

When fitting base units to a solid wall, you will need to drill holes and insert plastic wall plugs. The plugs should be hammered into the holes, so they are sitting flush with the wall. Following this, the units can be returned and screwed in place. Make sure to double check everything is still level and plumb.

Fixing base units to stud walls

When fixing your units to a stud wall, you could get lucky in some cases, and hit a stud. This will mean you can screw straight into the wood and get a solid fixing. However, more often than not, there will be a void behind the plasterboard.

When a void is present, you can use a standard self drilling plasterboard fixing. You can see an example by clicking here

The base units are not putting any weight on the screws, so this will give a perfectly strong fixing.

Fixing base units to dot and dab walls

Dot and dab plasterboard is becoming more and more common in modern properties. Just like a stud wall, this will have a void behind the plasterboard. Therefore you will need to use a plasterboard fixing.

If you find yourself needing to fix through a dab of drywall adhesive, you will need to drill and plug, with the same method as a solid wall.

Best fixings for kitchen wall units

Wall units are fitted roughly 500mm above the base units. This height can be adjusted, based on full height units, such as larder units. When you do have this type of tower unit, the tops of all your other units should be set at the same height.

The obvious difference with wall units, is the fixings are subjected to more force due to gravity. For this reason, you may need to adjust the fixings you use to hang the cabinets.

In most modern kitchens, wall units are fitted using hanging brackets. These are a small adjustable bracket that are fixed inside the cupboard. This is combined with a metal wall plate that is fitted to the kitchen wall behind the unit.

The bracket hooks over the wall plate to fix it in place. Following this, it can be adjusted to pull it back to the wall. This is done via an adjustment screw from the hanger inside the cupboard.

There is also a second screw, that can adjust height up and down to get the perfect level.

Both of these screws will usually have an adjustment range of around 10-15mm.

Fixing wall units to solid walls

 Fixing to a solid wall is probably the easiest option when fitting wall units. The combination of plug and screw is very strong, so the wall units can be fitted with the same fixings as the base units.

Firstly, you need to work out the height of your metal wall plate. Next, mark through the holes with a pencil. Once marked, you can remove the metal plate, drill holes, and insert the plugs.

Following this, simply return the wall plate and screw into the plugs. This will give a very strong fixing, meaning your units can be lifted and hooked on the metal plates via the hanging brackets.

Finally, use the adjustment screws to move the wall unit into the perfect position and you’re done.

Fixing wall units to stud walls

Fixing to a stud wall with the standard fixings can be more difficult. It is very likely you won’t be lining up with a timber stud. This means you will need to fix into the plasterboard. Once wall units are full, this could add significant weight to a fixing that is just anchored in the plasterboard.

One option is to a add a timber batten to the wall. This can be fixed to the timber studs, resulting in a solid fixing. Then the units can be fixed to the batten.

A method I personally prefer, is buying longer wall plates. These can be purchased in one-meter lengths and are easily cut with a metal blade jigsaw, or a hacksaw.

The beauty of these longer rails, is they can be cut to a length. This means they can be fixed directly into the studs for a very strong fixing.

Once the long brackets are fitted in place, you can simply hang and adjust your units in the normal way.

To see an example of these brackets click here

Fixing wall units to dot and dab

Again just like a stud wall, dot and dab is mostly plasterboard with a void behind it. As we already mentioned, this doesn’t provide the best fixing.

We also can’t guarantee where adhesive dabs will be. This means the long rails used on the stud wall example are not really an option.

For a dot and dab wall, you will need a special kind of plasterboard fixing, that anchors in the solid wall, without pulling through the plasterboard.

The best option for this, is Corefix dot and dab wall fixings. These are a specialist plug and screw, designed specifically for fixing to dot and dab plasterboard.

The plug is designed to finish flush with the face of the plasterboard, bridging the void behind the board. The plastic plug has a reinforced steel core, which means it creates a completely solid anchor behind the plasterboard, which won’t bend and pull through the board.

By using Corefix dot and dab fixings, you can easily fix your metal wall plates securely and hang the cabinets in place.

You can learn more about Corefix dot and dab fixings by clicking here

Conclusion

As you can see, the best fixings for kitchen wall cabinets can vary. This will depend largely on the surface you are fixing too. You also need to pay extra attention to securing wall units, as they are carrying the most weight. Therefore, they need strong fixings to avoid future issues.

Luckily, there are simple, effective, and affordable solutions for all scenarios. If you use one of the methods mentioned above you will have solid well fitted kitchen units.

