INSTRUCTIONS FOR KNOCKING THROUGH THE TAP HOLE

You will need:

A 10mm Pin or Centre Punch

A Claw Hammer

Safety Goggles & Gloves

It is highly recommended that safety goggles and gloves are worn when knocking through the tap hole.

Position the pin punch on the surface of the sink over the centre of the part-drilled hole (please note that the red dot labels are for guidance only and do not give the exact centre of the tap hole).

Gently tap the punch with a claw hammer until a hole is punched through, and then continue tapping out the excess from around the hole, ensuring any rough or sharp edges are removed.

Next time you buy someone a gift, why not kill two birds with one stone by buying your loved ones a gift they will enjoy that can also be used to improve your home’s appearance?

Those who enjoy DIY will appreciate DIY gifts because their present will last longer than their birthday, anniversary or Christmas Day and will give them something to look forward to. There are so many DIY projects that can be done around your home, from the big to the small, and they all help in the maintenance and appearance of your home. These projects can also be very simple with all the DIY kits available today, but there is no lack of more complicated DIY projects for those looking for a challenge! This wide choice and range of DIY projects make DIY gifts suitable for people of all ages.

DIY gifts to decorate the house

The arty, crafty and creative may love getting a DIY gift to decorate their home. Here are a few ideas of what to buy for a DIY gift:

Some pretty material that can be used to make curtains in various rooms around the house, as well as all the necessary instructions and tools that are needed to make them. Choosing this kind of gift can be tricky, so you might want to find out exactly what kind of tastes the gift receiver has and maybe even drop some hints to find out what they would like to see in their home.

Paint, paint brushes and all the other necessary equipment for the gift receiver to give their home a fresh, new coat of paint wherever it is needed. Again, try to find out what colours, patterns etc. they like.

Seeds or colourful pot plants for house plants. Even better, buy plain pot plants that can be decorated and throw in some paint and other decorative items.

Equipment to make hanging accessories for the kitchen, bathroom or elsewhere in the home. For example, bathroom racks for toothbrushes and toothpaste or kitchen racks for spices or utensils.

Plain boxes that can be decoupaged or painted and used for items around the home, e.g. coffee and tea containers.

Something for the kids – plain curtain material or tiles around the house that can be painted on. This way, your kids can feel proud to be a part of your home’s interior decorating and your memories of them will be a part of the home for a long time.

If you’re a bit nervous to leave your decorating scheme in the hands of your children, you could give them something a little smaller to work on, such as plain fridge magnets.

DIY gifts to fix up and improve the home

If you know someone who loves getting their hands dirty around the house and is constantly finding something that they think needs fixing, then help them to cheerfully improve and fix up their home with a DIY gift, such as:

New taps that can be installed in the kitchen or bathroom, such as a pull out kitchen tap, a kitchen mixer tap or a bathroom basin mixer tap. Other options include shower heads and bath taps.

Supply them with all the necessary instructions and equipment to make built-in cupboards. You can even do the measurements yourself and get the right sizes yourself.

Use those colourful tiles your kids proudly made and lay them down yourself on your kitchen floor, shower floor or elsewhere around your home.

Equipment to sand down and shine wooden surface of chairs and tables and perhaps paint for a fresh, new look.

Give them whatever they need to make their very own kitchen island and even provide them with various add-ons to improve the beauty and functionality of the island.

Equipment to make a cabinet for their television or stereo, or shelves for a CD and DVD rack or wine bottle rack (and throw in a bottle of wine to get them started!)

DIY gifts for the chefs of the house

If your loved one enjoys spending time in the kitchen, then give them something that will help make their cooking and baking experiences more enjoyable.

For example, a splashback they can install, a rack that can be hung up and used to hold their recipe book open or cutlery and crockery that they can decorate themselves with beads or paint etc.

DIY gifts are useful for a number of reasons – they last longer than a birthday or Christmas Day, they occupy a person’s time for longer, they can have sentimental value and they maintain and improve homes. Finally, they are suitable for anyone of any age who enjoys a bit of DIY, so if you’re struggling to think of the perfect gift for your mother, wife, sister, father, husband or brother, a DIY gift could be your answer.

