Askilan worktop

Hi elainelib,

I used to work for John Lewis in London, and

they sold Askilan. I didnt use it an awful lot, but know that it is a reasonable product to work with. This type of worktop is

sometimes

sold as having the same properties as say Corian or Schock, but isn’t really. It, like Corian & Schock

is made from something like quartz and a resin, basically stone resin mix.

I suspect the quality of materials used in

Corian betters that of Askilan.

Corian and schock are much thicker when used as worktops. From what i can remember,

Askilan consists of a few millimeters of material, say 2-3mm, on a fibre glass/lightweight base.

Having a thin layer

doesn’t mean it wont last, but there are limitations with what you can do with the worktops, i.e. drainer grooves and the

likes.

I also remember that Askilan had depth limitations, and it could only come 600mm depth, anything beyond for

normal worktop would have an inconspicuous join, but this may have changed

now.

There are a number of

worksurfaces out there that use the same idea as Askilan, i.e thin surface on lightweight base, but i would say askilan is one

of the better ones. Some are even

sprayed on!! At least Askilan uses sheet material, not a spray!

I hope thats

of some help to you, sorry if its a bit patchy in places!

tkd2005

What a co-incidence that you’re looking at John Lewis

kitchens. Mezzo is a

cream gloss kitchen if i remember correctly?

I would check with them about the situation with having drainer grooves

etc. I know in some instances thicker material can be used in the sink area to allow them to put drainer

grooves

in.

They may also be able to inset a standard sink into the worktop (i.e set in the thickness of the worktops), i have

done this before and it looks good, but does depend on flexibilty of

the worktop and the supplier!

Granite we

all know can have drainer grooves put in. You may find though that as granite is glossy, and so is the kitchen, that it may be

too overpowering? This is down to personal

preference really, and things like how light the room is and how you are

going to light the room will affect it. Askilan is a matt finish so this may contrast a bit?

I think their own range of

kitchens (Jonelle) is a quality range. They used to buy carcases from Mereway who are well known and a good manufacturer. I

also know Alno very well (i

think they still sell these), and although this is in the upper price brackets, it is a

fantastic range of kitchens – the range of units is huge!

Overall, JL kitchen ranges are good quality and worth

looking at.

I too agree, this is a great site, theres nothing else on the net that really comes near it! Its also good

that designers, manufacturers, clients etc can all come together and

exchange knowledge!

If you dont mind me

asking, which John Lewis is it you are dealing with?

Regards

tkd

Hi. No need to apologise!

There are so many things to consider when you’re buying a kitchen. It seems like you’ve done some looking

around.

I think the trouble with a lot of outlets is designers design what they think is right, not what you want or

like. As a designer myself, i always listen to the input of the client as

i think its vital. The john lewis design

service is good.

Were the other designs done by independent outlets? Hope you dont mind me asking.

I also look

after the design service on this website, if you wanted a non biased design then that may be of use to you?

As for

Neff, i wouldn’t say they were massivley expensive, they are certainly not the cheapest but the quality is very good, after

all they are German built! Ive designed with Neff

for a while and have heard very few complaints. I think they sit

quite comfortably mid-upper market price wise. If you are looking at your new kitchen as an investment, rather than a

freshen up for a couple of years, then Neff is a good choice.

A trend that i have realsied recently is to

spend a little more on the appliances you see, and go for slightly cheaper integrated or ‘hidden’ appliances. This could be

another pro

for Neff.

Hope that can be of some help to you!

Have you looked at any other appliances?

tkd.

I suffer from the expensive taste syndrome!

Neff’s designs are good, and theyve recently changed most of the range design wise.

I have heard of Wentworth,

but dont really know an awful lot about them. The best way to find out what sort of job they are going to do is to ask for

references, i.e customers who

have had a kitchen from them. Most respectable kitchen companies will be willing to co-

operate, and most will ask customers if they mind being used as references. Some will also have

portfolios in their

showrooms, so take a good look through them too.

Good luck with deciding which options to go for, it will be

interesting to hear which you choose, and also to hear what you think of the JL service once they have been round! I always

think if you’re going to do a kitchen its worth doing well and make sure you love it, its a big expense and it’s got

to be right for you.

Hopefully speak soon,

Regards

tkd

Hi Elaine
I have fallen for exactly the

same kitchen, Mezzo Hi Gloss – it is a super kitchen. I have the same kitchen size and John Lewis quoted around £3000 just

for the fitting of the units.

On top of that are all the other bits like electricals, plastering etc etc.
Have you

found a first class kitchen fitter and has your dream kitchen been installed to your entire satisfaction.

