How to Fit a Howdens Kitchen

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References

A Howdens kitchen can be a sleek, modern addition to your home, but it may not seem that way when it’s disassembled in your living space. Not to worry! Howdens offers in-depth instructions and bite-sized video tutorials to help you get the job done. While not a replacement for these official instructions and tutorials, the following questions and answers can help walk you through the project basics.

Things You Should Know

Howdens cabinets come in preassembled pieces, although you may need to install connecters, brackets, and jigs.
Attach the worktops to the cabinets before you install the drawers.
You should hear a clicking sound whenever you correctly connect a bracket, drawer, or worktop to a cabinet.
You can fit any appliances so long as there’s enough room for them, but Howdens also manufactures appliances of their own if you want to one-stop shop.

Question 1 of 7:

How long does it take to fit a Howdens kitchen?

The Howdens website doesn’t list an official time estimate. However, similar sources suggest that It takes about 3-5 days to fit a kitchen, with smaller kitchens possibly taking less time than that.^{[1]
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- While Howdens cabinets come pre-assembled, there’s a lot of extra assembly required before your kitchen is installed and ready to go.^{[2]
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Question 2 of 7:

What order do I fit the pieces?

Set up the worktops first, and then the drawers and towers. Your cabinets will already be assembled, so you don’t need to worry about modifying them. The provided installation manual will outline the specific brackets, joint connectors, jigs, and profiles that you need for your particular kitchen set.^{[3]
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- Profiles are the U-shaped, metal sections that help secure and connect your kitchen together. Brackets help attach these profiles to your cabinets, while joint connectors attach 2 profiles together.
- Brackets help connect drawers to external corners of your kitchen.
- You only need cabinet jigs if you decide to modify your own cabinets for a Howdens kitchen.

Question 3 of 7:

How do I set up the worktops?

Connect the worktop profile to the cabinet with special brackets. Arrange the 2 grooves of the bracket between the 2 grooves along the back of the worktop profile. Line up the profile and bracket along the curved, L-shaped portion of your cabinet. Then, drill two 4x30 mm screws into the top of the bracket to hold it in place.^{[4]
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- You’ll hear a clicking sound once the bracket attaches securely to the profile.

Question 4 of 7:

How do I set up the drawers?

Attach brackets to the back of your drawer profiles. Align the bracket along the back grooves of the drawer profile until you hear a clicking sound. Position the brackets next to the cabinet side panels—these are distinct, pre-cut openings designed to hold the drawer profiles. Drill two 4x30 mm screws into the sides of each bracket to hold them in place.^{[5]
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Question 5 of 7:

How do I set up the mid and end towers?

Secure brackets along the back of each mid and end tower profile. Press and click the 2 grooves of the bracket into the back grooves of the tower profile. Align the profile along the right side of the end tower. Then, attach 2 spacer rails to the left of each profile, using 1 screw to hold each rail in place.^{[6]
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- These spacer rails provide a gap between different sections of your kitchen.
- A standard tower will need 5 brackets on each profile, while a tall tower will need 6 brackets. Use 3.5x20 mm screws to hold both your brackets and spacer rails in place.
- The bracket is aligned along the edge of end tower profiles, and along the center of mid tower profiles.

Question 6 of 7:

How do I adjust the cabinets after I’ve fitted them?

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Adjust the cabinets with the adjustment brackets. These are the tan, rectangular components nestled in the upper left and right hand corners of your cabinets. Search for 2 screws on this bracket—1 will be on the front, and another will be on the bottom.^{[7]
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Turn the front screw to move the cabinet closer or further from the wall. Using a Philip’s head screwdriver, twist the front-facing screw clockwise to push the cabinet tighter against the wall.^{[8]
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Research source} To pull the cabinet away from the wall, turn the screwdriver counterclockwise.^{[9]
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Raise or lower the cabinets via the bottom screw. Lift your cabinet up slightly by turning this screw clockwise.^{[10]
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Research source} To bring the cabinet down, twist the screw counterclockwise.^{[11]
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Question 7 of 7:

What appliances can I fit in my Howdens kitchen?

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Ovens and microwaves fit in the kitchen tower. Choose to install a single oven or single microwave, or stack 2 double ovens on top of one another. If you’d like the best of both worlds, install a microwave on top of a single oven.^{[12]
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Dishwashers, refrigerators, and freezers fit under the worktop. Secure these appliances into place with metal rails, which go along the top of your appliances.^{[13]
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Install a single oven into the specially vented profile. Howdens calls this a Built Under Oven Housing profile, or BUOH, which includes built-in slots for oven venting. Then, secure the oven in place with 2 long, metal jointing plates, which go along the top of the appliance.^{[14]
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