Bricodepot kitchen: cheap, but you can feel it

Bricodepot kitchen: cheap, but you can feel it

Is a Bricodepot kitchen worth it for renovating a 4 or 5 metre front without breaking the bank? The answer that comes from accumulated experience is uncomfortable: the price is unbeatable, the quality falls short. In a corner kitchen renovation of that size, the initial saving can be real, but the outlay doesn't end with the cabinets. Assembly and delivery are the items that tip the balance, and the figures mentioned in the conversation leave little room for surprises.

How much does kitchen assembly cost

The figure that weighs most isn't the cabinet, but the installation. A quote from a big-box store for assembly comes to around 500 euros, plus about 100 euros for delivery. Against that, the range for a basic installation —without touching plumbing, water, gas or electricity beyond the essentials— sits between 200 and 300 euros.

The difference is no small matter when the goal is to squeeze the budget. And there's a factor that appears in no brochure: family labour. Having a father-in-law willing to install it for free completely changes the equation, though it brings that vague guilt of taking advantage of someone who has already done more than their share. It's the emotional fine print of every low-cost renovation.

Kitchen cabinet quality: Bricodepot vs Ikea and Leroy Merlin

The direct comparison with the budget ranges from Ikea and Leroy Merlin doesn't reflect well on the French-owned warehouse. The feel to the touch is worse, and for a cabinet that gets peine and closed dozens of times a day, that's an indicator not to be dismissed. The reasonable doubt is whether that difference in feel translates into premature breakdowns; nobody in the conversation offers a case of a kitchen falling apart after two years, but nobody rushes to defend it with enthusiasm either.

Where there is evidence of fragility is in other products from the same store: very cheap showers and bathroom furniture that break easily. The pattern repeats itself. Low price, short lifespan. In Ikea's case, on the other hand, it's acknowledged that the plywood isn't bad quality, a nuance that separates the two business models.

Kitchen doors: formica, PVC or lacquered

The cabinet shell is almost the least of it: the decision that determines durability lies in the door. Formica holds up well, it's heat-resistant, but it gives up on design and stays flat. PVC opens up a wider range of finishes, though it suffers with moisture and heat, doesn't get along with chemicals and can't be scrubbed without leaving marks. Wood and lacquer are for different budgets and tastes.

In that territory, Bricomart appears as an alternative with good prices on carcasses and formica doors, with few PVC models but at a good price. The cabinet structure, in the budget ranges, tends to look too similar across brands: standard or moisture-resistant chipboard, not much else.

Countertop: silestone, granite or wood

The countertop is bought elsewhere, and the advice there is counterintuitive. Modern surfaces that imitate stone charge as if they were stone and don't always are: according to a homemade test described in the conversation, throwing a coin hard leaves a mark on the modern one but not on the stone one. Hence the recommendation to visit a stone factory and compare prices before signing.

Granite is the choice for those watching their wallet. Wood, even cheaper, has defenders for durability with care, though it comes with segarro logistics problems: a single piece that doesn't fit in the lift and ends up going up the stairs to a top-floor flat. With that track record, silestone gains ground for those who don't want surprises.

In the end, the Bricodepot kitchen is that purchase that adds up on paper but creaks to the touch. Cheap, yes. Segarro, certainly not.