Were the guys

who fitted your kitchen cheaper than John Lewis.
TaraD

elainelib wrote:

Well , I have just had the John Lewis

guy round , and I have to say he’s the first one who actually LOOKED like a designer !!
He was there for about three hours

, and I was very pleased with the design , which we both worked on …………. haven’t actually had the quote yet !
I

am having a quote for supply only as I thought their fitting was very expensive ……… my kitchen is about 15 ft long with

units down both sides but he suggested the fitting may

be around £3500 ……… is it me or is that too expensive ?

Obviously I want a good job done but surely I don’t have to pay that much – which brings me to my next question – how

can you find a fitter who will do an excellent job and not rip

you off ? !

Cheers

Elaine
ps have

definitely fallen for the granite worktop ! I even dreamt about it the other night , which is rather worrying – I used to have

far more interesting dreams !!!

Wow!

This is

an interesting thread and throws up a number of issues such as fitting standards, designer capabilities worktop preferences

and kitchen choice.

I have recently been busy filming for a Tonight with Trevor MacDonald programme, (Liverpool House

Refurb) the results of which have a dedicated page on the site at

http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk/news/To … Donald.php
It’s great to see a number of experts

providing the answers for new members. Thanks to you all.

TKD 2005, incidentally, is Mark Hanner, an excellent designer

who is pioneering our innovative design consultancy via this site. This is proving a huge success and those of you

wishing to obtain professional design with a personal touch in the comfort of your own home look no further than here.

http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk/Consultancy/index.php

Fitting costs can vary tremendously and are often

reflected by the extent of work to be undertaken but as yet there are still no installer standards so pot luck plays a risky

part of

the process.

Here at TFI we are passionate about developing and participating in a training scheme for

the much heralded but much delayed National Training Group for installer standards. I have

learned to become less

enthusiastic and less confident of the implementation of this scheme after a series of empty promises by those in charge of

introducing it. On the many

occasions I have been contacted regarding the scheme and the only consistency is the sense

of disappointment at a failure and indifference to it’s introduction. Too many meetings and

not enough action

methinks. Perhaps the dinosaurs prevalent in our industry are digging in for the duration and anyway the wine and food would

be too good to miss.

Ok I’ve vented my fury on this and will have no choice but to act autonomously to bring about a

suitable training scheme to rival the non existent one if the delay continues. To

ensure an installers capability at

present is difficult and the majority are employed on a sub-contract basis but a number of indicators will help you choose the

right person for the

job and to determine how take a look here

http://www.kitchensfitted.co.uk/ExternalMedia/Start.php This article includes a section on how to choose your

installer.

Elaine and Tara, welcome and good luck in choosing your new kitchens. Second Nature are an excellent choice

as are Wentworth, who incidentally are the retail arm of Mereway who were

mentioned earlier in this

thread.

Askilan is a new one on me but after some research I have discovered it is a European corporation, Arplama, who

manufacture it. In addition they make a surface called Sand’Or which

is, like Askilan, a quartz based surface yet a

greater quartz content. Askilan seems unique for a quartz based surface in that, like Corian, it can be joined virtually

seamlessly.

This I have to investigate further and will update when I discover more. Sounds like an ideal kitchen

surface but I will reserve judgement for the time being.

Well I’m sorry to have whittled on a bit but I think everyone

may have assumed I’d disappeared off the face of the earth.

Tim

Tara,

Just

curious but what makes you say that the carcasses are top class.
I’m just interested to learn what it is that brings you

to this decision.

High gloss seems to be a popular trend for consumers currently but I have to say it would not be a

choice for me. The only high gloss finish I would advocate in the kitchen is the

quartz or granite worktops as they

are able to withstand the everyday rigours that a kitchen is subject to.

Having said that, if you are aware of the

additional work required to maintain the finish then they can still look good for years to come and I was surprised to find

that, when

visiting a client for whom we installed a high gloss kitchen for seven years ago, it looked as good as the

day it had been fitted.

The proof is in the pudding but it is also testament to the hard work of the client in

maintaining the look.

Certain laminate worktops in high gloss suffer from what is known as telegraphing which is a flaw

of the manufacturing process that shows up as a ripple type effect particularly when

subjected to the sun or a light

source. I am aware more recently however that the problem hasd been overcome by certain manufacturers.

I’m not for a

minute, being the harbinger of doom but I think it’s important that people are aware of certain factors before buying their

kitchen. The reason for this website and

forum is just that.

Tim.