Kitchen Cabinets - are they all created equal?

[Selwyn]

I need to put a new kitchen in a barn conversion. I sort of fancy making my own but tell me - is there really point making your own cabinets? I cannot for the life of me see why. Surely just making the doors and drawer fronts is better all round?

Who do you think makes the best cabinet and the worse? What makes a good kitchen cabinent? If it comes down to price with reasonable quality (maybe not top quality) why would you look further than Howdens?

 

[AJB Temple]

There are numerous threads on here about kitchen cabinets. it's worth you doing a search. Personally I make my own, because I like custom design and I don't feel that a boxy interior is necessarily what I want. You can spend a lot of a little depending on how well made and finished you want them to be.

 

[Beau]

I built my own for two major reasons.

1. If you dont have to run large waste pipes behind units a large amount of space is wasted with regular units.

2. If you do get leaks at some stage in the future MFC is hopeless and swells with a sniff of water.

Not to mention the normally appalling way off the shelf sinks and sink units dont go together! Basically you have to cut the top rail out to within a whisker of it's destruction.

Fitted some Wikes ones in the past which were far superior to a recent job I did with Howdens. No idea what todays Wikes ones are like though.

 

[deema]

I don’t make many kitchens, however those I have made I buy standard carcasses where possible and make any units that are slightly unusual. Door and drawers I make using Blaum fixings. They seem to have lasted as long as fashion has allowed! The cost of the material to make one is about the same as the cost of a bought unit if you don’t buy in pack quantities.

The most vulnerable part of a carcase is the edge. Avoiding moisture penetration and also the edging peeling are for me the two biggest issues. Unless you have a proper edgebander (which I have) the only really good solution I’ve come across is a hardwood lipping. I typically use beech 19mm thick that is profiled onto the edges using a V cut produced on a spindle moulder. This increases glue surface area and helps eliminates voids. I hardwood edge internally painted cabinets......which i dislike purely as they scuff too easily.

I have a small number of rental properties that I fit Howdens kitchens to. I buy the cheap ready assembled 18mm caracases and again fit Blaum fixings. They typically last at least 10 years which is a brilliant in what is a very abusive environment. The only downside is that the carcasses can sometimes be a little out of square. This translates to the top not being flat for the worktop. Not a big deal to deal with unless your professional fitting where time is money.

 

[Ali]

Good points above, I've been working with Howdens and Benchmarx kitchens in the last few years.

Benchmarx/wickes cabinets are slightly better, the rear backing is a bit thicker with a solid 12mm chipboard back panel. Howdens is thinner.

The service void on all the cabinets can be a waste of space, but then when I did calculations to make my own etc, never seemed worth it so a hybrid type kitchen where you make your own end panels and doors might be more what you want.

Wickes, B&Q and Homebase have a lot more standard cabinets in stock in stores now, so something has changed in the market. Well worth costing up.

 

[Rorschach]

Check out DIY kitchens online, good prices and very good quality units.

 

[deema]

Ali, makes a good point about the thickness of the backs. I would add that a thin back on a ready made does have one advantage. For any cabinets where pipes or electrics run behind I always make the backs removable. Any blockages, leaks or faults can the easily be solved. A thin back can be either left in as it’s very easy to knock out or removed and a new back added. A replacement back can be easily and discreetly made.