Can't afford a stainless steel kitchen?...oh yes you can!! (DIY in general)

Member Name: juliemaker

Product:	DIY in general
Date:	29/12/01 (1176 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves money, Easy to do, Cheaper then rehab!!

Disadvantages: Can be hard to keep clean but look out on my op for a great cloth!

I wanted a chrome kitchen, and I wanted one real bad, and you know what happens when a woman gets that must have feeling that she just can't shake off don't you?

Well, there's two opinions, book yourself into the nearest Betty Ford clinic or just go on and on until , in desperation a solution is worked out so your partner can A. Take the ear plugs out, and B.Walk in the kitchen without getting severe ear bashing of the moaning kind and the persecution ends.(lol, what me moan, never!)

My Kitchen was only four years old, and there was no way we could afford a new one no matter what. The cupboard doors were swiss pear framed with a matt cream inset....nice but boring!!

At first we thought about changing just the doors. You may have seen advertisments in your local newspaper. The guy came round pronto and measured up. He quoted £2,500 to replace just the doors, and not with stainless steel, that I longed for, but a wooden silver effect.The price included changing the handles, worktops,fitting and V.A.T.

I picked myself up off the floor, thanked him for his time,bid him farewell and thought it was he who needed therepy, he must be on something, two and a half grand for that, I think not.
So back to the drawing board. We then sprayed the doors silver, looked fab, but dried cack.

Then it happened!,Ding, a flash of inspiration.'Lets fix stainless steel onto the doors ourselves'!.

Found this company in the Yellow Pages, under Stainless Steel, Metal works etc, named the Metal Supermarket, based in Southampton. Gave him a call and was delighted with the price.

£26.00 per metre, for brushed Stainless Steel!.
We measured the insets of all the doors, and drawers, we have several large overhead cupboards,an equal number under the wortops, along with a few long thin cupboards and numerous drawers, in total, including cutting and V.A.T. the whole lot came to £160.00. We took one of each cupb
oards with us, so that they could check the measurements were right.
This price also included a large splashback, and a piece to cover the front of the extractor fan.

The work had been done and ready to collect in about three days.

Off to Homebase for the worktops,£150.00, cut to size and shape, including the breakfast bar. A couple of tubes of No-Nails, some steel joint covers for the worktops and some new handles.

It was just soooo easy to fix the Stainless steel to the wood,a few squirls of the good old No-Nails, and Bob's your uncle, did each one in a matter of minutes. The handles were equally easy. The worktops were only a little bit tricky to cut, my husband used his jigsaw to cut the holes we needed to slot the sink, and hob into.(For the total Dogs B******s look,We also bought a lovely linen effect, stainless steel, sink, Hob and Oven, thanks to a great deal at B&Q)

It really does look fantastic, it looks like it cost about £5,000. Everyone who has seen it says, "Wow,I love your new kitchen, that must have cost you a fortune".

We have also painted the walls, a pale lilac colour, trust me, it does look lovely, and compliments the Stainless Steel well.

I am thrilled to bits with the new kitchen, and with a little bit of imagination, it just goes to show that the kitchen you really want doesn't have to cost the earth, it can be yours at a fraction of the cost, a couple of hundred as apose to a few or even sevral thousand.

Hope you enjoyed the read and have picked up a few tips. Julie:)

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