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Posts Tagged ‘kitchen<’
Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Sep 05
If you are considering some new ideas to modernise your kitchen, a feature island is one the many ways of creating extra space in this important room. That is because the space normally occupied by a double sink can be better utilised as a breakfast bar, or for more cupboard storage space. Unless you are handy with tools and building, this is a job best left to the experts. Find your kitchen fitting specialist right here on Mr-Skill, and don’t forget to ask for the special discount too!
Consider This 
There are two main considerations when building a kitchen island. The first factor is just what you plan to use the island for, and this you must decide before appointing your contractor and starting the project. Then, the height of the new island has to be compatible with the existing counter tops, which is normally around the 3-foot mark. Let’s look in more detail:
Island Uses
Some people want to make a centre-cooking island, others prefer a washing up and preparation area, while yet others want to make it a cosy breakfast bar where the family gathers to enjoy good food. It is important to decide ahead and plan correctly. You can confidently get a kitchen-fitting quote from one of our many pre-screened members right here on Mr-Skill.
Cook’s Zone
For the cooking theme, there will of course be electrical considerations – where to position the hob, under counter oven and extractor hood, for example.
Wash and Preparation 
If you have decided to use the island space as a food preparation and clean up zone, then you will have plumbing and possibly electrical issues to think about and plan around. You’ll also need to consider new lighting, tiling, and grouting, and don’t forget a possible re-paint too.
Kitchen Island Height
The normal height for kitchen units is 36-inches. You need to make your island compatible with this, in order to be able to work comfortably around the kitchen as you flow from side to side.
It’s a Cool Idea
One of our regular London kitchen fitters says that centre islands are very popular in new kitchen layouts. He jokingly suggests that it gives the chef of the house a command and control centre, from where all good things come. Who’s the boss of the house now, then? If in doubt, invite Mr-Skill along to adjudicate!
Tags: breakfast bar, cabinets, centre island, chef, cooking, countertops, electrical, find a kitchen fitter, floor height, food, kitchen, kitchen fitting quote, lighting, london kitchen fitter, modernise, Plumbing, preparation, space, storage space, wahing up
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Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Jul 23
Decorating your kitchen will set the general tone for this important room, so it’s best to consider your options thoughtfully. One of our regular London kitchen fitters advises you not to rush it, and even offers some pointers to assist you in your decision making.
Weigh up Everything
Pick up a whole range of colour cards from your local paint shop and put them on every wall and corner in your kitchen. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes looking at these colour samples in shady or well-lit areas. Of course, you could also get some good ideas from Mr-Skill, where you can find many kitchen-fitting experts for your upgrade.
Your Kitchen’s “Personality”
Visualise the kind of experience you want from your kitchen. This involves taking a long look at the layout, the units and all appliances. Do you have a kitchen that is modern and utilitarian? Or is it relaxed, and sociable? Now you should have some broad idea of the mood you are creating and the colour that best reflects this. Think warm and cool – earthy colours like reds and greens are warmer, whereas blues and greys can create that modern, sleeker look.
Good Lighting
If you’re planning other renovation work around the house at the same time, think about what else you’re changing and how it’s going to affect your kitchen paint colour. Lighting can be a classic pitfall. For example fluorescent lights influence paint coatings very differently to natural light. Get your kitchen fitting quote right here on Mr-Skill.
Paint Your Cabinets
It’s not just about painting the walls and ceiling – your wooden cabinets might present the opportunity of a complete makeover with a new coat of paint. This can make everything look brand new again.
Accessories
Adding some ornaments, chair covers, light shades and curtains can add a dramatic splash of contrast to your main paint job. It’s like the cherry on the cake effect!
Use Quality Paint
This may sound obvious, but you don’t want to spend all that time, energy and money on a paint job that won’t last. Kitchens are intense environments in terms of moisture and heat, so be sure to buy paint that is made especially for the purpose.
Time to Get Going
Paint colours can deceive, particularly once the newly applied coat is dry. Rather paint an area behind a cupboard as a test. Mr-Skill thinks that the canary-yellow kitchen you chose could end up giving you a very real headache, and you may not want to venture into your kitchen again anytime soon. Just kidding!
Tags: accessories, colours, cool, creating, decorating, earthy, find a kitchen fitting expert, kitchen, kitchen appliances, kitchen cupboards, kitchen fitting quote, kitchen lights, kitchen makeover, kitchen units, kitchen upgrade, lighting, london kitchen fitter, modern, tone, warm
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Posted in Electrical Work on Jul 12
If you can’t take the heat, then get out of the kitchen, at least that’s what professional chef’s like Gordon Ramsey bark at their charges! Our kitchens are the hearts of our homes, and they should be fun places where friends and family meet to share food. But there’s more to it unfortunately – greasy kitchens can cause electrical fires. The UK has around 20,000 fires a year arising mainly from faulty electrical appliances in the kitchen. Grease is a fire’s best friend, and can quickly spread flames and threaten our houses and even our families. 