Chrome taps have been around for nearly 100 years and are very popular in today’s modern world for a number of reasons. The popularity of chrome has spread to other uses, such as appliance handles like those found in refrigerators, lighting fixtures, expensive toys etc.

One of the hardest metals in the world, chrome is not useful as a solid, pure substance. Instead, a thin layer or plating of chrome is applied to other solid objects which are usually made of steel, aluminium, brass, copper, plastic or stainless steel. Chrome plating is number one in the metal plating industry.

Chrome bathroom and kitchen taps have become popular because they are, depending on their quality, scratch resistant, corrosion resistant, easy to clean and maintain and less difficult to assemble.

Not only is chrome the most durable finish, but it is also an excellent design choice. Their glossy nature makes the bathroom or kitchen appear cleaner and adds a sense of class to the atmosphere, yet at the same time, chrome taps are a simple and common choice. Chrome plating can create several different styles and designs.

Chrome taps can fit in with any design. They can blend in with earthy browns or amber tones, create layers of colour in dark blue or black colour schemes and they can simply add brightness to a room and give it a shiny, modern look. The simple touch of chrome taps can instantly make a kitchen or bathroom look more attractive.

The best way to clean chrome taps is to simply use soap. One needs to be aware that applying chemicals or abrasive materials might do more harm than good as these chemicals may expunge the chrome plating.

A. Using outline of the sink bowl as a template, cut out a hole in the counter in the position that you want install the sink.
B. Make evenly placed holes in the underside of the counter for the screw plugs.
C. Apply a generous line of silicone sealer (available from all hardware stores) around the underside of the edge of the counter cut out.
D. Position the sink in place and hold it there, you will need an extra pair of hands for this.
E. Insert the screws and fastening plates into the counter and tighten by hand to secure the sink in place.
Here is a link to a related article showing the use of the fixing screws

When choosing what type of material to use on your kitchen floor, a low level of maintenance and durability are often high on the list of requirements. Other factors include ease of installation, longevity, current kitchen flooring, the height of the flooring, safety of children and the elderly who might access the kitchen, pets in the home, availability of different colours and patterns, the amount of traffic in the kitchen and more. Once you decide what you need out of your kitchen floor, it will become easier to choose a suitable material.

Ceramic tile is a popular choice of kitchen flooring. Able to suit any kitchen design style, it comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours and doesn’t require much maintenance. Laying ceramic tiles can be a DIY job but only if plenty care is taken to space tiles evenly. There are different types of ceramic tiles. Quarry and terra-cotta tiles are unglazed clays but can be glazed for a more refined look. Quarry tiles suit larger, elegant kitchens but are more expensive. Terra-cotta tiles are one of the oldest tiles and give off a rustic, weathered look. Both these tiles need sealing to prevent stains. There are also mosaic tiles, which resist moisture and do not chip as easily, and porcelain tiles, which are strong and hard and resemble natural stone.

Any ceramic tile can be glazed or unglazed. Glazed tiles are available in high-gloss, matte and abrasive slip-resistant finishes. A high-gloss finish is not a good choice for kitchen floors however, as tiles will then become slippery when wet and may cause accidents.

You can create visual interest in your kitchen by using different shapes and sizes of tiles and laying them in different ways. Larger tiles add interest but can be overpowering so are better in bigger kitchens. Larger tiles also make a room look less busy. Lighter and neutral shades of tiles give an impression of light and space in a room. Placing tiles on a diagonal instead of a grid can look attractive.

When buying tiles, it is advisable that you buy extra in case tiles chip or crack.

Not as sleek as ceramic tiles but ideal for high traffic areas, durable, practical and natural-looking, is stone flooring. Stone comes in a mostly untreated state so there are often variations in texture and tone. There are different types of stone available to choose from, including slate, limestone, granite and marble.

