Guide · The fitting
How long a kitchen takes, week by week
The KÜINA team · Updated October 11, 2026
The short answer
From the first showroom visit to a finished kitchen is 8 to 14 weeks. Most of that is manufacturing: 4 to 8 weeks from the order being placed. You will be without a kitchen for considerably less, 5 to 12 working days, which is how long the building work and fitting take.
The full calendar
| When | What happens | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Showroom visit, rough measurements and a first design | 1 to 2 days |
| Week 1–2 | Design adjustments and a firm quote | 3 to 7 days |
| Week 2–3 | Technical survey at your home, with the real plan | 1 day |
| Week 3 | Order signed and sent to the factory | — |
| Week 3–11 | Manufacture and shipping | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Week 10–11 | Building work: strip-out, plumbing, electrics, plastering | 3 to 7 days |
| Week 11–12 | Fitting the units | 2 to 4 days |
| Week 12 | Templating, cutting and fitting the worktop | 3 to 10 days between template and fit |
| Week 12–13 | Appliances, trims and snagging | 1 to 2 days |
The wide part of the range is almost always manufacturing and the worktop, not the fitting.
Where the time actually goes
- Deciding. Between the first visit and the signature there can be three weeks or three months. That part is in your hands.
- Stone, porcelain or quartz worktops. They cannot be cut until the units are in, because the template is taken off them. Between template and fitting is 3 to 10 days. It is why many kitchens are used for a week without a finished worktop.
- An unexpected find. A lead pipe, a wall that is not brick, wiring that will not take an induction hob. Add 2 to 5 days.
- Changing something after signing. A finish change once the order is in the factory can cost the whole lead time again.
How many days without a kitchen
| Type of refit | Days without a kitchen |
|---|---|
| Doors and worktop only | 2 to 3 days |
| New kitchen, same layout | 5 to 8 days |
| New kitchen, moving the sink or hob | 8 to 12 days |
| New kitchen, taking out a partition wall | 12 to 20 days |
It can almost always be shortened by keeping the fridge and microwave out of the work area and leaving the appliances until the last day.
What you can do to stop it dragging
- Finalise the design before asking for the final price. Every change restarts the clock.
- If you are supplying your own appliances, have them bought and measured before the technical survey.
- Ask the building management for permission if works notice is required: in some buildings that is a week of lead time.
- Decide the tile or panel colour before the work starts, not during it.
- Be reachable during fitting week. Half of all one-day delays are an unanswered phone call.
Questions we get asked
Can a kitchen be done in a month?
Only if the units come from a stocked range and the worktop is laminate, which can be cut the same day. With made-to-order units and a stone or porcelain worktop, no.
Can I live at home during the work?
Yes, in most cases. The awkward part is the two or three dusty days of strip-out and chasing. The practical answer is a temporary corner with a fridge, a microwave and a kettle in another room.
Why is it measured twice?
The first measurement is for designing and quoting. The technical survey happens with the old kitchen still in or already out, and it is what goes to the factory: that is where out-of-true walls, real ceiling heights and the position of services show up.
What if the factory runs late?
It happens. What you should insist on is being told as soon as it is known, not during fitting week, and that the fitting date is rescheduled in days, not hours.
Shall we look at it with your kitchen on screen?
An hour in the showroom, your kitchen on screen and the price fixed the same day. No commitment, and no follow-up calls unless you want them.