Kitchens are not the only source of unwanted fires. The Electrical Safety Council (ESC) comments that more than half of fires reported, as already stated that’s around 20,000 a year, are down to people’s casual attitudes. Here at Mr-Skill, we say that you and your family – especially the kids – should always have a healthy respect for electrical safety, and never abuse electrical appliances.
The cost of an electrical call-out to check your appliances is insignificant, when compared with the cost of re-building a burned-out home with all the inconvenience that incurs. Mr-Skill urges you to get an electrical quote today, and sleep well at night.
The ESC goes on to say: “In our opinion – which is shared by the fire and rescue professionals we consulted – a considerable number of fires occur through a casual attitude to cleaning and safety, particularly in kitchens.” Leading research into the causes of domestic fires demonstrates that over 25% of the British public suspect faults with at least one of their electrical appliances. As Mr-Skill says, “SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS!” So, if you are one of the many people with faulty equipment, find an electrician to thoroughly check your home appliances right now.
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that dangling electrical leads in fat deposits left on the counter-tops rate right up there as scary when it comes to fire risks. So too is the dangerous habit of storing items on top of the microwave oven, including tea towels, and forgetting to remove them when the appliance is in use. 
Martin – he’s one of our regular London electricians – advises that we should never take electricity for granted. Because we live in a modern electrical world, we need to understand that this power source is a potential fire-maker and even a killer. “Never let your guard down, and keeping a clean and grease-free home is a good start,” says Martin.
Tags: abuse, appliance, cable, casual, cleaning, electrical fire, electrical leads, electrical quote, faulty appliances, find an electrician, fire, fire risk, fire-maker, grease, home, house, killer fire, kitchen, london electrician, safety
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Posted in Electrical Work on Apr 02
Children and teenagers are tomorrow’s people. It is with their safety in mind that we present some straightforward safety tips in your bathroom and kitchen.
Caution: If you have any faulty electrical equipment or appliances, rather find an electrician to check for problems. Fiddling with gadgets ourselves is all fine and dandy, but just think about the consequences of getting it wrong. Electricians take several years to qualify, and there’s a good reason for this – they have to learn a lot, and then put their knowledge into practice throughout their working lives.
Child Safety
Be sure to dry your children thoroughly after bathing or showering, and before they approach anything electrical in the house. Water and electricity are a lethal combination. Teach your kids to keep drinks far away from any electrical appliances. It’s also a good habit to teach your youngsters to switch off appliances at the wall socket, whenever they are not in use.
Keep electrical appliance cords out of the reach of your children too, particularly for hot gadgets such as kettles, irons and hair dryers. And, never keep a charger plugged in without connecting to the actual appliance – kids love to explore and may regard a dangling cable as a tasty item to put in their mouths!
Kitchen Safety 
One recipe never to be followed is water and electricity…this combination will prove stunning, and may even turn out fatal. When you plan your new kitchen, ensure that sockets and switches are located a safe distance from water sources such as the sink. If you are thinking of a quote for electrical work, make sure the drawings include safe distances between water outlets and plugs or switches.
One of our London Electricians suggests you make sure your heavy-duty appliances such as washing machines or dishwashers connect through a fusible-link switch. This should be above the worktop surface, so that you can switch on or off quickly in emergencies.
Some Definite No-Goes
- Never use any electrical equipment or switch with wet hands.
- Don’t wrap power cables around an iron or a kettle while still warm or hot
- Always unplug an appliance from the wall socket when cleaning it.
- Unplug irons and kettles when filling them with water.
- If bread sticks in your toaster, don’t stick metal objects inside the toasting compartment to dislodge the bread. Switch off all kitchen appliances when not in use.
Tags: appliance, bathroom, children, cord, dishwahers, electrical safety, electricity, equipment, find an electrician, hot, kettle, kitchen, lethal, london electricians, power cable, quote for electrical work, safety, sink, switch, washing machines, water, wet
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Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Mar 12
By replacing your kitchen cupboard door handles and knobs on your drawers, you are cosmetically modernising your kitchen for very little outlay or effort. Start off by selecting a design that appeals to you, and makes an appropriate statement in your “new” kitchen. The range is really quite staggering, and  there are even London kitchen fitting shops specialising in knobs, handles and knockers too.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to positioning handles and knobs, so you can do almost as you please. Remember though, the cupboard door action needs to be practical, so it would be of little use placing your handles at the bottom of the base-unit door. This is one of those jobs where you will find that if it looks right, it probably is.
