Last updated: 17 March, 2010

The cost of Kitchen cabinets varies according to the materials, finishes, colours and profiles chosen for doors, drawer fronts and covering panels.

• Melamine covered doors etc. are lowest cost, followed by Vinyl Wrap, painted 2-pack Polyurethane, then Wood Veneer and finally solid Wooden doors & panels.
  The latter two vary much in price depending of thickness of the veneer and the species of (sometimes imported) wood.
  
• Light Solid colour is lower in cost then darker colours (which need a lot more care in manufacturing), while Woodgrain and Patterned surfaces are more expensive due to wastage incurred in matching panels for an even look.
  
• Matt or Textured finish is lower in cost, followed by Satin, Semi-gloss and High Gloss - the latter has a higher "risk premium" as small imperfections show up easily and re-work is often not possible and a complete Vinyl wrapped door may need to be discarded.
  
• Plain straight edged Doors etc are the lowest cost, followed by bevelled edged doors, then Face and Edge profiled doors and highest cost for recessed panelling.

Some more detailed Costings for Doors, End panels and Drawer Fronts

Melamine exterior finish with melamine edging.

This is the most economical door style - mainly used for storage cabinets - particular if just the standard 16 mm HMR White Melamine is used. The standard 1mm Melamine Edging on the square cut door is more subjective to peel or the colour can chip off the edging when compared to the 1 mm or 2 mm PVC Edging. The edge and the door do not have great impact resistance. Edging can be replaced as can the door at minimal cost. Dark colours are more expensive than Light or Patterned and Woodgrain is more expensive still. Costs for a 750mm x 500mm door range from about $15-35 depending on the brand and colour options.

Coloured Melamine door with rigid PVC edging.

Where the 1mm or 2mm edge tape is available the 1mm PVC is normally used. The 2mm edge adds quite a bit more expense but has a radius edge which is the most impact and chipping resistance. Costs for a 750mm x 500mm door range from about $25-35 depending on the brand and colour options.

Vinyl covered or Vacuum formed.

Normally Vinyl Styles are manufactured using 18 mm MR-MDF (medium density fibreboard) with optional Face Design and Edge profiles routered into the face and /or edges. The component is then covered with a PVC foil which is glued and heat cured under vacuum to one side of the component. The door foil comes in a textured, woodgrain, satin or high gloss finish. Panels. Doors and Drawer Fronts if damaged or scratched are not repairable, but can often be replaced with matching colours. The doors are easy to clean and have a 7 year warranty.
Costs for a 750mm x 500mm door range from about $50-110 depending on the Profile, Colour and Finish options. The most expensive doors would be in a High Gloss Vinyl with recessed panels.

Powder Coated.

This new and highly environmental friendly method using the TRIMATRX system from Oreca uses specially impregnated 18mm MDF board which is then Powder Coated (on BOTH sides), providing a Textured or Matt perfect, hardwearing finish like Polyurethane, but at the cost of Vinyl.

Spray Painted 2-pack Polyurethane.

These components are made from 18mm MDF (medium density fibreboard) with can be routered and profiled as for the Vinyl components with pencil round edges and sprayed with a chemically cured paint and heat dried. The paint finish can range in gloss levels from matt(10%) , satin (30%), semi gloss (60%) to high gloss (90%). The paint surface is very hard but can chip - but repairs are relatively easy to do. Paints can be matched to resemble aged coatings from uears ago.The high gloss can show marks as does any highly polished surface - and is relatively much more expensive to apply, as many coat may be needed to ensure an even finish. Semi gloss or satin finishes are now more popular. Costs for a 750mm x 500mm door range from about $100 - 200 depending on the Profile, Colour and Finish options.

Veneer

Veneer panels, doors etc. are made from pre-veneered board which is then cut and edged and sprayed with clear polyurethane in a satin finish. The advantage of veneer is that one gets the real timber grain feel to the door without the expense of solid timber doors.. The veneered components can be repaired by sanding and re-coating if damaged.There is a large range of exotic and native timbers to be used, and greatly varying prices.Costs for a 750mm x 500mm door range from about $80 - 150. The cheaper range would be the Tasmanian Oak or Pacific Maple natural veneers, the more exotic timbers are next in cost range followed by restructured veneers.

Solid Timber

The traditional style for doors and drawer fronts which are now very expensive - but the material is hard wearing and can be repaired if damaged by resanding and re-lacquering or painting. The cost of a door 750mm x 500mm is about $160- 250 depending on the type timber used. Matching panels for these doors are generally made in a matching veneer as the large flat pieces of timber are not available or tend to warp.

The Table below shows the cost variation for various material and Finish options using an "average kitchen" finished in Antique White Vinyl wrap (textured) with plain bevelled edge face design. (This type of finish is currently the most popular)