Kitchen guide
A new kitchen involves several trades and a set order of work. This guide walks through each stage, who does it, and where made-to-measure cabinets from DTJ fit in.
The stages
Stage 1
Decide what you want to spend and what the new kitchen must do: storage, seating, appliances, an island. Keeping the sink, cooker and boiler where they are keeps costs down.
Stage 2
Measure the room (see our measuring guide) and sketch the layout. Mark where water, waste, gas and sockets need to be.
Stage 3
Choose cabinets, doors, worktops and appliances, and get quotes. With supply-only, you get one quote for the cabinets from us and one for fitting from your joiner.
Stage 4
Approve the drawings and pay the deposit. Kitchens take 2 to 3 weeks to make, so book your fitter and trades around the delivery date.
Stage 5
The old kitchen comes out, often in a day or two. Plan how you will cook and wash up while the kitchen is out of action.
Stage 6
Your plumber, electrician and gas engineer run new pipes, cables and ducting to the new positions, before any plastering.
Stage 7
Plastering, then flooring, if they are being done. Plaster needs time to dry before cabinets go on the wall.
Stage 8
Your fitter installs the base and wall cabinets, tall units and panels, then the doors and drawers.
Stage 9
Laminate and wood worktops are fitted straight away. Stone and solid surface tops are templated once the cabinets are in, then made and fitted later.
Stage 10
Sink, taps, appliances, sockets and lights are connected. Then splashbacks, tiling, plinths, decorating and a final check.
Who does what
| Trade | What they do |
|---|---|
| Kitchen fitter or joiner | Strip-out, fitting cabinets, doors, panels and laminate or wood worktops |
| Plumber | Water and waste for the sink, dishwasher and washing machine |
| Electrician | Sockets, lighting, oven and hob circuits. New circuits must be certified under Part P of the Building Regulations. |
| Gas Safe engineer | Any gas hob, cooker or boiler work. This must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. |
| Plasterer, tiler and decorator | Walls, splashbacks and the finishing touches |
| Worktop maker | Templating and fitting stone, quartz or solid surface worktops |
How long it takes
Order your cabinets so they arrive when the room is ready, not weeks before. Most delays come from waiting on trades or worktops, so book them early.
Where DTJ fits in
We make your cabinets, doors, panels and worktops to your sizes in Long Eaton and supply them ready to fit. We don’t fit, but we can put you in touch with joiners who do.
Buying from DTJ
Before you order
How to measure a kitchen, bedroom or alcove so the cabinets fit first time.
Supply only
We make it, you or your joiner fits it. What supply-only means and what comes in an order.
See it first
Board decor and door samples, £10 each and taken off your kitchen or bedroom order. Collect them from the workshop, or we post them in 3 to 5 working days.
Get a quote
Send your plans or sizes to info@dtjinteriors.co.uk, call 0115 784 8231 or WhatsApp 07956 032306.
DTJ Interiors Ltd
Unit 5 Atlas Mills, Birchwood Avenue
Long Eaton, NG10 3ND
Workshop and collection
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm
Delivery across the East Midlands for £99 + VAT, and further afield priced per job.
DTJ Interiors Limited · Company no. 15242186 · VAT GB460641310
Registered office: The Mills, Canal Street, Derby DE1 2RJ
Every DTJ cabinet comes with a 5-year guarantee. How it works · FAQs · Samples · Terms of sale