That said, the rule of thumb is to mount handles towards the top left or right corner of the under-counter doors. This obviates the need to bend too low when opening them. Conversely, fix wall unit handles to the bottom left or right of the doors. When it comes to mounting knobs on drawers, use the two-thirds, one-third principal. Mark the middle of the drawer and position the knob two-thirds of the way up a deep drawer face (or the middle of a shallow drawer).
If everything looks right, mark all your drill points on the doors and drawers using a template so that all the holes are aligned.  Then start drilling with a smaller sized drill-bit to avoid splitting the timber. After that, you can finish drilling with the correctly sized bit. Keep in mind that the new handles and knobs should cover any existing holes or blemishes. Go ahead and fit the handles and knobs.
Now if that all seems too hard or you simply don’t have the expertise to install your cabinet handles and knobs, why not find a kitchen fitter on Mr-Skill. If you are going to do the job yourself, don’t forget to wear the right safety gear in the form of gloves and goggles, and make sure you have all the right tools handy.
Remember that Mr-Skill has an array of professionals on board, when you are ready to receive your Kitchen Fitting Quotes.
Tags: bottom, cabinet, centre, choice, cupboard, design, drawer, drill, drill bit, fit, handle, install, kitchen, Kitchen Fitting, kitchen fitting quotes, knob, left, london kitchen fitting, mark, middle, modernise, practical, range, right, rule, template, top
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Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Jan 23
Granite has become popular in kitchens for a variety of reasons. These include heat resistance, easy cleaning and the stunning look that granite adds. If you need to drill a hole, have the right tools and know what you are doing,  you might not need to find a kitchen fitter to do this for you. If the answer’s NO to any of these questions though, you’d be wise to seek professional assistance here.
• Think about things carefully for a while because you can’t un-drill a hole. Visualise using it afterwards, by way of a dry run.
• After measuring and re-measuring several times put a cross of heavy-duty paper masking tape where the hole must go. Measure once more, and mark the tape with a clear black dot.
• Place a BRAND NEW masonry bit in your electric drill and tighten it. If you think this is a false economy compare the cost with buying a new work top.
• Put on your SAFETY GLASSES. Position the drill bit on the black dot and begin drilling slowly  off-impact. Make sure you drill perpendicularly, and don’t over-work the power tool. Many london kitchen fitters release the bit from time-to-time to avoid dust build-up.
• NEVER FORCE a power tool. Let it do the work. And whatever else you do, take your time and keep your mind on what you’re doing. If you need a bigger hole you can use a cookie cutter bit.
If you don’t have the time for things like this or are otherwise unsure, why not get kitchen fitting quotes on Mr-Skill instead? As customer you pay NOT A PENNY for this service. Moreover, you could also find out what other people think about a particular kitchen fitter you could be interested in. We have many customers who agree this is a great idea!
Tags: bit, disinfect, drill, eye protection, find a kitchen fitter, granite, heat, hole, impact, kitchen, kitchen fitting quotes, london kitchen fitter, mark, masonry, measure, perpendicular, safety, safety glasses, tape, think, tighten
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Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Dec 19
London Kitchen Fitters are an astute lot, and the first thing they’ll ask when invited to quote is usually, have you got a plug for it? That’s because if they find you don’t, then they’ll have to come back a second time when they’ve already quoted a set price. Here’s how you might be able to go about the job yourself. If you don’t want to though, you can always Find a Kitchen Fitter on Mr-Skill right here.
• Decide where you want the under counter freezer to go. Everything is modular these days – if you have a modern kitchen  most freezers will fit into the space behind a cupboard door. Make sure you allow an inch of free-space all around when measuring. That’s for air circulation, and to get your hands in to pull it out again for cleaning.
• Have the power supply installed. This is usually on the wall behind the freezer which should have sufficient cable length supplied. Don’t get clever with electricity though. Find an Electrician to do the job.
• Purchase your under counter freezer. Base your decision on three factors. These are appearance, energy efficiency and usable capacity. Does it have a drain for when you decide to defrost it, and finally, is the electric cable going to be long enough?
• Prepare for installation. The electrician may have removed the cupboard door and any shelves. If not, then now’s the time to do so. HINT The door and shelf make useful spares. Keep them, don’t chuck them away.
 • Inspect the under counter freezer. Unwrap your new appliance carefully and check for any damage. Plug it in to see if it starts up, then turn it off again and unplug it. Remove it from the packaging completely, and set it down near the opening where you can make sure that it’s perfectly level.