Stone floors require some level of maintenance. They must be periodically (every three to five years) treated with a sealant. They can be cleaned with a mild, non-acidic cleaning product. Stone can be slippery and dangerous and cold to the touch. To combat this, you can use mats and rugs in work areas. Light-coloured grout in between stone tiles will show dirt. It is also advisable to have extras in your home in case they chip. Stone flooring is expensive but should last a lifetime.

Also expensive are hardwood floors, but the results are worth it. Wood flooring can make a kitchen look beautiful and can add value to the home. They are resilient and become more charming with age. Some wood floors are even given an aged finish to achieve this look. Hardwood floors are durable and need only sweeping or vacuuming and occasionally need to be cleaned with a wood floor cleaner.

This flooring works with all kinds of designs, from traditional to modern, and is available in several types of woods. A popular choice of wood is oak for traditional and rustic-styled kitchens, maple and cherry give off an elegant look, ash, beech and birch are modern. Other types include walnut, mahogany and pecan. Soft wood, like pine with its country-style charm, can be used as well but damages more easily.

Wood flooring comes in planks, strips and parquet (individual squares which make up a geometric pattern). Using shorter boards in strip flooring can make a kitchen look larger. You can create your own style with wood flooring as they can be sanded and stained to suit your tastes. This is helpful if you decide to change the look of your kitchen floor in the future.

However, hardwood flooring is expensive, might need refinishing if they become scuffed and scratched (especially with softer wood) and can be noisy to walk on. You can make use of mats and rugs to combat the noise level, make it a little warmer and cushion possible falls.

To get the look of wood but pay less, opt for laminate flooring which closely resembles wood, stone or marble. Made up of multiple layers, laminate flooring includes a hard plastic top layer on top of thin, resin layer which has a photographic imprint of wood. Laminate is also scratch-resistant, much easier to install and can often be laid over an existing floor. It is, however, hard to walk on and cannot be sanded.

Commonly found in kitchens are vinyl floors, which are available in sheets or tiles. Vinyl in tile form with self-stick backs can be easily installed but are more susceptible to water damage. Vinyl is popular because it is resilient, durable, easy to install, easy to maintain, cost-effective when compared to other materials and comes in a range of styles.

There are two types of vinyl; standard and inlaid. Inlaid vinyl, instead of having its colour and pattern printed on one sheet as in standard vinyl, has its colour and pattern go throughout the flooring, giving it richer colour and making any wear less noticeable. Vinyl flooring with a thick urethane wear layer offers the most shine and the greatest stain resistance.

Vinyl flooring needs only sweeping and mopping. It resists scuffs and stains and water does not discolour the floor. However, with vinyl flooring, spills must be cleaned quickly to avoid stains. It is stain-resistant but not stain-proof. Also to look out for is poor installation which may cause the floor to peel up and denting caused by pointed heels.

Concrete can also be used in kitchen floors. They are available in a range of colours, from the standard to the more daring. It is as durable as tile and stone and does not require a sealer to prevent staining, but it can be dangerous if accidents occur in the kitchen.

Environmentally-friendly kitchen flooring is gaining in popularity, such as cork and bamboo. Linoleum is making a comeback as an eco-friendly product as well and looks especially good in retro-styled kitchens. Often confused with vinyl because it also comes in sheet form, instead linoleum is made from natural materials and can come in plain or decorative patterns, including ones that resemble marble.

Linoleum is quiet, smooth, elastic, comfortable, durable, not easily dented, inexpensive and not damaged by fats, oils and greases, but it doesn’t have as many colours and patterns as vinyl and can be damaged by standing water.

No matter what flooring you choose for your kitchen, be sure to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning and maintenance. In this way, your kitchen flooring can last for years.

Not everyone will place an importance on lighting or expect that changing the lighting of an area will make much difference to a room, but in reality, lighting often forms a big part of interior design.

A good lighting scheme can improve a room’s design and make it more aesthetically pleasing. In kitchen design, lighting is important not only for the overall appearance of the area, but also to provide well-lit areas for preparing and cooking a meal.

