Cost Considerations

Last modified: 10 February, 2010

Product Models in Cabinets on Demand are supplied in a number of Price Ranges, depending on Height and Width ranges and in some cases also on the Depth. Finishing of Doors, outside Panels etc. are in five Styles and have a major effect on the total cost of a kit form cabinet,

When a Product has been selected and you have stated different dimensions to the "Price-Range" applicable then Cost reductions will be calculated and the actual Price shown on the "Shopping Cart" will be less - in some cases - substantially less. Height and Width have a major effect as they affect also the cost of - more expensive- Doors and Drawer fronts; depth reductions have a lesser effect.

For exampe: Our Base (Floor) Cabinets are priced in a Height Range of up to 750mm and a Depth of up to 700mm, with Widths ranging from 300 - 1200mm. A 750x800x700 2xDoor Laminate finished cabinet is priced as $185.20

If, however you opt for the conventional size and specify in the Prompt box: Height = 720mm, Width = 800mm, Depth = 58omm, then an automatic reduction of $7 is calculated and a cost of $178.20 is quoted on the Shopping Cart list.

The saving on the same size cabinet finished in High Gloss 2-pack polyurethane paint (Avoca Style) will be $13.

Vinyl Wrap Doors and Panels are bought in from specialist suppliers and costs reductions only apply in 50mm increments , a Width reduction from, say in the 501-600mm range to 560mm will not benefit from a Door saving, only a saving in Carcass costs - but a width of 550 will attract a saving of $3 or $4 depending on Belmont vs. Byron Bay styling.

1. Consider Floor (base) Cabinet Depth

The benchtop is a major cost item and is priced in discrete Width sizes, 600mm, 900mm and 1200mm. Normally you like the benchtop to overlap the cabinet by 10- 25mm, 20mm being the norm. Therefore a Cabinet Depth of 590mm or less (580 being the present "standard") gives you the most effective space at a reasonable cost. But there are times when a greater depth is useful: For example Pantries and Wall Oven Units can be specified to 600mm to be flush with an adjoining benchtop - for Island Benches a size of up to 700mm may be useful, but be aware that Drawer cabinets have a maximum side/slide length of about 500mm. Laundry, Garage and General storage cabinets can be made into any depth, although our current Price/Size ranges are limited to a depth of 700mm.

No other flat pack suppliers offer exterior cabinets depths greater than 580mm at stanfard pricing.

2. Consider Cabinet Width

Normally the wider the cabinet, the lower the cost per content - two x 600mm wide cabinets could be 25% dearer than one 1200mm wide cabinet; two x 400mm wide 4-Drawer cabinets may cost some 50% more than one 800mm Drawer.

3. Consider Cabinet Height

Correct benchtop height is important to provide a convenient working platform - the "standard" height is about 900mm made up as follows: Cabinets Height 720mm, Legs/Kickboards 120 - 200mm (mostly 150mm) - Benchtop thickness 34mm for Laminate, 20 - 40mm for Stone. Some people may prefer a higher height, others a lower height. Cabinets on-Demand offers Floor based cabinets up to 750mm in the same price range - allowing an extra 30mm of height - and will provide a lower height at no extra cost.

4. Material and Finish for Doors & Exterior Panels have a major effect on Kitchen costs.

Laminate (Melamine) Colour Range

Laminate (or Melamine) is the most economical material due to it's durability, availability, vast choice of colours and low cost.
Melamine is actually a low pressure laminate coating, hence everybody refers to a Melamine door as actually a Laminated door, so to keep with tradition we will do the same.
The Laminate door is 16mm thick door and is pre-coated on both sides in the same colour. The substrate is a HMR (High Moisture Resistant) material and the Edgings of the Doors are all finished in a 1mm thick PVC Edge -This is far superior to the tradional iron-on paper edges as they are not only extremely durable, but don't go brittle over time like their predecessor.
Cleaning is easy with a sponge using warm water liquid cleaners. Harsh cleaning products are not recommended.

See STEP 5: Colour & Profiles > Coloured LAMINATE for the range of standard colours that are available - or choose your preferrred colour from a range of suppliers at an additional minimum charge of $385. This charge covers the extra material (coloured melamine plus a roll of matching PVC edging) in small uneconomic quantity and ordering costs.

Vinyl Wrap (Thermoformed) Colour Range

Vinyl Wrap (Thermoformed or Vacuum Wrapped) is the most popular material used in Kitchen Doors and Drawers today, due to it's sealed edges, availability, large range of colours and relatively low cost.
A Thermoformed door is actually a Vinyl Wrapped door which has been applied under heat and vacuum, hence everybody refers to a Thermoformed door as actually a Vinyl Wrapped door, so to keep with tradition we will do the same.
The Vinyl Wrapped door is 18mm thick door and is pre-coated on the face side and 4x Edges only in the chosen colour. The rear of this door is standard White Laminate. The substrate is a MR MDF (Moisture Resistant Medium Density Fibreboard) material and the Edgings of the Doors are all completely sealed by the Vinyl wrapping around -This gives the door a ‘seamless’ look and also means that you could have a profile finish on the Face and Edge. Most people cannot differentiate between Vinyl and Polyurethane painted doors and panels - but there is a great diffeence in cost.

