Wren v Howdens and wood v mdf

6 år siden

So went for our first kitchen appointment today with Wren. Pictures attached.

Ignore the rounded wall, it will not look like that, just their program.

This first price was actually ok with Wren, 9k for their Infinity Plus cabinets, with appliances (rangemaster, neff etc so not cheap ones)

But this is MDF, their wood range is actually cheaper but more limited in style and colour. I am completely thrown now because I wanted wood and will be getting a quote from howdens for their Tewkesbury framed.

Any opinions on wood versus mdf?

Fremhævet svar

Marc Merton

6 år siden

Bought from DIY kitchens and very happy with the product. Opted for MDF painted in Farrow and Ball colours. You have to do the design bit yourself, but that was half the fun.

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(47) kommentarer

User
6 år siden
I would definitely have gone for solid wood of I could have afforded it. As long as you go for something classic (like shaker) you should never need to change them, they can be sanded and painted in the future. If you don't think you'd ever do this and you would probably buy a new kitchen in 10-15 years then no point in spending the money on solid wood.

I think I have slightly less units than you and Howdens Tewkesbury quote with no appliances was about £9k but prices differ hugely depending on the trade deal your contractor gets, and what discount, if any, they pass onto you.
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
I have heard howdens quotes are often high until you are something to barter with like another quote.

My only reluctance on real wood is the more I read about painted wood finishes and stress cracks on joints etc, no idea how much this happens in reality in the UK.
A S
6 år siden
Hi,

If you are exploring options between wren and Howden and wanting wood kitchen I'd look at getting it from Howdens. We had ours for just under 10 years and have now given it away and is still in excellent condition. It's extremely sturdy and hard wearing and I can't praise the quality enough.

We purchased a Wren kitchen recently (gloss) which too Was MDF and we can clearly see the difference in quality. The reason for purchasing from Wren was due to the quality of gloss: Whilst Howdens offered vinyl wrapped wren offered lacquered gloss.

Price wise, both are similar.

If you are willing to consider alternatives, English Rose from omega kitchens are very good!

Hope this helps
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Was your wood kitchen painted wood?

I can't find many negatives about wood, except for some negative comments about painted finishes.
Daisy England
6 år siden
Haven't heard any good things about Wren. They have a FB page for bad reviews.
Howdens only deal with trade customer so you'd have to get a trader to purchase on your behalf and he will get the discount.
You'd be better off looking at individual kitchen companies. They don't work out any dearer and offer a better service.
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Yea I know howdens are only trade, we have bought a few things through them before on a friends account.

I have seen both good and bad things about Wren and know people that have had slightly dodgy service with howdens and wickes.

I also know someone who went independent and had awful service and still in dispute.

Really I wanted to know if people had any opinions on the wood versus mdf debate. That's my sticking point at the moment.
Daisy England
6 år siden
MDF is more stable.
A S
6 år siden
Oops, got that wrong. Just checked product spec on for our old kitchen and it's veneered MDF.

I know many haven't had a positive service with wren but I can vouch for them personally. From the offset, we had a good designer; The kitchen was delivered on time with all the parts and when we wanted additional parts they were quick to deliver within 3 working days!
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
I am also going to get a quote from an independent who did my brother in laws, doesn't hurt even if I think it will be too high, might be pleasantly surprised!

Think we were lucky with the guy at wren today, he used to be a tradesperson and just seemed very knowledgeable and also honest...he said some appliances can be found cheaper etc. Did not feel the hard sell at all.
LTS
6 år siden
laurz84 have a look at DIY kitchens too.
PRO
DIY Kitchens
6 år siden
Sidst ændret: {last_modified_time}6 år siden
Wood and MDF can look very similar and are just as good, although
you don’t get the wood grain with MDF, unless you have an MDF wrapped door like
our Malton range.