There are three main types of kitchen light. Using more than one type and creating different colours and textures, can enhance the kitchen greatly and can also produce various effects in the kitchen.

Ambient light creates a soft, warm glow that softens shadows and makes the kitchen seem more inviting.

Accent lighting, as the name implies, accentuates the kitchen and adds depth and dimension to the whole area. It also reduces contrasts and fills in shadows. Accent lighting is usually low voltage and can be used to highlight beautiful pieces in the kitchen, such as delicate china, an indoor fountain or wine collection.

Task lighting is very important as it is provides much needed light for preparing and cooking a meal as well as for other activities that may occur in the kitchen, such as reading, children’s homework etc. It is essential that your kitchen worktop surface is well lit.

In many kitchens, an island is used as the work area. Hanging fixtures or pendant lights are best suited for islands. These lights can liven up the whole kitchen. As they are very often luxuriously and elegantly designed, they provide the kitchen with beauty as well. While providing concentrated light directly onto the island’s surface, pendant type lights often come with dimmer switches, allowing them to be adjusted. Homeowners can transform their island from a well-lit work area to a cosily lit dining table at will. They are available in many different designs and styles so they can suit all types of kitchens, from traditional to contemporary.

Task lighting can also be achieved with under cabinet lighting, which illuminates shadowy counter surfaces. Mounted on the underside of high cabinets, they provide low voltage light that eliminates shadows in the kitchen. Many varieties are easy to conceal in the shallow recess on the bottom of the cabinets. There are three types of under cabinet lighting. Linear shaped bulbs known as strip fixtures are the most common. Puck or disc lights create softer, more attractive lighting but are not as well suited for work purposes. Track systems can consist of miniature low-voltage halogen or xenon bulbs. Xenon bulbs cost about the same as halogens but last up to 10 000 hours (while halogen last about 2 000 hours).

Under cabinet lighting is a must for homeowners with kitchen countertops made from marble, granite or any stone product as these materials look wonderful when hit with a direct beam of light.

Decorative lighting can also be used in the kitchen, but homeowners need to be careful not to overdo it. Lighting inside cabinets, for example, can illuminate glassware on display.

Put more thought into your lighting scheme to improve your kitchen’s design by combining natural light with other types of lighting fixtures. Use lighting to create an ambience that will suit the occasion and set the mood.

sink under installation profile

sink inset installation profile

sink inset installation profile 2

Here are diagrams showing how to use the fixing clips that we provide with our various sinks.

Kitchen mixer tap 56187

Most kitchen taps and some bathroom taps feature convenient swivel spouts.
These taps usually have rubber orings and a nylon bush in the spout for water seal and swivel action. To maintain good spout swivel action try the following:
- Turn off the water supply to the tap
- remove the spout (normally held in place by a grub screw at the back)
- clean the exposed part of the spout and the open hole where it came out of
- apply some vaseline to the orings and nylon bush.
- Replace the spout

Bath tap 6103a

Your worktop surface is a big part of your kitchen design and with so many choices available these days, different materials can create different looks in your kitchen.

The various materials range in price and how much maintenance is needed. They also each have their advantages and disadvantages. Most of the materials come in a wide range of textures and colours.

Laminates has been around a long time, is still the cheapest, is durable, has the widest range of surface material to choose from and therefore can satisfy a variety of designs, and its smooth surface is easy to maintain. However, scratches and chips are very difficult if not impossible to repair, and the end finishing and front edge choices can be expensive.

Wood countertops are very popular, look beautiful and have a variety of designs, such as Butcher’s Block or Single Wide Stave. They are easy to clean, smooth, can be sanded and resealed if needs be and can be given a more polished look by treating it every few months. Wood countertops can be damaged by water and stains over time and scratches must be oiled or sealed. Some chefs might choose not to prepare food on wooden countertops due to hygienic reasons, but research shows that wood is no more dangerous than plastic alternatives and in some cases, better, as the bacteria eventually dies. Wood also contains an antibacterial agent.

