Buying Kitchen Units
For people with small spaces or those who enjoy compact convenience, the kitchen unit is a great solution. Very popular in the UK, kitchen units are all encompassing, providing you with everything needed to prepare a simple or elaborate meal but without needing a lot of space. If you are currently building a new home or interested in remodelling an existing one, then it is important that you shop around to determine all your options for style, type, size, and accessories of your new kitchen unit. Keep in mind that many people will choose to have the kitchen unit installed by a professional but many of the models available today can be installed as a weekend project.
You will find two basic options when it comes to a kitchen unit - pre-built and self-assembly, which is called flat pack as well. For the pre-built unit, you will probably pay more than with the self-assembly due to better materials. However, the pre-built means more of the unit is already assembled so it saves time and effort. These units are also more rigid and in most cases, you would buy from a manufacturer that offers some level of guarantee or warranty on the workmanship. For the self-assembly kitchen unit, you would receive a unit that must be put together and unfortunately, the materials are often not as high quality.
For material of the kitchen unit, the most common are made from chipboard that is designed with a laminated surface. Depending on the quality of the materials, the price will vary. For instance, you could choose thicker chipboard that would withstand moisture better than the thinner type and a good quality laminate, expecting to pay more. The price you pay for the kitchen unit will also vary depending on assembly method, again pre-built versus self-assembly. In this case, while the pre-built is usually screwed and glued for added strength and durability whereas self-assembly is just screwed.
Another consideration when buying a kitchen unit is the configuration. You could go with a basic design, which would include wall floor units that need a sink or worktop as well as wall cupboards. Next, there is the floor unit, which comes as a high-line, which means the front of the kitchen unit is all one piece and a drawer-line, meaning you have a drawer located on the top of the unit. For the floor kitchen unit, you want to stick with the same style for the best appearance. Additionally, in the place where you have an appliance or sink on top, you could easily have a false drawer front added, which now gives the illusion of a drawer-line as well.
For the drawer-line, the kitchen unit would typically include three to four drawers. Then on a three-drawer unit, the top two drawers are equal depth with the bottom drawer being 50% deeper. For the bottom drawer of this style of unit, you would often see a wire style, which is ideal for storing things like pots and pans. As far as floor units, these come in a wide range of widths such as 300, 400, 500, 800, and 1000mm. For the double units, which would be the 800 and 1000mm styles, the kitchen unit would usually be mounted for right or left-handed opening.
Remember that in addition to these standard kitchen units, you have many additional choices. For instance, if you have more corner space than flat wall space, then a corner kitchen unit would be the perfect solution. Additionally, many homes have tall ceilings so in this case, you could go with a much taller unit. Then, there are kitchen units designed to house large appliances to include a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and so on.
Finally, you might consider a wall kitchen unit, which comes with one to two shelves in most cases. However, you will find some wall units that provide room for adjustable shelf positions. This type of kitchen unit is available in widths of 300, 400, 500, 800, and 1000mm. The difference between this style and the floor style is that with a wall unit, the doors on a double unit are hung so the hinges are just on the side.
To accentuate the look of your new kitchen unit, you can always add accessories. As an example, above wall units can be enhanced with a cornice or below wall units with a pelmet. If you cook often and need better lighting, you can have this added to the worktop. Then, your kitchen unit would come in your choice of several finishes, along with patterns. With this, you could choose a beautiful colour and textured surface for a more elegant look. Other accessories to consider include storage baskets, wine racks, spice racks, waste bin, carousel, cutlery tray, and much more.