Your kitchen is a real asset in your home and can increase the value of your house if it is done right and without excessive expense. Knowing the available options can help you to make a decision to do it yourself, purchase free standing kitchen units or to get a contractor in to do the job.

The materials

Most kitchen units are constructed out of some or other type of wood. Traditional types of wood for example teak, yellow wood and even pine or more expensive compared to chipboard and hardwood. If you would really like to go the wood route it may be an option to choose a coloured pine. Most of them however are made using chipboard. Ironically this substance does not handle water well at all. It swells at the mere presence of steam and needs to be sealed with a laminated sheet of vinyl or a thin layer of wood and varnish and an extra dab of silicone.

Hardwood is a more compacted version of chipboard constructed from chips of wood but compressed to form a surface which is great to work with. Although it doesn’t have the same quality as wood it can still be stained and patterned with real wood effects and varnished.

Assembly

Kitchen units can either be installed by a professional for a completely customised kitchen or created from a collection of free standing kitchen units. Each can be bought pre-assembled or as a kit where you can assemble it yourself. Purchasing a pre-assembled unit offers a guarantee , however be aware that while assembling it yourself, you are taking chances that in a few misguided attempts, before properly reading the instructions, you may damage it.

What does a basic range of free standing kitchen units include?

Deciding on colour, material and the assembly details is the easy part. Now it comes down to measuring the kitchen and fitting the pre-built cupboards into your space.

A basic unit is a set of cupboards with either a working surface or a sink feature. The length of this is based on the size and number of the sinks and fits standard sink inserts.
Floor units consist of a set of cupboards lined up next to each other. One of these would contain at least one drawer, while many people prefer a full set of drawers either across the top or down the far side of the unit.

The space in a corner unit is often wasted space as it is rarely used well, a good solution is to create  full length pantry, or choose top and bottom units.
Though not every kitchen has a top unit, this is the best way to maximise cupboard space in your kitchen. Installation is also very specific as they have to be reinforced to hold a fair amount of weight. Sticking them to the wall with two way tape will not suffice.
Putting your kitchen together can be fun and need not be as expensive as everyone says it is. Purchasing pre-designed and pre-made units can still be customisable to bring out your own personality in your kitchen