Where to buy a kitchen work surface

I need to buy a new work-surface/counter for my kitchen. I'm going to check out places like Toom, Obi, and Praktiker, but would also be interested in any recommendations for other stores. Preferably places reachable with public transport.

Any suggestions appreciated...

IKEA also do a pretty good range

Bauhaus on Landsbergerstr is very good. They carry a large range of worktops at good prices.

We got ours from Obi (I think) but got the bar top from Bauhaus.

from extensive (and thank eff it's over now) recent research, ikea do the cheapest bog standard kitchen worktop. you try getting it in any other width than 60cms though, arse.

We got our surface at OBI and had them cut it to size. When we got home it turned out that the surface was too wide. We went back and moaned at them, they remeasured and said it was spot-on. Turns out that our folding measuring stick was inaccurate ... But they cut a new surface free of charge and took back the other one with no problems. Good selection with matching borders for the edges.

Fine to go look, but these are bloody heavy, inconvenient things to carry on your average bus or SBahn back home

OBI at Lerchenauer Strasse is close to a stop for 173 and 174 which go to Olympiazentrum and 143 which eventually joins Studentenstadt.

Thanks for the tips, folks. I'll probably go and check them out at the weekend.


I'll either have it delivered or have the fitter pick it up for me...

Of course, as always, Ebay has a selection, some of whom will even ship to you...

Some of my advice, after fitting 4 kitchens...

Measure measure measure. Make sure everything is correct, and even then draw it on paper to give to the shop

If you dont have your own circular saw, make sure you use a DIY store that offers this service. They cut it far cleaner than most home DIY'ers ever can

Think about odd shapes or corners if they are included

P

Solid beech (well, strip-glued actually) worktop 2.46m x 0.60m x 0.02m EUR100,- @ IKEA, unbeatable I believe!

Incidentally: special deals @ V-Markt this week (or longer??): circular hand saw ("Mannesmann"): EUR39,-, circular table saw, including table: EUR89,-. Percussion drill EUR8,- or something crazy like that. Loads of other great tools & stuff on offer, worth to check out!

You didn't mention whether you just need the countertop or whether you need the whole cabinet setup. If you want an entire new counter complete with cabinets and work surface, I recommend the Ikea Varde modular kitchen. I just bought the three drawer wide component (which is, incidentally, a hell of a lot cheaper in the States), and a friend of mine has the one with lots of drawers. They're great for the purpose and look good, too. They're also easy-peasy to put together (no saw needed), though it does take some time.

Just the countertop. I'm replacing the existing one with a longer one, so will just buy a piece of the appropriate length and have it cut to fit the sink and oven hob that I already have.

I've done quite a study of Baumarkts while renovating my apartment...

I'd recommend Toom at Grillparzerstr. 20 - you can get there via S-Bahn (S8, S4, S2 Leuchtenbergring) and there is a Tram station, too.
When I bought mine, the prices for the kind I liked were a bit lower than at Obi. Also in general I had the impression that the employees at Toom were competent and helpful, quite different to my experience with Bauhaus and Obi.

I had a rather complicated cut job for them, and at Obi it was such a hassle to explain it to the guy that I gave up in frustration. The guy at Toom got it done, no problems.

That said, Bauhaus and Obi probably have a larger selection than Toom.

Bauhaus is quite easy to get to with the Tram, btw.

In the end I got the work-surface at Bauhaus and had it fitted by Huntcrest Services, who also removed the rest of my kitchen from my old apartment and refitted it in the new one.

Bauhaus pre-cut the work-surface pieces to fit the corner, and delivered to my front door.

They offered "Abladehilfe", at extra cost, for the delivery. I took that option expecting them to send a couple of people to bring it in for me. Turned out that it means the driver helps you bring it in, rather than just standing there and letting you do it on your own.

does anyone know what the different types of counter tops are called and their equivalent in English? the Ikea catalog talks a lot about acrylic and massivholz and quartzstein and laminat, but I cannot even think of what any of them back home are called. for some reason Formica comes to mind, but is that a brand?