Is DIY Flat Pack Worth the Trouble?
Is DIY Flat Pack Worth the Trouble?
Have you previously bought flat pack furniture? Was your end result something like: quirkily slanting bookshelves, or some left-over mystery screws? If so, you’ll want to have a good think about whether purchasing a flat pack kitchen is the way to go for you. Perhaps you’d be better off with a custom built kitchen instead!?
Let’s explore below:
- Flat Pack vs Custom Kitchens: What’s the Difference?
- The Must-have Skills to get Flat Pack Right
- What Can Go Wrong with Flat Pack Installation?
- Want a Custom Kitchen in a Single Day?
Custom vs Flat Pack: What’s the Difference?
In the past, flat pack kitchens were often of very poor quality, but this has largely changed. Nowadays there’s not a lot of difference in quality between a good flat pack and a good custom kitchen. At Express Kitchens we still think custom kitchens are better, but we would say that, we make all our own cabinetry!
The key difference is of course that your custom kitchen will be completely assembled and installed for you while you’ll need to assemble your flat pack kitchen yourself, and then decide whether you are qualified to do the install yourself.
The Must-have Skills to get Flat Pack Right
You’ll find that many flat pack suppliers recommend you hire a carpenter to actually install the kitchen. If you decide to go flat pack to save money, you’ll therefore need to factor in the call-out fees and labour costs associated with hiring a carpenter, plus a plumber and potentially an electrician too.
Determined to go DIY with the installation? It’s worthwhile doing a bit of planning and preparation to make sure you have the adequate tools and knowledge to pull off a flawless job.
Below are the key tasks you’ll need to be across to install your own kitchen:
- Select the correctly sized and shaped flat pack cabinets to match your space – naturally, this involves taking measurements of the spaces to fill, and matching up measurements with your large appliances and benchtops
- Assemble the cabinetry
- Install the cabinetry – note a long list of tools is required for this activivity
- Cut a hole in the benchtop for the sink
- Install the sink and connect the plumbing – you’ll need a professional plumber to complete the second half of this step as legally, almost all plumbing tasks must be completed by a qualified professional in Queensland
- Install the benchtops
What Can Go Wrong With Flat Pack Installation?
As with any DIY project, things can go horribly wrong if you’re not 100% up to the task.
Without the benefit of a kitchen designer creating a custom kitchen, you can end up with problems including:
- Cabinetry that doesn’t quite line up – giving your kitchen a wonky feel
- Overhead and base cabinets that don’t align – again creating an unpleasant aesthetic. This goes back to your design experience and whether you have a good sense of how to ‘balance’ a space
- Cabinet doors which smack into your dishwasher or fridge
- The wrong shaped hole for the sink – cutting the perfect hole actually takes a bit of skill!
- The wall lining where you intended to install cabinets can’t actually support the weight
Want a Custom Kitchen in a Single Day?
In the flat pack vs custom kitchen decision, one point in favour of flat packs would appear to be you can get the job done when you need it. However, flat pack installation can take you a large chunk of time. Depending on your skill level, you may need to allow up to a week, especially if you make any of the mistakes mentioned above and plumbers or carpenters aren’t available when you need them.
At Express Kitchens we can have your new custom kitchen installed in a single day, meaning minimal inconvenience. *Conditions Apply
KEEP IT SIMPLE AND AFFORDABLE
FREECALL 1800 675 605 OR CONTACT US ONLINE