The other big difference in the two is the price. Solid wood
is more expensive. The door style that you choose is really down to person
preference. You may prefer a smooth painted MDF door with V grooves rather than
the solid wood equivalent with the wood grain showing through.

The main benefit of solid wood doors is that if they are
painted then you could sand them down in the future and re-spray them a
different colour.

The best thing do so is have a look at a few doors first
then look at the price after. Consider this with how long you intend on keeping
the kitchen for or living in your home.

The page below shows some shaker door differences.

http://advice.diy-kitchens.com/customer-questions/shaker-kitchen-door-differences/
jasondt
6 år siden
I've only heard bad things about Wren, delivery times are months rather than weeks as well. My builders have also had issues with Wickes in the past, whilst my brother has an ongoing issue with B&Q (Cooke and Lewis).

I've used IKEA twice now, my current kitchen was delivered within 7 days, the builders had no issues fitting it, apart from a mis-configured cabinet due to changing a microwave on the design, which IKEA sorted out ASAP. Quality of the base cabinets seems to have improved during the 10 years between kitchens, the laminate used now is less prone to getting grubby and seems a bit thicker.

Obviously the limiting factor with IKEA is the range of designs, and whether you have a branch nearby. We luckily now have a click and collect point (Norwich), which also does kitchen design, so I just had my design checked before ordering.
A S
6 år siden
I think each company has their own issues and the quality of service varies drastically between branches.

When we were researching for our kitchen, reviews on Howdens on trustpilot was 2.9/10 (might have changed now) but our experience with them was wholly positive.

Similarly, many are disapproving of wren but our experience was very good.

I think in the end, you just have to take a leap of faith and go with a company you are satisfied with

Good Luck
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
AS I think you are right!

If anyone has any opinions on wood versus mdf would love to hear them. So many differing opinions online.
PRO
London Urban | Design & Build
6 år siden
Hi Laura,

You could also try Benchmarx - similar to Howdens and slightly different options. We've worked with both and the good thing to consider is lead times which are very short. If you want or need to change something then you'll find they will respond quickly.. which is ideal if you want your kitchen done fast.

A lot our clients base the cost decision on the value of your property vs the length of time they are likely to be living there for. Your property will have a ceiling value and there's normally a limit to the cost of the kitchen that's worth fitting.

Depending on this type of decision, it should help when deciding between solid or MDF.
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Ignoring cost though what would people's opinions be?

The timber is actually cheaper in Wren than their premium range which is MDF. So it has confused me as to the pros and cons of each.

Before I believed timber is best and was always planning to have that if we could afford it. My friend has timber from wickes and so I knew it is within my price range from some providers.

But the more I google the more confused I get about the pros and cons of both.

Cons of timber:

Dents easier
Doors are heavy and so joints are more strained
Expands and contracts and so paint cracks can happen

But does any of this happen much in reality?
J A
6 år siden
Howdens are really evasive on price and took absolutely ages to come back to us on even basic questions. I just feel if I am paying £££ and I am the end user stop hiding behind the "trade" only thing to rip me off. The more I thought about their pricing strategy the more unacceptable I thought it was.

We went with DIY kitchens - we chose an mdf kitchen. This is not our forever kitchen but I am happy with it so far. We thought about IKEA, having heard good things, but I couldn't get on with their online planner and it was a 6 week wait for an IKEA planner to visit us.
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
I can't do IKEA I can't be bothered with the extra cost of fitting and the no service space behind cupboards.

Would you get wood if this was your forever kitchen?
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Just priced up a timber kitchen from DIY kitchens with appliances - so roughly same design as wren and it was £8.5k for the 'in frame' design called Helmsley.

In frame is my fav look but does anyone have any experience of them?
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Experience of in frame kitchens I meant
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
Ordered an in frame style MDF door called Welton from DIY Kitchens.