• Now finally install it. Plug in the appliance again, and gently slide it into the cavity taking care not to snag the cable as it goes in. Then turn it on. That’s all folks. You did it yourself. Congratulations!
Now that sounds easy, doesn’t it? But sometimes the cavity is too small or the kitchen floor uneven. When that happens there’s no need to despair. That’s because you can get Incredible Kitchen Fitting Quotes right here, and not pay a penny for them either.
Tags: air circulation, appearance, appliance, cable, capacity, cavity, door, drain, electrician, electricity, energy, find a kitchen fitter, freezer, install, kitchen, kitchen fitting quote, level, london kitchen fitter, modular, package, plug, power, remove, shelf, shelves, space, supply, turn on, under counter, undercounter
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Posted in Kitchen Fitting on Nov 02
There’s nothing quite as sad as a worktop with a corner broken off, or burned by a hot saucepan or an electric iron. Fear not. A replacement is not as expensive as you think, even when done by a London Kitchen Fitting Firm.
•  Obtain a replacement piece that’s cut to size, and edged-off at any exposed end / ends. In that case, remember to allow an overhang that matches the other worktops as closely as possible.
• Clear the old worktop of everything. Remove the cabinet doors and clear the units completely. Carefully inspect for stains or water damage, because this is the best chance you’ll have to do repairs for some time.
• Remove the seal between the worktop and the tiles, and rout out any grout taking care not to chip or crack the tiles. Take your time – this is where you make a professional difference. If the gap is tight, you might need to Find a Kitchen Fitter to assist.
• Remove the screws that attach the worktop to the cabinetry from underneath, making sure you find them all. Double-check that the top is clear of all the tiles, and then gently work it loose. You must work evenly and gently to avoid any contact with the tile edges.
•  When completely free, remove the old worktop from the kitchen. Vacuum up all the dust. Wipe the surfaces clean and have a cup of tea. You’re past the halfway point!
• Lay the new top roughly in position, and gently move it into the space between the cabinetry and tiles. Attach it to the cabinetry from underneath, using the old holes and similar screws. Grout in the gap, and when this is dry add a bead of silicone. Now you can re-fit the doors and get on with your life. What a pleasure – damage controlled.
This information is provided with the compliments of Mr-Skill, although we recommend that only experienced people attempt this project. Should you decide to obtain Kitchen Fitter Quotes instead, we assure you of our best service, and top value in the industry too!
Tags: broken, burn, cabinet, chip, clean, counter, crack, cut, damage, door, dust, edge, end, expose, find a kitchen fitter, grout, inspect, kitchen, kitchen fitter quote, london kitchen fitting, loose, overhang, remove, repair, replacement, screw, seal, silicone, stain, tile, top, unit, vacuum, water, wipe, work, worktop
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Posted in Electrical Work on Oct 25
Although they may appear complex, electric stoves are actually very basic apparatuses concealed in fancy metal cabinetry. Suppliers build them to last a lifetime safely – if they give problems, the cause is almost inevitably a switch or element that has failed. A householder may legally replace components like these, provided the stove is wired via a safety breaker to the switchboard.
 If your stove does not have a breaker switch on the kitchen wall do not follow these instructions. Find an Electrician instead.
• Obtain the correct replacement switch from an authorised dealer. Do not be tempted to buy a pirate part.
• Turn off the breaker switch and make sure that the stove is isolated. Tape over the switch so that it cannot be inadvertently turned on again.
• Electric switches on modern stoves are mounted on a panel below the cooking surface. Lever off the control knob and remove this panel which is held in place with screws.
• Remove the screws attaching the offending switch to the panel on the inside, and draw it away. Make a drawing of how the different coloured wires are connected.
•  Transfer these wires one by one from the old switch to the new one. Electricians in London like to call this monkey see – monkey do. When done, compare the result with the drawing to make double sure.
• Attach the new switch inside the control panel. Replace the panel after making sure that everything behind it is perfectly connected, and that no wire is in contact with the metal casing. Refit the control knob.
• Make sure all the stove switches are turned off. Turn on the breaker switch on the kitchen wall. Test all the other stove circuits first, and then the switch that you replaced. Everything should be perfect. If not, then there is another problem. You urgently need to get a Professional Electrical Quote.
If at any time you notice anything untoward inside your stove, stop immediately and Find an Electrician on Mr-Skill. Do not take chances with electricity! Electricity has the power to kill.
Tags: attach, breaker, check, colour, cooker, drawing, electric, electrical quote, element, find an electrician, isolate, kitchen, knob, london electricians, panel, pirate, problem, remove, replacement, safe, screw, stove, switch, test, wall, wire
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