How Long Does a Kitchen Fitting Take? A Realistic Timeline for Liverpool Homes
"How long will it take" is usually one of the first questions people ask, and it's a fair one, a kitchen fit means no cooking, no sink, and often no floor for a while. The honest answer is that it depends heavily on what's being done, but for a typical full kitchen replacement in an average-sized room, two to three weeks is a realistic range, with some stages able to run in parallel and others that simply can't be rushed.
Before Anything Gets Ripped Out
Getting the timeline right starts before the fit even begins. Kitchen Fitters Liverpool can talk through what's involved for your specific kitchen and flag anything, like old wiring or unusual pipework, that might add time once the room's stripped back.
Week One: Strip Out and First Fix
The first few days are usually the most disruptive, old units, worktops, and sometimes flooring come out, and any first-fix electrical and plumbing work happens, moving sockets, capping off old pipe runs, running new cables for things like under-cabinet lighting or a new cooker position. If walls are being replastered or the floor needs levelling, that tends to happen here too, and plaster in particular needs time to dry properly before anything gets fixed to it, which is one of the few stages that genuinely can't be sped up by throwing more people at it.
How This Compares to a Renovation Checklist
We've put together a broader homeowner's checklist for what happens during a kitchen renovation, and the timeline here follows roughly the same order: strip out, first fix, units, then second fix and finishing. Where the timeline can stretch is if any of those checklist items turn up surprises, most commonly with electrics or plumbing that doesn't match what was expected once walls are opened up.
Week Two: Units and Appliances
This is usually where the kitchen starts looking like a kitchen. Base units go in first, followed by wall units, then worktops are templated, this is often a separate visit for stone or quartz worktops, since they're templated after the base units are fixed in place and then cut off-site, with a wait of several days to a week before they're fitted. In the meantime, appliances can often be connected and tested, and tiling (if there is any) usually happens once worktops are in.
Week Three: Second Fix and Finishing
The final stretch covers second-fix electrics (switches, sockets, lighting going live), plumbing connections for the sink, dishwasher, and any other water-using appliances, and the finishing details, handles, trim, doors being hung and adjusted, final decoration touch-ups. This stage often feels like it drags slightly compared to the visible progress of week two, but it's where most of the things that determine how the kitchen actually functions day to day get sorted.
What Stretches the Timeline
Bespoke or made-to-measure elements, stone worktops being the most common example, add lead time that's largely outside the fitter's control, since they're produced by a separate supplier. Older properties can also throw up surprises once walls or floors are opened, outdated wiring that needs updating to meet current standards, or floor joists that need attention before new flooring goes down. None of this is unusual, but it's worth knowing it's a possibility rather than being caught off guard by it partway through.
Living Without a Kitchen
For most of the fit, especially weeks one and two, the kitchen won't be usable for cooking. Setting up a temporary arrangement somewhere else in the house, a kettle, microwave, and a folding table goes a long way, makes the middle stretch considerably more manageable. By week three, the sink and at least one appliance are usually back in service even if finishing work is still ongoing.
FAQ
Q: How long does a typical kitchen fit take? A: For a full kitchen replacement in an average-sized room, two to three weeks is typical, though this depends on the scope of work and whether any unexpected issues come up once the room is stripped back.
Q: Can I still use my kitchen during the fit? A: Generally not for cooking during the first one to two weeks. Many households set up a temporary cooking space elsewhere (kettle, microwave, folding table) for this period.
Q: Why do stone worktops take longer than other parts of the fit? A: Stone worktops are templated after the base units are fitted, then cut off-site by a separate supplier, which typically adds several days to a week before they're ready to install.
Q: What can cause a kitchen fit to take longer than expected? A: The most common causes are bespoke elements with their own lead times (like stone worktops) and surprises found once walls or floors are opened, such as outdated wiring or issues with the sub-floor.
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