The online quote for that was 5.3 with appliances so deffo won't be going Wren for MDF, cannot justify the cost.
PRO
OnePlan
6 år siden
My own kitchen is inframe ( not a 'DIY kitchens' one as bought it years and years ago !)
I get it repainted every few years if I fancy a change of colour ... I love it !
There are some photos of mine on my pro page I think ?! If you click on my icon it will take you there !

I have designed many, many kitchens for clients shopping around wanting to compare like for like ( I don't sell product - just design) - lots and lots of clients end up with DIY Kitchens they all seem very happy !

For inframe also consider Handmade Kitchens of Christchurch and Classic Kitchens direct too !
laurz84
Forfatter
6 år siden
It's good to hear someone with in frame wood not having issues.

We are getting a quote from howdens and an independent.

Written off Wren for cost now if DIY kitchens are half that price for MDF.

If we go DIY route will probably be contacting you one plan as I am no designer.
pbartter
5 år siden
Laurz84 - what did you end up going for and are you happy?
laurz84
Forfatter
5 år siden
I went for Laquered mdf from diy kitchens in the end
jessa61
5 år siden
Could I ask what you thought diy kitchens as we're about to order? Thank you
laurz84
Forfatter
5 år siden
We are still doing some finishing touches - tiling and the cooker hood.

The units are good quality and there is so much range, we have a great mix of unit types.

The duropol worktops are great, we have the almost straight edged worktops and I really like them, real wood wasn’t an option for us as we would never maintain it.

Some units did arrive with parts missing but this was rectified.

We were also missing a unit but again this was rectified.

They pointed out possible issues which saved us making some mistakes when nearly ordering the wrong thing.

Definitely order in advance of any fitting to avoid issues. We had a friend fitting so wasn’t too bad as he was able to be flexible.

All in all - we could not have got this kitchen from one of the mainstream companies with the variety of units we have - pan drawers, drawers for plates, l shaped corner units, pull out larders, top box, ladder units, small sets of drawers for the money DIY kitchens cost.

It was also laquered mdf which I wanted as the wrapped I have seen peel in my mums kitchen.

We also asked a local independent and they couldn’t price match in our case but it’s always worth checking.
jessa61
5 år siden
Looks lovely, Thank you so much for taking the time to share
PRO
John Grantham
5 år siden
I’d go for wood. We have only had our mdf kitchen in six weeks and stream has already damaged the dish washer door ( its guaranteed but won’t cover the cost of changing it).
I found wren very expensive when they quoted us.
laurz84
Forfatter
5 år siden
That’s odd, my dishwasher has been in since May and it’s been fine.
Houzz-bruger-ID-622842452
3 år siden
Don’t knock Wren Units, when I bought mine in the early eighties I equipped utility room and Kitchen. Just changing everything around now with a Wren Kitchen. The units although now outdated are still in good condition,. Think twice before spending your hard earned cash

Gary Markham 2020.
GJ Dee
3 år siden
Thank you for the update. You sound very happy and your kitchen looks beautiful. I'm glad you got sorted in the end.
Laura
3 år siden
We have a painted wood kitchen from wren that’s been in 5 years. I love it. There are a couple of points where the paint colour is chipped, but that’ll be down to a toddler bashing a laundry basket/car/scooter into it.

I too read bad reviews about them but only about their fitters. We fitted ours ourselves.

We got it for a great price I think - £6k for similar number of units, solid oak worktops, dishwasher, sink, tap. We bought fridge and range master separately.

