Flood Resilient Kitchens & more...

Let's start by getting all the preconceived ideas about floodproof interiors out of the way

• They are ugly
• The solutions are expensive
• They won't work in my property
• They are too complicated
• It won't make any difference to my insurance premiums

And the reasons why they are not issues.

• They are ugly - You'd have to agree that the above picture is of a good looking contemporary kitchen, that would look good in anyone's home. Besides the fittings and fixtures that are visible, a lot of the measures will go unnoticed behind walls, in cavities and under floors that will look no different to conventional building materials. Their impact on how the building survives subsequent floods will be VERY NOTICEABLE, however.
• The solutions are expensive - They are (slightly) more expensive than cheap doors, plasterboard* and chipboard kitchen units*, but if they survive multiple floods, then how do they stack up? Remember also that the cost of repairing your home is not just the cost of replacing the components. It also includes 1) the cost of stripping out the property, 2) drying the property, 3) disposing of the damaged interior, and 4) the costs of labour for the umpteenth time.
• They won't work in my property - They work in all properties and not just homes. The solutions we are going to discover in this newsletter are suitable for homes, shops, schools, workshops, factories, and every other building function you can think of.
• They are too complicated - They certainly need to be installed according to the manufacturer's specifications, with a lot of "attention to detail" and with some added preliminary measures, but nothing about flood resilient repairs is rocket science.
• It won't make any difference to my insurance premiums - Maybe, maybe not. What they will achieve, though, is a rapid return to trading or your home, life and a huge reduction in stress and mental health issues. Insurers are becoming more open to "betterment" or resilient repairs, and as long as you can prove the veracity of the installed solutions, you should be able to shop around and find some lower premiums and deductibles.

*I asterixed a few items as we will be coming back to those in a while.

The reason we are talking about floodproof kitchens is that the vast majority installed in homes these days have a chipboard carcass; even the up market ones.

These chipboard carcasses fall apart when saturated and have to be replaced in their entirety.

Floodproof kitchen cabinets come in a few styles - stainless steel, composite engineered timber (e.g. Accoya), plastic (UPVC), composites, and hardwood.

Stainless Steel kitchens...

... are often found in commercial settings in restauarnts, hotels, bars, etc., and they are very resilient to repeated flooding with good cleaning after any flood events

They can look good in a home but are more liekly to be found in a commercial setting

Plastic (PVC) kitchen units...

... are not all the same. Choose foam filled panels using closed-cell foams and not the cheaper hollow boards, that will fill with water.

*Whilst we are looking at this picture, another point to note is to try to avaoid putting the white goods below counter level. If your kitchen layout allows these should all be raised above the metre high level of your countertop.

*Another point to note from the top picture of a kitchen installed in a flood prone house is the use of drawers in the base units. For low level floodin(less than 1 metre) this allows the drawers and contents to be lifted above the flood level to protect them and their contents

Hardwood & Engineered Timber (Accoya) Kitchens

They will look the same but the Accoya kitchen will have a much better longevity than a hardwood variety. Hardwoods, especially oak and teak, are very hardwearing but they can suffer from staining and would be more durable if treated with a high quality marine varnish.

Accoya and other engineered woods will survive multiple flood events with little to no damage

Composite Kitchens

A couple of brands to look at from Europe, that address the real heart of the issue...

... It's all about the Caracasses

If your carcasse is floodproof then the choice of drawer fronts and doors become a simple matter of style and budgets.

They can be cheap and sacrificial (throw away), high quality durable solutions that will survive a flood (as per above choices) or, be removable so they can be stored above the flood level

This follows the FloodRecover3R process to the letter (Replace, Repair, or Recoverable)

And the finished article

FloodCabs...

... is all about the (WCB) board and along with a patented sealing system they can be made into floodproof cabinets of all shapes and sizes. Then fit your choice of drawer fronts and doors

A handy price and materials chart is included below but before I go let's get back to those asterixed items.

*Plasterboard and chipboard kitchen cabinets.

I hope by this stage you know not to choose chipboard for your floodproof kitchen, but a reminder that even that high priced kitchen you are lloking at probably has chipboard under all that veneer. Ask questions, or choose from the list above

Plasterboard. It is pountless going to all the trouble of installing a floodproof kitchen if teh wall behind the cabintes is not also proodproof.

Choose manganese oxide boards (e.g. Dragonboard) or use a WCB as above instead of plasterboard. I am not a fan of cement boards as they are water resitent NOT flood resistent, and they will need to be replaced.

Dragonbaord and WCB are more expensive than plasterboard (it's a volume thing) but if budgets are tight and flood levels are around 1 metre then install these boards horizontally behind the cabinets and continue with plasterboard above the flood line

AND FINALLY

These are just cabinets (actually boards).

They are not restricted to kitchens and they will make ideal flood replacement items in offices, shops, workshops, hospitals, dentists, cleanrooms, et al.

So you can dream of your ideal good looking floodproof cabinetry for all for flood prone building fixtures and fittings.

Happy shopping! Do ask if you need more information