#How To Install A Flat Pack Kitchen - Mitre 10

Kitchens have always been the heart of the Kiwi home but nothing makes time spent in the kitchen quite as enjoyable as having everything set up just the way you like it. Mitre 10 s Flat Pack Kitchens make that possible with a range of modern, stylish and surprisingly affordable kitchen options you can design and build yourself.

New Kitchens In Old Houses

Renovations are a huge part of Kiwi home ownership and installing a new, perfectly straight kitchen in an older house brings added challenges to this DIY project. The adjustable feet can help level up the most uneven floor and cabinets are designed to accommodate out-of-shape walls, but older houses can often involve a little fine tuning trimming toe kicks to match uneven floors and trimming the back edges of cabinetry and benchtops to fit out-of-square walls. Take the time to mark these changes carefully before you trim. An electric planer is a great way to achieve a precise fit.

Flat pack kitchens are the perfect way to make that old cluttered kitchen a thing of the past. Satisfaction is guaranteed because you re in control of the whole process. You can design it just the way you want, walk into store, buy everything you need, and install it yourself whenever it suits. Mitre 10 staff are always there to answer any questions and help with the design process.

Love Your Instructions

Installing your own flat pack kitchen is a step up from the average kitset assembly job. More units to assemble, more drawers to fit, more cupboard doors to install, plumbing and electrical connections all have to be in the right place and it all needs to come together and fit perfectly into your kitchen space.

The design and planning process tends to be straightforward but simply throwing everything together as soon as you get your flat pack kitchen home can easily lead to frustration.

A new DIY kitchen, more than any other Easy As project, is one of those jobs where it really pays to familiarise yourself with the assembly instructions that come with your flat pack kitchen.

The instructions are clear and well thought out but there is a lot of information to cover so read carefully, unpack your cabinetry and fixings and lay them all out so you can see exactly what you re dealing with. Just taking the time to follow the assembly instructions step-by-step will ensure creating your new kitchen is a rewarding experience.

Handy Hint

Designing your new kitchen can be very rewarding and you re likely to be considering other aspects of kitchen design such as appliances, lighting, flooring and paint. At Mitre 10 you ll find and extensive range of products to turn your dream kitchen into reality.

Planning

Mitre 10 extensive range of kitchen units provide endless options, so when planning your new kitchen, take the time to get it right. You don t have to follow the layout of your original kitchen, you can be as creative as you like, but remember to keep it functional.

Consider the natural flow between the three work centres: sink, cooktop and refrigerator your work triangle. All three should be within easy reach of each other so that the kitchen revolves around you and not the other way round. An effective work triangle is typically no smaller than 3.6 metres when the distance between all three work centres is added together.

• Accurately measure out your kitchen area.
• Sketch out your kitchen on grid paper.
• Mark out doors and windows, noting which way doors are hinged.
• Mark all electrical and gas points, plumbing and any other fixed features.
• Plan for food storage, preparing food, cooking, serving and cleaning up. Also plan landing space for items each side of the cooktop and sink.
• Position wall cabinets directly over base units.
• Start designing from the corners as they are the most difficult areas to maximise storage space.

Once you have your kitchen design on paper, bring your design into store and talk through your plans with one of our design consultants. If you d like to view your design in 3D we can create a virtual kitchen using the latest interior design software. It is recommended that you book a time with your consultant in advance.

Things To Avoid

• Don t place your cooktop too close to your sink. Make sure that it is at least 600mm away.
• Avoid positioning your cook top too close to your fridge. They have to work harder to keep food cold and also wastes energy and money.
• Cooking units should never be located under windows or near inward opening doors (especially gas cookers).
• Never place wall units over a cooktop unless a rangehood is installed in or under the cabinet.
• Make sure dishwasher, fridge and oven doors can open without hitting anything.
• Don t plan wall units unless there is a base unit installed underneath. Avoid them over sinks.

Handy Hint

Allow at least 300mm of bench space each side of cooktop and sink to place pots and cooking utensils. If fitting new appliances be aware of their installation specs and allow for adequate access. Have someone check your measurements before buying your new flat pack kitchen.

Installation

Turn off electricity, gas and water and remove appliances, old cabinets, and benchtops. Use a registered electrician and plumber to rewire and install new plumbing.

Remove Existing Kitchen. Take care not to damage walls and fittings creating extra work for yourself.

Prepare walls. Flat, straight surfaces are important for good installation. Repair or replace any damaged walls. If putting in new wall linings, refer to manufacturers installation instructions. It is good practice to prime and apply the first coat of paint.

Mark bench height. Mark bench height on the wall (from lowest point if floor isn t level) and run a level line around the walls.

Assemble cabinets. Assemble each individual cabinetry unit as per instructions. All holes are predrilled and panels come prepped with dowel holes to ensure a perfect panelto- panel fit. Match and check panels before assembly (applying a piece of tape and naming each panel helps streamline the assembly process) and take the process step-by-step.

Cabinet cutouts. Measure, mark and cut openings in the back of cabinets for plumbing, electrical and gas services.

Install cabinets. Put cabinetry units into place starting with a corner unit (or with an end unit if no corners), then screw the cabinet units together.

Adjust cabinet height. Once cabinets are in place, adjust to height line marked on wall. Check the level as you go, then anchor the cabinets to the wall.

Check benchtop fit. Position the bench top so overhang at the front is parallel with the cabinets (standard overhang is 55mm.) Mark out the trim line following the contour of the wall. Remove the bench top, and trim to the line using an electric planer.

Cut holes in benchtop. Refit the benchtop. Mark cut-out lines for sink and cooktop using the templates supplied, then apply masking tape over the lines (you can see the lines through the tape) to help protect the surface of the benchtop from chipping as you cut out with the jigsaw. Take the time to double check the position of your cut outs and remove the benchtop from cabinets before you cut.

Refit the benchtop. Refit benchtop, glue sections of benchtop together, locking into place using the purpose built benchtop connectors, then screw benchtop to cabinets.

Fit sink insert. Run a bead of silicone sealant around the underside lip of the sink, then secure it into position on the underside of the benchtop using the fasteners supplied.

Install wall cabinets. Install wall cabinets the same way as the base cabinets but be sure to attach the cabinets to wall framing as plasterboard will not provide strong enough support.

Fit the fronts. Everything s pre-drilled and machined so just fit cabinetdoors, drawer fronts and drawer handles as per assembly instructions and you can t go wrong.

Fit toe kicks. If floor isn t level you ll need to trim the bottom of the toe kick to fit (see New Kitchens In Old Houses section). Mark out trim line and trim to line using an electric plane. Fit clips, and attach to the adjustable legs. Using a quality silicone, seal around bottom of toe kick panels where they meet the floor to protect your kitchen from water spills.

Congratulations. You have just completed your new kitchen installation.