Mitre 10 kitchens - any good, stand the test of time?

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dafman

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#223000 7-Sep-2017 10:55

We're looking at a couple of kitchen replacement options - Mitre 10 versus a specialist cabinet maker.

Price, as you would expect, is in favour of Mitre 10.

One thing I note is the the cabinet 'carcass' for Mitre 10 is 16mm versus 18mm for the bespoke option, so I am wondering of the Mitre 10 option would stand the test of time.

So, has anyone had any recent experience with a Mitre 10 kitchen? Any problems? Standing up to normal wear and tear?

thanks in advance

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#1860215 7-Sep-2017 11:02

They generally are made with a coarser/cheaper board than good custom kitchens. Also they can be a prick to install if your kitchen isnt square!! But they do sell lots, so must be OK.

I have just put in a kitchen and looked at both options and decided to go with the more expensive custom as they are made to measure and they install it.

Stu

Hammered
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#1860218 7-Sep-2017 11:03

I would go with the Bunnings offering before the Mitre 10 stuff, but my preference of the three is Placemakers. Both Bunnings and Placemakers have online tools to draw up your plans with their cabinets, which is handy.

We're contemplating using Placemakers, but still undecided. Acceptable quote, but not entirely decided on a full reno or just a spruce up.

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trig42

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#1860225 7-Sep-2017 11:10

We have one from Placemakers - gets normal everyday usage and it is OK.

One of the cupboard doors is a bit off (it would be one people lean on to get stuff out from under the sink) and I could probably fix it. Drawers are fine. It is seven years old. Carcasses are fine. We would look at replacing the doors and drawer fronts at some point, but nothing wrong with the cabinets.

lxsw20

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#1860228 7-Sep-2017 11:10

My house has a Mitre 10 Kitchen that's 10 years old. The only thing that hasn't really stood the test of time is the chroming on the handles which is a simple replacement. Other than that, it still looks as good as it did when new.

marej

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#1860235 7-Sep-2017 11:27

Mitre 10 kitchen here is 7 years old and no issues here. A kitchen lasting I think has more to with the installation, the quality of the fitout, painting and siliconing. If water can seep behind the benchtop it doesnt matter if the MDF is thicker.

ubergeeknz

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#1860244 7-Sep-2017 11:40

Used the mitre 10 stuff for a shop fitout several years ago, it held up fine, a good tip is to seal up any exposed chipboard with something, slightly watered down PVA works fine and easy to clean up if you get any on the veneer.

The doors were sealed up at all sides with a tough plastic rather than just jointed veneer, this is a good feature as it keeps the water out, not sure if the current offering is the same or not

kryptonjohn

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#1860251 7-Sep-2017 11:56

I am just going to put it a word for Kitchen Mania here. We got a deal from them that was free installation so only had to pay for the cabinets and bench tops. They came out and measured up, built the cabinets then had one of their contractors come in and install it. The contractor was a bit of a clown but he got the job done.

After the install we had a couple of minor issues - cupboard doors that could swing out too far and smack into things - appliances or other cabinets- and we changed our mind on a cupboard that had originally been open but we decided it should have a door.

The KM guy came out and put limiting stays on the doors that were opening too far, changed around a cupboard handle and gave us a price for the extra door. Fitting the extra door required adjusting the cabinet so it would all line up flush when the door was added.

This extra stuff was all done promptly and with no charge. Don't know if they forgot to charge us for the extra door or just decided not worth bothering.

So all up very happy with KM. No increases on their quoted price which was pretty sharp anyway, and they were quick to solve the small number of minor issues. Based on all that I would use them again and wouldn't bother with the hassle of doing it myself. Have done them myself before and as others pointed out, getting it all perfectly aligned etc is a bothersome job and if the walls are not square or straight it's a drag cutting the bench tops to fit.

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kryptonjohn

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#1860252 7-Sep-2017 11:57

ubergeeknz:

Used the mitre 10 stuff for a shop fitout several years ago, it held up fine, a good tip is to seal up any exposed chipboard with something, slightly watered down PVA works fine and easy to clean up if you get any on the veneer.

The doors were sealed up at all sides with a tough plastic rather than just jointed veneer, this is a good feature as it keeps the water out, not sure if the current offering is the same or not

Good idea. Super important around the splash sink areas and also the steamy dishwasher areas.

Horseychick

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#1860268 7-Sep-2017 12:39

So we installed a Mitre 10 Kitchen into our 2 bed rental 2.5yrs ago as it was a fairly easy space to fit it into. It's holding up very well and still looks very smart. We did opt for different handles than the provided ones, but that didn't cost much more. The melamine benchtop is lasting well and altogether we are happy with it.

We also renovated our own kitchen 18 months ago and went with Kitchen Mania after 2 friends had also used them. One friend was a Project Manager and said she couldn't find any fault with their management of the job. We found the same, they were well priced, very accommodating, very professional and did a great installation. One minor change after the installation that was done quickly and free of charge, since then we have been very happy with it and it looks amazing. High gloss white cabinets with black sparkling benchtop that weighed an absolute ton, but so worth it.

kryptonjohn

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#1860271 7-Sep-2017 12:43

Funny you mentioned the weight of the bench top... the installation contractor had a bit of a cry about the bench tops as they were too heavy for him and his helper to carry up to the kitchen. Luckily for him we had a couple of burly builders onsite who pitched in to help. The bench tops are some sort of manufactured artificial stone.

pctek

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#1860484 7-Sep-2017 18:44

Seriously - glued sawdust should never be used in kitchens or bathrooms.

mattwnz

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#1860510 7-Sep-2017 18:53

Why don't you get a cabinet maker to quote of 16mm, instead of 18mm to see if their price gets close to it.? I would have thought a cabinet maker would get close to the price,because they don't have multiple parties clipping the ticket. What sort of price difference are you getting?

kryptonjohn

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#1860519 7-Sep-2017 19:12

pctek:
Seriously - glued sawdust should never be used in kitchens or bathrooms.

by

Fact of life. Get a quote for solid wood though, I'd love to see it.

Handle9

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#1860523 7-Sep-2017 19:20

When we did our kitchen custom made cabinets were within 10% of off the shelf. I don't see the point of using blanking panels etc in those circumstances.

darylblake

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#1860527 7-Sep-2017 19:33

FWIW:

I bought some kitchen components from Mitre 10. They were fine, infact it fit perfectly with the rest of my kitchen (at the time).

Its probably better to get an installer to do it all though. Don't try DIY it. Someone in who will gurantee the work. I did DIY these components, it was cheaper and we did spend the time getting it right.

I have since sold, and built a new place.

We used iKitchen to do our new kitchen, and man I am really chuffed with the result.

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