Kitchen Plinth Weirdness

[Spinny]

Kitchen fitter has done the plinths and completely unexpectedly and never previously communicated, has routed the bottom edge of all the plinths (which had finished board edges anyway) and inserted a sealing strip - see photos. On asking what this is I have been told it is a water seal to stop liquid running under the plinth.

 

Really not sure what I think of this. Don't like it aesthetically, will it get dirty over time ?, is it really necessary at all ?, is it just a crafty way of dealing with uneven floors ?

We lived in our old kitchen (fitted by previous owner in late 1980's) for 30 years and never had a problem with the plinths which didn't have anything like this ?

 

Is this normal now ? Can I, should I reject it ? Anyone else got this type of thing ?

[-rick-]

My (now old) kitchen has this. Believe they are fairly common. I didn't even know they were there until I had to remove the plinth. Can you see them when standing up?

 

It may be your old kitchen was made with more solid wood. With Particle Board you really want to stop any dampness as it will swell up like a balloon at the slightest provocation.

[Mr Punter]

I have seen the plinth seals that wrap around the bottom edge.  They are friction fit and could be replaced.  They are probably a better solution as you don't have to rout a groove.

[Gone West]

7 hours ago, Spinny said:

Is this normal now

When we fitted our kitchen in 2016, the plinths came with sealing strips to fit to the bottom of the plinths.

 

[Spinny]

7 hours ago, -rick- said:

Can you see them when standing up?

Yes, once you are standing about 1.5m or further away you can see them. And of course more so if sitting. Thus they appear to be colour coded to match the plinth colour.

Dirt is presumably going to collect in the gap they leave, and presumably they will get dirty in time and need replacing or removing to wash.

 

Given that walls are finished with skirting and no further 'protection' it seems a very questionable practice. Why not just use something moisture resistant in the first place to make the plinths. I would suspect it is at least as much about saving fitting costs by avoiding any scribing into uneven floors ?

 

Odd that any panels in contact with the floor have sealed panel ends and are not treated in the same way. This system is cutting off sealed plinth bottom edge to insert the protective strip. How common is this practice ?

 

AI tells me...

Quote

No, high-end or bespoke luxury kitchens typically do not use standard plastic or PVC plinth protection strips.

Why High-End Kitchens Skip Plastic Strips

• Aesthetics: Plastic or rubber push-on sealing strips disrupt the clean, minimalist lines expected in luxury design. High-end kitchens prioritize seamless, uninterrupted materials down to the floor.

• Material Quality: Luxury brands use solid wood, moisture-resistant MR-MDF, lacquered finishes, or metal plinths (like brushed stainless steel or brass) that are inherently sealed or treated against moisture during manufacturing.

• Precision Fitting: High-end kitchens are professionally scribed and fitted precisely to the floor level. Instead of relying on a flexible rubber lip to hide gaps or block water, premium installations rely on tight tolerances and silicone sealing where necessary.

 

So another little something deliberately omitted from the sales pitch. I will be taking another look in the showroom as I don't remember seeing any on the show kitchens.

 

 

 

[G and J]

1 hour ago, Spinny said:

look in the showroom

Just out of interest in this an independent or a "chain"

[Spinny]

Schmidt showrooms are run as a franchise network. So sales and installation and customer service can vary dependent on the location but the product is from the same manufacturer/supplier.

 

We have never bought a new kitchen before and clearly there are some particular details to look out for that are not made evident, such as plinth detail, drawer depth that doesn't match cabinet depth, unnecessarily large service voids, standardised units pre-drilled with visible holes, exact light positions etc. Obviously if you are not having it custom made (which can have it's own issues) there are going to be constraints from standardisation, but some of them are subtle.

[Tetrarch]

This finish is very common on high-end kitchens.

 

it is a full floor-seal and makes a very tight and effective seal to the floor. Ours has been in nearly 2 years and is absolutely fine. Even with a major spillage (dropped bottle of red wine) it didn't let any spillage through and was easy to clean afterwards

 

I much prefer the aesthetic of a recessed compression seal than a plastic stick-on channel that you often get in B&Q etc. From a practical point of view the alternative is an exposed mdf edge that will soak up any liquid, whether spills or when being cleaned

Ours is below

Regards

Tet

 

[-rick-]

16 hours ago, Spinny said:

Given that walls are finished with skirting and no further 'protection' it seems a very questionable practice. Why not just use something moisture resistant in the first place to make the plinths. I would suspect it is at least as much about saving fitting costs by avoiding any scribing into uneven floors ?

 

You have a kitchen made from particle board, by far the cheapest and least moisture resistant form of wood out there. Higher end kitchens would be made from other materials that stand up to moisture better*. The plinth board generally will have to deal with a lot more moisture than a normal skirting board, especially around the sink area.

 

That you have a routed slot for an insert rather than just a stick on strip suggests some care but fundamentally everything comes down to cost and ease of installation by less skilled people. I wouldn't expect scribing to be done unless you had a truly custom install or arranged the install separately with someone who you'd discussed this with.

 

1 hour ago, Spinny said:

We have never bought a new kitchen before and clearly there are some particular details to look out for that are not made evident, such as plinth detail, drawer depth that doesn't match cabinet depth, unnecessarily large service voids, standardised units pre-drilled with visible holes, exact light positions etc. Obviously if you are not having it custom made (which can have it's own issues) there are going to be constraints from standardisation, but some of them are subtle.

 

I'd be quite disappointed if I'd ordered a bespoke 'made-to-measure' kitchen and got short drawers, etc. The Schmidt website talks up how custom everything they do is but you don't appear to have anything better than could be bought from DIY Kitchens.

 

* My kitchen is also particle board (most are these days) and there is damage to one of the units caused by water from the sink. The kitchen is old an needs a refresh but if it wasn't for that one unit that's damaged I'm pretty sure I could freshen everything up with just some new doors and a bit of glue (some of the melamine edge banding is debonding). As it is, a whole new kitchen is needed.

[Tony L]

On 05/09/2026 at 09:11, Spinny said:

Really not sure what I think of this. Don't like it aesthetically

 

I'd be pleased to have these.  & I think they look good too.

 

The plinth in front of the sink in our on-site caravan is ruined, because there was a leak behind the sink we didn't know about.  These strips would have saved them.

 

 

[Russdl]

On 05/09/2026 at 09:11, Spinny said:

Really not sure what I think of this. Don't like it aesthetically, will it get dirty over time ?, is it really necessary at all ?, is it just a crafty way of dealing with uneven floors ?

Our kitchen units have this, I think it’s a very intelligent way to deal with unnoticed spills, leaks etc.

 

5 or so years on, ours are not causing us any issues and in all honesty I’d forgotten they were there until you posted, no dirt collecting etc.

 

Aside from you (because you’ve seen them) no one else will notice. 
 

It looks like yours have been done well, I’d be happy with that.