KITCHEN CABINITRY COST 2020

Let’s face it, as humans, we enjoy spending time in the kitchen. After all, that’s where all the food is! Of course, you need a place to store your food. You also need a place to keep your plates, cutlery and other kitchen utensils. This is why cabinetry is so important in a kitchen. Throughout this article, we’ll take a look at how to choose the right type of kitchen cabinetry, how long it might take to install, and how much your project will cost.

Kitchen Cabinetry Essentials

When installing kitchen cabinets, or doing a kitchen renovation, one of the primary goals is to gain more space for storage. You want your kitchen to be organized and spacious.

Here are some ideas on how to make kitchen life more enjoyable:

  • Pullout base cabinet storage for storing canned or boxed food
  • Slide out shelves make storing pots and pans easier to access
  • Corner carousels and shelves that rotate makes all items accessible
  • Drawer storage for silverware, spices, knives, and other cutlery
  • Open storage is perfect for wine, fruits and vegetables, and plates

Quality in Kitchen Cabinetry

Sure it’s possible to save money on your kitchen cabinetry, but why would you want to skimp on something so important? The quality of your kitchen cabinetry reflects directly onto the quality of your kitchen.

The higher quality cabinets are joined together with dowels and held together with glue and screws. A strong panel on the back will keep your cabinetry stable. You’ll want drawer runners and hinges that are high quality. While these items cost a little more, you’ll be glad you made the decision to spend a little more in the long run.

If you really want to go all out, you can have your cabinets made of solid timber, but it’s going to cost you. Most durable, high-quality cabinets are made of water-resistant medium density fibreboard (MDF). The backs of your cabinets should be at least 6mm vinyl, and you’ll want your drawers to have solid, stable bottoms.

Metal-sided drawer runners are ideal, and you want to be sure you get the best door hinges you can find. If not, you may end up with drooping or sagging cabinet doors. If you can, pay a little more for the good ones and you won’t have to replace them for a long time.

For drawer and door fronts, there are a variety of materials and finishes from which to choose. You can go the budget-friendly route with melamine if you want, or you can select polyurethane, vinyl wrap, or laminate. Of course, if you’re willing to pay for it, the best option is timber.

Kitchen Cabinetry Installation Time

If you’re doing a complete kitchen renovation, demolishing and gutting your old kitchen shouldn’t take longer than a day or two. For custom-made cabinetry, made to your exact specifications, you’re looking at delivery and installation to take anywhere from seven days to six weeks. A complete new kitchen from scratch would typically take around 3-5 days installation where a simple reface/remodel would be around 1-2 days depending on the size of kitchen.

Cost of Kitchen Renovation

Before exploring the details around the cost of kitchen cabinetry, let’s take a quick look at how much it would cost to renovate an entire kitchen. Keep in mind that these numbers are estimations.

  • Budget kitchens and materials range from $10,000 to $25,000
  • Mid-range and standard materials and kitchens range between $20,000 and $45,000
  • High-end and luxury kitchens start at $45,000 and can reach $100,000 or more

Cost of Kitchen Cabinetry

Hiring a custom cabinet maker can ensure that you are getting exactly what you want. Whether it’s open storage, deep drawers, or corner carousels, you want to have a kitchen designed to your desires, and a good cabinet maker can make that happen.

Custom cabinetry isn’t cheap though. Expect to be charged at least $100 an hour by a cabinet maker.

When it comes to total cost for your kitchen cabinetry, below are some costs you can expect to encounter depending on the materials and quality of your cabinets:

  • Flatpack kitchen cabinetry between $2,800 and $4,000 dollars
  • Melamine fronts with budget kitchen cabinetry will be around $4,500
  • Polyurethane in a mid-range kitchen will start at $6,800
  • Custom mid-range kitchen using 2pac will cost around $11,000
  • Timber or 2pac for high customer kitchen will start at $15,000 and up

Your biggest factor in cost will be dependent on the quality of materials you select. There will also be some cost associated with the techniques used in creating your kitchen cabinetry. Most cabinets today are made out of particle board with a melamine outer coating. If you want higher quality cabinets, stick with medium density fibreboard (MDF), since it’s stronger than particle board.

Making the Right Hire

Now that you have a better idea of what it will take to get your kitchen cabinetry installed or updated, you want to make sure you hire the right tradie to do the job. You might consider asking for the following:

  • Can I see your portfolio of past projects?
  • Do you have references?
  • Can you provide proof of insurance?
  • What is the expected time to complete the project?
  • Can you provide a written quote?

Be sure to get as many quotes as possible before deciding on which cabinet maker to select. Choose skill over a cheap rate. If you have someone who knows what they’re doing, you’ll get a good, quality product no matter what material you choose. An inexperienced cabinet maker could lead to future problems.

Additionally, be sure that your tradie is licensed. Whether you’re selecting a kitchen builder or going with a sole trading installer, they all need to have the proper licensing.