subject: Kitchen Installation – Are Flat Pack Kitchens Any Good? [print this page] Kitchen Installation Are Flat Pack Kitchens Any Good?
Kitchen Installation Are Flat Pack Kitchens Any Good?
Back in the 70's probably the worst flat pack kitchen you could buy in the UK was MFI. I fitted loads of them and they needed careful handling if you wanted to avoid the carcasses falling apart during your kitchen installation.
All in all I would say that MFI had a huge impact on the flat pack kitchens market as over time they became the joke of the industry and homeowners opted for the pre-assembled units.
The Rebirth Of Flat Pack Kitchens
Anybody that knows the flat pack kitchens industry would tell you that the best selling points were based between cost and availability. For the companies that manufactured the flat pack kitchens it weren't just the costs of production as there were huge saving to be had in almost every area. Transport and storage were big issues but the most important advantage that flat pack kitchens had on their competitors was the fact that they were almost always in stock whilst homeowners waited up to 8 weeks for pre-assembled kitchens.
When the larger shed stores such as Wickes, B&Q and Homebase got into the market they were quick to see the benefits of stocking flat pack kitchens.
The best brand we found were IKEA who created a far more interesting range of modern kitchens and incorporated the best assembly fitting on the market for the best prices. As the years went by the ranges got broader, the assembly methods got better and now it is easy to see that IKEA provide the best flat pack kitchens in the UK.
Kitchen Installation Snobbery
For some homeowners the memory of the earlier versions of flat pack kitchens was simply too much and the idea of a flat pack installation simply wasn't good enough. It didn't seem to matter that the actual materials used in a pre-assembled kitchen was the exactly same as a flat pack kitchen. The main difference in the kitchens when it came down to it was marketing and a little bit of old fashioned snobbery.
Designer Kitchen Installation
The amount of times we had clients that paid 20/30k for their kitchens simply because they were coming from Designer Shops in Fulham or Chelsea was amazing. They couldn't see that whilst the shops that sold the kitchens were in nice areas their actual designer kitchens were knocked out in small industrial units or railway arches on minimium wages.
There was many a time we took delivery of so-called designer kitchens that came unwrapped and were clearly knocked up from mdf with a bit of spray paint to form carcasses. All in all it was a bigger joke than homeowners paying three times more for pre-assembled kitchens thinking they were getting a better kitchen installation.
Conclusion
If you want a kitchen straight of the shelf make IKEA your 1st stop mainly because in our opinion they turn out the bet flat pack kitchens in the UK today. If you want costs for a a kitchen installation you can compare prices at Kitchens Supermarket The UK's Leading Price Comparison Site for Kitchen Installation.