Natural stones are used on kitchen worktops, such as granite, limestone, marble, soapstone and slate. Often, the initial countertop fabrication takes place at or near where the stone originates and therefore there is no need to ship waste material and it takes less time to prepare clients’ orders. Different details can be pre-machined by the fabricator which allows installation of different sinks and cooker designs.

Not many homeowners choose granite for their kitchen worktop due to its high cost but its beauty makes any kitchen look incredibly elegant and it can last a lifetime. Granite is almost impossible to damage and new sealers ensure almost no maintenance at all. Using granite in your kitchen can even raise your home’s value.

Soapstone counters has a rich, generally dark gray, colour and can create a look of luxury, which makes sense considering it is one of the most expensive materials. However soapstone kitchen worktops is a good investment as they are built to last, are extremely heat resistant and can outlive passing trends. Stone and slate can create a streamlined kitchen. There is still a level of maintenance required. Soapstone needs to be treated regularly with mineral oil.

Another expensive choice, marble is not often seen consistently in a kitchen but is usually used in certain parts only, such as on an island. It is heatproof and looks beautiful but requires constant maintenance as it stains easily, is porous, can scratch and may need resealing periodically.

Being man-made (from approximately 95% natural quartz and 5% polymer resins), engineered stone is expensive but it is often difficult to tell the difference between the real thing and this synthetic version. They are more scratch resistant and less porous than natural quartz surfaces and they are easy to maintain without the annual sealing that real stone requires.

Using a solid surface as your worktop enables any scratches to be sanded out, can create a seamless look in your kitchen, is stain resistant and made to your specifications. However, it can be vulnerable to heat and expensive.

The professional chef’s choice, stainless steel counters can have a contemporary or an industrial look, are durable, heat resistant, can be made into a seamless countertop including the sink, is easy to clean and can last a lifetime if good quality. It does have disadvantages, though, such as being pricey, noisy and possibly denting. You can’t cut on stainless steel counters and they eventually lose their shine and become covered in fine scratches. Over time, however, this can create a worn, attractive look.

Concrete suits countertops of unusual shapes as they are often cast in your very own kitchen – the concrete is poured on-site, polished, finished and sealed. Concrete as a high degree of customization because it fills a specific form with a fluid material which hardens to a durable cast stone. Tinting concrete in different colours, edge styles, three-dimensional sculpting and decorative embedments can all be incorporated. Concrete countertops are also heat and scratch resistant. Problems with using concrete include that it can be expensive and can crack, but new treatments can eliminate cracking. Concrete is also porous but additives reduce porosity.

You can also use ceramic or porcelain tiles on your kitchen worktop. This material works well with a more traditional or rustic look. Ceramic tile is durable, easy to clean, inexpensive, heat resistant and installed a section at a time. If the counter surface is uneven, tiles can easily chip or crack and a lot of maintenance is required as grout lines become stained. You can get custom-designed tiles but these are more expensive. You could also decide to get darker tiles with matching dark grout. Porcelain tiles work well for tougher surfaces.

Corian, a man-made product, can also be used to create one long streamlined worktop. It is a solid surfacing material and comes in various colours and textures, some which can mimic plastic or other materials. It is said to be heat and stain resistant. If there is a stain or scratch, it can be sanded out, and new pieces can replace damaged ones if needs be.

While these are some of the main materials used for kitchen worktops, there are other options as well. This leaves homeowners with a wide variety to choose from, however factors such as the cost of the material and what kind of look you would like to create in your kitchen will help you to narrow down your choices.

The kitchen often receives the most traffic in the house, whether you’re eating a meal there, making a guest a cup of coffee or just talking to your family or friends. If you make meals for your family, you’ll spend even more time in the kitchen, so it’s important that you and your guests feel comfortable.

Layout

When designing your kitchen then, the first thing you need to think about is what space you have to work with and how all the different elements will fit together. There needs to be enough room for people to move around easily and so that you have enough space while you are preparing a meal.