Filed Under: Kitchen fitting

Are kitchen fitters joiners? – Does a joiner fit kitchens

January 6, 2023 by Carl Lewis

Joinery and carpentry is an extremely varied discipline. It is generally split in two main categories.

  1. Bench joiners – These people are usually in a workshop environment, where they build things like furniture, doors, windows, staircases, and anything else that can be manufactured from wood.

  2. Site joiners (often known as carpenters) – These are the people that fit the products on site. They are generally involved in all stages of the building process, from start to finish. This includes setting out, first fix jobs like framing, joists, and roof timbers. All the way through to the neat finishing woodwork, that is still visible when the job completes.

Fitting kitchens is one of the many jobs that can be carried out by a joiner. Due to this, most kitchen fitters are time served and qualified in carpentry and joinery.

There are many people that fit kitchens exclusively, meaning they do not work in other areas of joinery. These individuals specialise in fitting kitchens, and they will have more experience than someone who’s job is working in the broader trade.

are kitchen fitters joiners

The most common route into kitchen fitting, is someone earning their qualification in carpentry, whilst working as a site joiner. Following this, they may gravitate to kitchen fitting as a preferred area of expertise. In other cases, some people will work as kitchen fitters right from being an apprentice. Either way they will usually undertake the same college work and qualifications.

Can kitchen fitters do other joinery work?

This will largely depend on experience, but as we mentioned previously, it is quite common for an experienced joiner to move into kitchen fitting. This is often because they like the work, and it also tends to pay very well.

In this scenario, they probably have a good level of experience in many other aspects of joinery.

For someone that has always fitted kitchens exclusively, they will likely have less experience with other areas of joinery. This means that on some jobs, they may lack the experience and skill that a general joiner would have acquired.

The opposite would also be true, and a general joiner may not be quite as good at fitting kitchens, compared with someone that does this exclusively.

However, both are skilled craftsmen, and in any type of carpentry and joinery, creating a high-quality finish is paramount. A kitchen fitter may take a little longer with a general job, but the work would still be to a high standard, and vice versa.

A kitchen fitter is still doing many transferable skills that could easily be applied to other jobs. For example:

  • Design and layout
  • Precision and accuracy in measurement and cuts
  • Working to level and plum
  • Fixing to different surfaces
  • Using a wide variety of power tools for cutting and fixing
  • Maths, critical thinking, and problem solving.

Due to the above skills and attention to detail, a kitchen fitter could quite easily adapt and transfer to being a regular joiner. Even if they hadn’t worked as a general joiner in the past. They still have the relevant underlying skills; they will just need to apply them to different jobs.

Other jobs kitchen fitters can often do

Fitting a kitchen from start to finish involves more than just joinery. There are also other skills that are required to finish the job. These include:

  • Plumbing (possibly gas)
  • Electrics
  • Tiling
  • Flooring
  • Painting
  • Plastering

Not all of the above will be required in every job. For example, if your cooking appliances are electric, then gas may not be an issue. Also, things like flooring, plastering and redecoration may not be required.

Even if they are, many kitchen fitters will work with other trades that can carry out these jobs. This is especially true for things like gas, plumbing and electrics. However, for small jobs like patching plaster and tiling, it will often make sense for a kitchen fitter to know how to do these.

Occasionally, kitchen fitters will have skills and necessary qualifications to deal with plumbing and electrics themselves.

Obviously, when it comes to gas and electric, the relevant qualifications are required. At the bare minimum, this work needs passing off by someone that is qualified to do so.

For gas, this would be a professional who is on the gas safe register, and for electrics you would need to be someone who is Part P qualified. Both of these are qualifications that enable the trades person to sign off work, to say it is installed correctly and safely.

Conclusion

So as we have discussed, kitchen fitters are joiners in most instances. It is quite rare for someone to be working as a kitchen fitter and not qualified in carpentry and joinery.

A kitchen fitter will often have a different overall skill set to a more general joiner. However, they both have very transferable skills, which means they can usually do each other’s work to a high standard. Although, experience and speed will usually be a factor when working outside of their usual field of expertise.

As a general rule, a good joiner can usually fit kitchens just as well as someone who fits kitchens exclusively. Their skills are very similar and both work to extremely high standards. The only difference between the two, is that someone who only fits kitchens may be slightly faster. This is mainly due to repetition and experience.  

Filed Under: Kitchen fitting

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