Specialist suppliers of Vinyl Wrap doors and panels and modern higher quality materials and glues ensure a lasting long life quality product.

Cleaning is easy with a sponge using warm water liquid cleaners. Harsh cleaning products are not recommended. If this product is damaged, it can not be fixed, it need to be replaced.

Where the 1mm or 2mm edge tape is available we use the 1mm PVC. The 2mm edge adds quite a bit more expense but has a radius edge which is the most impact and chipping resistance.

Our two Vinyl Styles are manufactured using 18 mm 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.

For a standard Textured finish see:STEP 5: Colour & Profiles > Vinyl - TEXTURE - BELMONT Style with a choice in Profile, Colour and Finish options.
The more expensive finish would be in a High Gloss Vinyl with recessed panels see: STEP 5: Colour & Profiles > Vinyl - GLOSS - BYRON BAY style

For Vinyls outside the standard range we may have to charge a small additional cost, depending on the Supplier selected..

2-Pack Polyurethane (Painted) Colour Range

2-Pack Polyurethane (or Painted) is the most desired material for Kitchens today, due to it's beautifully finish, unlimited colour range and sealed edges.
A Painted door is actually a 2-Pack Polyurethane door which has been spray painted, hence everybody refers to a Painted door as actually a 2-Pack Polyurethane door, so to keep with tradition we will do the same.

The 2-Pack Polyurethane door is either a 16 or 18mm thick door and is pre-coated on the face side and 4x Edges only in the chosen paint colour. The rear of this door is standard White Laminate. The substrate is a MR MDF (Moisture Resistant Medium Density Fibreboard) material and the Edgings of the Doors are all completely sealed by the Vinyl paint -This gives the door a ‘seamless’ look and also means that you could have a profile finish on the Edge.
Cleaning is easy with a sponge using warm water liquid cleaners. Harsh cleaning products are not recommended. If this product is damaged, it can filled and re-sprayed back to it’s former glory.

'Painted' 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 Years 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. For colour and Profile options in our ALBANY style range see: STEP 5: Colour & Profiles > Polyurethane painted - TEXTURE - ALBANY style .

For High Gloss colour and profile finishes in our AVOCA style range see: STEP 5: Colour & Profiles > Polyurethane painted - GLOSS - Avoca Style

Unfinished 18mm MR-MDF

Few Flat Pack suppiers offer raw 18mm thick Moisture Resistant - Medium Density Board for Doors. Drawer-fronts and/or Panels/Fillers/Kickboards in a choice of Face and Edge profiles. This allows the customers to do their own painting - which is not difficult, either with brush or spray-paint - but takes some time in sanding, priming, sanding, undercoat, sanding. top-coat and some more sanding/painting to get a beautifull High Gloss finish to astound the family - but saving a great deal of money.

Cabinets on-demand does offer most cabinets models with this 'Style' of finish at very low cost.

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 over $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. Cabinets on-Demand can quote for the supply flat pack Solid Timber doors once you have detailed your specific needs.

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

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.

When ordering Doors as individual items please check whether Hingehole cutting to your specifications is required.

The Table below shows the possible cummulative effect on Kitchen cost.

We offer a low cost ($69) Assistance with your Kitchen Specification- see Design Service.

If you want to check pricing for comparison with other offerings such as from IKEA, Bunnnings, Magnet Mart or a few others then it is recommended to select all - or a representative sample - cabinets that meet your needs from the menu in the Left Hand Column - using the LAMINATE Style as a lowest cost - or the AVOCA Style (2-pk Polyurethan painted High Gloss) as the higher cost and top quality.

The Shopping List that you thus develop will be listed under "Viewcart" - then apply Discounts and Delivery Cost to get a very close estimate of the lowest TOTAL Cost.

Then with "ONE CLICK of your mouse" on one of the Option Buttons on the Viewcart List change to the TOTAL Cost for the BELMONT-, BYRON BAY-, ALBANY- or AVOCA-Style - thus easily giving you price alternatives to match with your budget. No other Kitchen Website provides this type of service.

Print the "Product - Comparison" Check list - to compare with what is obtainable elsewhere - then make your decision as to which firm best meets your needs.

NOTE: Cost reductions apply in each Price Range if any of the ACTUAL Dimensions are less than the assumed sizes.