This is where experts will talk about the “Golden Triangle” which refers to how you position the three things you use most in your kitchen (usually the cooker, fridge and sink). The theory states that these elements must have enough space between them so that there is enough room for you to work in. These work areas are supposed to be no more than 3 metres apart.

A streamlined kitchen

When it comes to the look of your kitchen, streamlining surfaces create a neat and sleek looking kitchen and can free up space, which will allow you to move around easier as well. By hiding away appliances, in drawers or behind doors, the kitchen appears tidy and clean. You can even make cupboard handles disappear with invisible angled ‘finger pulls’.

To hide away cutlery and crockery, you will need enough storage space. Drawers maximise storage space, with deeper drawers suitable for pots and pans and wider drawers suitable for cutlery.

Another option for storage is warming and cooling drawers, which often have stainless steel interiors and removable bins. You can even find in-drawer microwaves!

For a storage space that adds an antique element to your design, you can use freestanding pieces like hutches or armoires.

You can use your walls creatively too by mounting cookbook holders for your recipe books or installing a wine rack. You can also hang utensils from a splashback – a vertical covering on a wall behind a sink or above a work surface which protects the walls and also decorates it. A splashback can be composed of various materials, such as glass, metal or ceramic tiles.

To stick to a streamlined-styled kitchen, you could have your splashback in the same material as your benchtop. Or if you’d like to create a point of visual interest, you can make your splashback stand out with a different colour or texture.

Many kitchens nowadays include islands, many of which have excellent storage spaces. Different islands serve different purposes, for example a cooking centre or an entertainment hub (with a beverage centre or wine refrigerator) as an island can become a social area in your kitchen. If you are uncertain about using an island or are remodelling your kitchen, a table as an island will be your best option as you can move it around. Always important to consider with an island is enough space between the island and the other appliances and enough room for a walkway.

Style and colour

Choosing the style of your kitchen can be a difficult decision as there are so many different kinds, from French country or English cottage to rustic, Victorian or Tuscan. Then you consider mixing and matching your styles or blending traditional with contemporary styles. To help make your decision, decide if you’d like something classic or modern.

If you want a change for your kitchen, but something less drastic, a simple change of colour might be just the answer. Colour instantly brings life to dull kitchens and can improve your kitchen’s look completely without costing a great deal. There are many different options of colour as well as different materials.

Painting your cabinets makes the biggest statement as they usually occupy a major part of a kitchen. Walls can get a new look by installing new tiles or you can add a splash of colour through bright curtains. However, instead of looking at these elements separately, it’s a good idea to create a look where the cabinets, walls and curtains work together.

Many people agree that colour impacts your mood and affects how comfortable you feel in your environment. This year, experts have agreed on the colour trends as being creamy neutrals, veiled violets, greys, greens and bold turquoise.

When deciding what colour scheme you want to use, look at the colour wheel, find out about colour categories and learn about hues and shades, warm versus cool colours. Think about what kind of look you are going for and what emotions you want to inspire. Do you want something classic and neutral or do you want something that will stand out and make a statement?

Often, people prefer to use the classics – neutral colours like your whites and creams, while others prefer darker tones. These can make an impact but can be overwhelming in smaller kitchens, so you might want to use bolder colours in certain parts of your kitchen, like the bottom row of cabinetry or in splashbacks. You could have cabinets, countertops and walls that match and then create a focal point somewhere else in your kitchen with a bold, contrasting colour.

Don’t forget about adding other design elements too, such as hanging crockery and cutlery, flowers, vases, bar stools and different kinds of lights.

Lighting

Lighting is also important to consider as different lighting can affect colours differently. Instead of having a uniform lighting plan, you can use cabinet lighting, spotlights above cooking and dining areas and ceiling lights with dimmers. Diffused light and using lights and shadows can make a kitchen look more attractive.

After first thinking seriously about what space you have in your kitchen and how you will lay out the different elements, you can start to have fun with the design of your kitchen. It will take some time, but by the end of the design process, your kitchen, if not brand new, will definitely look it!