Howdens on the other hand I found hard work - they kept wanting to barter and just wouldn’t give a proper price. Kept saying they’d do us a deal but never produced one. We went into wren without producing any other quotes to them, they drew it up and asked what we thought, we said what’s the absolutely best deal you can do on this, 5 minutes later we’d bought it. No messing around
Sandi Robinson
3 år siden
Best new kitchen I ever had was fitted in a previous house was an Ikea kitchen. We employed a kitchen fitter who said it was the best kitchen he had fitted!
PRO
Ensign Accessories
3 år siden
I think I would concentrate more on the finish if I were you. There is another very long thread about gloss finish versus matt finish - the end result being that both surfaces are a nightmare to keep clean, unless you clean them each and every time they are used. However I have just noticed that this thread is 3 years old. Would love to see what you did instal in the end.
laurz84
Forfatter
3 år siden
It is in the posts above. DIY kitchens Matt mdf - they are easy to keep clean. It is a soft sheen type finish, lacquered mdf. Really happy with the end result
laurz84
Forfatter
3 år siden
We also did the utility room which is narrow. We used narrow depth base units and cut the backs off the larder type units. DIY kitchens has so much choice we didn’t need to compromise with our plans at all
luckyladyof3 X
3 år siden
Hi - the utility looks really good - would you be able to give a rough idea of what that run of units cost you, what it’s called etc. Thanks
laurz84
Forfatter
3 år siden
It’s DIY Kitchens Welton range but they have a few variations in the shaker style. I don’t know the cost as we bought the units all at the same time. The website has all the prices and is really easy to use. The whole kitchen and utility units including worktops cost under 6.5k
Justin Williams
3 år siden
Please please please do not use Wren. I used them for a big extension including a contemporary open kitchen with a large island. They let me down several times in deadlines, promises, the people. I would like
sorry to Howdens because i have used them for other houses and they have been excellent. I just liked the wren design and i got the right price but boy, what a mistake and the finish was rubbish. 3 years on there are still stuff i’m not happy and it annoys me to the point where i can’t wait to move
on to the next house. As you can see in the pics it’s looks fine but for the money you expect perfection.
PRO
John Grantham
3 år siden
Wren all day long. J pull flat pack. Same as mid range. Cost half the money. Got my own tops. Full kitchen with quartz tops 2400 breakfast bar, up stands and appliances £4000 plus £500 to fit. If your clever you can’t get better quality for the price.
Justin Williams
3 år siden
my experience was the opposite and Wren was appalling service AFTER buying! Howdens locally for us were excellent service and the price was similar. Both kitchen suppliers Appliances do deals but to be honest I get the best deals online for that.
88wj88
3 år siden
Used Wren design and got the units elsewhere, too many bad reviews and I didn’t want to take a chance on a kitchen. A kitchen is only as good as a great kitchen fitter !
Justin Williams
3 år siden
Yes and my kitchen fitter was good but if they don’t give the parts and takes up to 8 weeks and stops replying and offering any sort of customer service. Our Wren kitchen finished and it work effectively but the cost of finishing the kitchen and parts and trying to talk and resend bits back again caused more pain and money far more than just the cost of the kitchen. If your kitchen fitter is happy with that then it’s not your problem but my experience with Wren is clear: Be BuY aware 🤨🙄this was about between Howden vs Wren bit my kitchen fitter uses my company with Manhattan in Lancing for budget kitchen and Paula Rosa for upmarket units - same company.
Terri Simpkin
3 år siden
If its a choice between Wren and any other kitchen provider in the universe go with the other! I had nothing but trouble dealing with Wren. They were much more expensive, expected me to organise the individual contractors (tiler, plumber), the quotes from their nominated contractors came in AFTER I had the work completed by a Howdens specialist and had to chase them for months to get my 'fully refundable' deposit back. The Howdens contractor did everything from the design (picking up major design flaw in the Wren design) to the aftercare. I got solid wood doors and solid wood bench tops for less than what Wren quoted for cheaper options. He even came back and did some extra decorating work to finish the job off nicely. Dealing with Wren was a total nightmare.
Houzz-bruger-ID-515307
2 år siden
We used Jewsons and had a real wood (oak) doors. That was 13 years ago. We have recently painted the doors with Farrow and Ball Floor paint which provides a very hard wearing surface. Well worth the effort of primer, undercoat and 2 top coats. - most people think we've had a new kitchen - all we did was buy top quality paint and fit different handles. Cabinets show no sign of wear - replaced a few soft close hinges.