Kitchens

[megans mum]

IHas anyone out ther fitted their own kitchen and used granite as worktop and are there companies that specialise in granite worktops?

I will be buying my cabinets and appliances in the UK and fitting the kitchen myself but really didn.t want the laminate worktop. The wood worktop sort of appeals but it then means having a Belfast sink which I think should be placed in the garden and filled with soil and plants,so that only leaves me with granite, The area we will be in is 37 and about 50kms North of Poitiers.

Thanks,,,,,,,,Tom

[Chancer]

I am in the process of fitting the first kitchen at my development, I have used a solid Hetre worktop with routed corner joint (as opposed to the awfull ally extrusions that they still prefer here) I routed a circular sink cut out and screwed a plain circular sink underneath instead of a Belfast sink, I finished it by routing drainage grroves.

It has been done in the style of the current granite worktops (underslung sink with drainage grooves) but in a much warmer and affordable material.

[Val_2]

Granite worktops are very much cheaper from your local Marbrerie(funeral maçon). I saved over £2K buying it there as regards a kitchen outlet. Do your own templates and get it cut to your requirements with whatever edge finish you prefer. Remember if you do buy locally, it is very heavy to put into place so your carcasses need to be strong and the joints well siliconed together to stop water penetration to the units and along the rear also.

[alnmike]

Val - what a great idea. I have granite in the UK and love it, so

wanted in France too.I didn't even consider the Marbrerie. Thanks.

[Gastines]

Having fitted dozens of kitchens in UK and a few here, I have found out to my cost that it is virtually impossible to buy any extras or fittings here. Every little bit seems to be to order only. I usually have boxes full of spare fittings but having thought ,wrongly, that I wouldn't be fitting any more,I gave most of the odds away. Now I find I have to order the few odd panels I want from UK supplier. So, if you are doing a re-fit make sure you've got all the requirements first.Not like I did this time  but as an axcuse it is an ex showroom display that I bought a year ago. Ref, marble/granite worktops, in UK average price was £320 per linear metre, cheapest here is as advised already and try any local marble cutters, there is one at Lanhelin, near Dol/Combourg.

Regards. 5 mins St.Marlo

[Racerbear02]

I also had been quoted a silly price per linear metre both in the UK and here at home, I got  better price in Belgium than France but still expensive at 300Euro a linear metre, so I looked on Ebay and found a guy near Gravesend selling some 'damaged' sheets of black granite 2.8m long and 66cm wide for £50 each. The damage was minimal, just some very minor chips on the back edges.

I got them back here then took them to the local marble guy near the cemetry in Hirson, he cut them for me into mutliple pieces for 100 Euro and I have imbedded them into my French Oak worktop which I bought as planks, again off Ebay, near Maidstone at about 50% of the prices quoted elsewhere.

I sealed the joints with silicon and the end result is fantastic, even if I do say so myself [:$]   I tried to insert a picture here but failed miserably, does anyone know how to do this?

With a bit of searching and a lot of hard work, anything is possible quite cheaply.

[hastobe]

We bought our (UK) granite work tops from the local funeral mason and saved a fortune - if I recall correctly they were half the price of those supplied via the kitchen fitters.  Interesting to know you can do the same think here - thanks Val.

As an aside we are having wood drainers and a belfast sink put into our french kitchen - basically because the underslung sink we have in the UK - whilst looking very pretty - would be just too small if it was our only sink.  (In the UK we also have a large (functional!) sink in the utility room whereas in the french house we don't have a separate utility).  As above we also thought that wood would look better with a belfast sink.  At the moment we are only changing the couple of units where the sink is - when we change the rest of the kitchen we will have granite.   The wooden surfaces need an awful lot more maintainance than the granite - regular oiling is required or they go black, mouldy and disgusting and the surface is nowhere near as good as granite for making pastry, pasta etc etc.. 

Kathie

[Gastines]

A couple of points worth noting with Belfast sinks. Make sure you have sufficient drop for your waste outlet and beware of BAD BACKS as they are quite low if you use them regularly. They do several now with about 2/3rds of the depth and many good white ceramic sink units are available here in France at a fraction of UK retail prices.  The hardest thing with a Belfast, is to get a decent hygenic finish under the Wooden worktop. I usually have to remove and replace white silicon joints about twice a year.Having had one, my wife say's never again.

Regards.

[Chancer]

[quote user="hastobe"]  The wooden surfaces need an awful lot more maintainance than the granite - regular oiling is required or they go black, mouldy and disgusting and the surface is nowhere near as good as granite for making pastry, pasta etc etc.. 

Kathie


[/quote]

Kathie

I have just fitted a wooden (hetre = beech) worktop and have been pondering what finish to use, I would prefer not to varnish and am interested in your oiled finish.

What oil do you use? how often do you have to redo it and how resistant is it to say a splash of curry sauce (in my experience the worst of all stains) not that I could buy one here though!

[megans mum]

HI

From experience I would suggest that if you want to stain the wood then use an oil stain (this would automatically give you some water protection). Leave the stain to air dry for at least 24 hours and then apply several coats of danish oil. This can also be bought in various shades or colours and of course natural. You can use linseed oil but it doesnt nave the same adhesion properties as Danish oil. Finally,you can always finish off with a wax,but do not use Bri-wax as this contains cellulose and will seriously affect the oil properties already applied. A good Liberon wax will make the world of difference.

Ton'n'jen

Oh and Happy Birthday to Jen today (7th) xx

[Catalpa]

Kathie - what wood have you used?

Tom'n'Jen (or anyone) - I thought Danish oil wasn't ideal for worksurfaces because while it's not actually hazardous, contact between the food and treated surface isn't recommended.

[Chancer]

When you have eaten food off of some of the surfaces that I have whilts travelling the world "isn't recommended" will not put you off!