Guide
What happens during a kitchen installation, day by day?
A kitchen installation follows a set order: strip-out and making services safe, first-fix electrics and plumbing, any plastering, fixing the base and wall units, fitting worktops, then the second fix of sink, appliances and sockets, followed by splashbacks, flooring and decorating. A medium kitchen with no structural work typically takes five to eight days on site.
What happens before fitting day?
The survey visit comes first: measuring the room, checking walls, floors and service positions, and for fit-only jobs checking what has been bought. You then receive an itemised written quote and, once it is agreed, a start date. Before work begins, the kitchen is delivered and checked against the plan and delivery note, so missing parts can be chased early.
You clear the room and the route to it, and set up a temporary kitchen elsewhere. Floors along the route are protected on the first morning. If the home was built before 2000, an asbestos survey of the areas to be disturbed is sensible before anything is pulled out.
Day one: strip-out and making safe
The old kitchen comes out first. An electrician isolates and makes safe the circuits, the water is turned off and capped, and any gas appliance is disconnected and capped by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Units, worktops, appliances and usually the old tiles are removed, and the waste goes away through a licensed route.
With the room empty, the walls, floor and ceiling can be seen properly. This is when hidden problems tend to show up, such as damp, loose plaster or old wiring, and any changes are agreed with you before the work moves on.
Days two and three: first fix and preparation
First fix is the work that goes inside walls and under floors before the units go in. The electrician runs new cables and back boxes for sockets, appliances, lighting and any new cooker circuit. The plumber positions supplies and wastes for the sink, dishwasher and washing machine. A new extractor duct may be cored through the outside wall.
Walls are then patched or skimmed where needed. Some floor finishes, such as tiles or vinyl, may go down now so they run under the units; others go in at the end. The order is agreed at the survey so the trades are not undoing each other's work.
Days three to five: units and worktops
Base units are set out from a level line, fixed to the wall and to each other, and levelled on their legs. Tall units and wall units follow, and the fitter checks that every carcass is plumb and square. Laminate and wood worktops are cut, jointed and sealed on site, with cut-outs for the sink and hob.
If you have chosen stone, the fabricator templates the worktops once the base units are fixed, and the stone is fitted about one to two weeks later. In the meantime, doors, drawers and wall units can still be finished, and on some jobs a temporary worktop goes in so the sink can be reconnected during the wait.
Days five to seven: second fix and appliances
Second fix connects everything to the services prepared earlier. The sink, tap and waste are plumbed in, the dishwasher and washing machine connected, and sockets, switches and lights fitted. Integrated appliances go into their housings with their door kits, and any gas hob is connected and tested by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
The electrician tests the new work and issues a certificate to BS 7671: an Electrical Installation Certificate for new circuits, or a Minor Works Certificate for additions to existing ones. In England and Wales, notifiable work is notified through a registered competent person scheme or building control.
Final days: finishing and tiling
Plinths, end panels, cornice, light rail and fillers are cut and fitted, and doors and drawers adjusted so the gaps run straight. Splashbacks and tiling follow, then the flooring if it goes in last, and finally any decorating once the plaster is dry enough. Fresh plaster usually needs three to six weeks before full decorating, though a mist coat can go on sooner.
Silicone goes along the worktop, upstands and around the sink last, once everything has settled and the tiling is dry. The room is then cleaned down, protection is lifted and the waste removed, so the finished kitchen can be checked properly in good light before handover. Any decorating that has to wait for plaster to dry is booked in for later.
Who does what during the fit?
A kitchen fit uses several trades, and the order they come in matters more than the number of days. Kitchen fitters working under our management fix the units, worktops and panels. An electrician who tests and certifies to BS 7671 handles circuits, sockets and lighting, and a plumber handles supplies and wastes. Gas work is only ever done by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Tilers, plasterers and floor layers come in at agreed points. You have one contract and one point of contact throughout, with every trade booked in the right order, so you are not left coordinating them yourself or waiting for one to finish before calling the next.
What happens at handover?
Before handover we walk round the kitchen with you, check every door, drawer, tap and appliance, and note any snagging items to be put right. You receive the electrical certificate, any gas paperwork, appliance manuals and the manufacturers' warranty details. Things worth checking together at handover:
- Run every tap and look under the sink for drips
- Open every door and drawer and check the gaps line up
- Look along worktop joints and silicone lines in good light
- Switch on the hood, hob, oven and dishwasher
- Collect certificates, manuals and the appliance warranty paperwork
Questions
Do I need to be at home during the installation?
Not all the time, but someone should be available on the first morning, at key decision points and at handover. Questions often come up once the old kitchen is out, such as exact socket heights or how to deal with an uneven wall. Leaving a phone number and clear access arrangements keeps the job moving.
What is the difference between first fix and second fix?
First fix is everything done before units, plaster or tiles cover the walls: running cables, positioning pipes and wastes, and fitting back boxes. Second fix is connecting the visible parts once units and worktops are in: sockets, switches, lights, taps, sink waste and appliances. Most kitchen fits need both stages.
Will a kitchen installation be messy?
Strip-out and cutting are dusty and noisy, especially when tiles come off or a duct is cored through a wall. Floors along the route are protected, dust sheets are used and waste is removed as the job goes. Keeping internal doors closed and moving valuables out of nearby rooms helps a great deal.
Related services
More guides
- Fit only or supply and fit: which is better value for a kitchen?
- Should you replace your kitchen doors or fit a whole new kitchen?
- How long does it take to fit a new kitchen?
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This guide is general information about kitchen fitting in the UK, not legal, tax, electrical or structural advice for your property. Rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; check with your local authority or a qualified adviser before relying on it.