Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Aug 14, 2011 4:50 pm I am looking to renovate my kitchen and have just started visiting kitchen showrooms. i am already confused after visiting a couple of showrooms with the options and what they are stating. could some explain the pros and cons of the different types of material (vinyl, laminex, poly eurathene etc) for the cabinets. I would like to have a cesar stone bench top but not sure if it is the right choice compared to granite. Appreciate if you any of you can share your experiences of using these materials in your kitchen. Re: Kitchen cabinet options 2Aug 14, 2011 5:33 pm Laminex Lamiwood - MDF substrate with a melamine surface. 1 or 2mm PVC edges. Available in many colours and timber looks. Great if your on a budget. Looks good. Vaccum Form(vinyl) - A vinyl surface bonded under heat and pressure to an MDF substrate. Available in many colours, timbers. Matt satin and gloss. I would never put this into a kitchen! Many problems with heat and the surface lifting. Polyurethane - A spray painted finish. Doors available in many different designs and any colour and finish you want. Can also be repaired if damaged. Make sure you get a good quality polyurethane. There are some cheap and nasty finishes that can chip easily. There are so many more door options available. Just depends on which shop you go to. CaesarStone is a great surface if you like that type of look. It can be cheaper than granite. Very personal choice here no right or wrong. Dont think you have to use a "kitchen company" you can also use a cabinet maker. There is no difference between a cabinet maker or a kitchen company except for price. A kitchen company will normally charge alot more! You want the following in a kitchen, Solid 16mm backs, all moisture resistane materials, proper box construction kickboard, PVC edges on all cabinets, Blum, Hettich or Haffele hardware and NO PLASTIC LEGS! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen cabinet options 3Aug 15, 2011 12:14 am @cutting edge. I've noticed a couple of times that you have mentioned that you don't like adjustable legs. Can I ask why? Having constructed and installed cupboards with both regular plinths and adjustable legs I cant see any particular downside to the adjustable legs. Just interested in your thoughts. Cheers. Accessible Carpentry & Cabinets accessiblecarpentry@gmail.com accessiblecarpentry.com.au https://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessible-Carpentry-Cabinets/583314911709039 Re: Kitchen cabinet options 4Aug 15, 2011 7:30 am chippy @cutting edge. I've noticed a couple of times that you have mentioned that you don't like adjustable legs. Can I ask why? Having constructed and installed cupboards with both regular plinths and adjustable legs I cant see any particular downside to the adjustable legs. Just interested in your thoughts. Cheers. We do full house fitouts, small jobs and also insurance work. All to often we have to go to a house and pull out the kitchen to replace kickboards, panels and floors when dishwasher pipes have burst. When plastic legs have been used the kitchen is never level and has usually sagged down and away from the splash. This usually happens with stone tops that are very heavy and compress the plastic legs. I also hate the flase kickboard front that is associated with the plastic legs. Most of them are very poorly fitted and you can see gaps under them to the floor. The flase kickboard fronts are also made from MR chipboard and are the first things to swell when there is a water issue! When I build a kickboard it is made from plywood and then laminated or spray painted. You could emerse my kicks in water for a week and they still wouldnt swell! Because my kicks are a full box construction they give far better support to the cabinets. The front and back are full length and go to the floor to support the kitchen. After years of building my own kitchens and repairing others kitchens I would never use plastic legs! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen cabinet options 5Aug 15, 2011 8:42 am ssripathi I would like to have a cesar stone bench top but not sure if it is the right choice compared to granite. I had Cesar stone in one kitchen we renovated, it was a waterfall look. It looked great, performed for the most part very well. The only down side I seen was it scratched fairly easy. Granite on the other hand also looks great, many natural colours to choose from, hard surface, can sit fairly hot pots on without fear of damage, is great for the chefs out there who like working with pastry as it is cold. Down side is the initial cost, and as Cuttingedge said, weighty on the adjustable legs. Perhaps use the adjustable legs for the initial easy install, then put a solid block under the critical points when the level is obtained ?? Re: Kitchen cabinet options 6Aug 15, 2011 10:43 am eyspy ssripathi Down side is the initial cost, and as Cuttingedge said, weighty on the adjustable legs. Perhaps use the adjustable legs for the initial easy install, then put a solid block under the critical points when the level is obtained ?? Or just do it properly? Plastic legs are only used by companys to save time and give them a bigger profit! Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com Re: Kitchen cabinet options 7Sep 14, 2011 8:37 am I did my own kitchen over two years ago and used the plastic legs. There hasn't been any sagging but perhaps it depends on how many you put on. I spent a lot of time making sure the weight was properly distributed and put in a lot of legs. Our floor was a bit uneven so the adjustable legs worked well. I think ssripathi's idea of putting in the solid wood chocks after if you are worried is good though I didn't bother. Though I can see a solid timber base would be bomb proof but maybe a bit tricky for the DIY with uneven floors. We also used the Vinyl wrap doors which have been fine, even around heat areas. I think they have a 7 or 10 year warranty and perhaps the quality has now improved. I think the advantage with the vinyl is that it is slightly cheaper and more impact resistant, but as mentioned the Polyurethane can be repaired but can be chipped. I think the Laminex panels with the PVC edging look good in the wood grain or darker colours. Re: Kitchen cabinet options 8Sep 14, 2011 5:27 pm donR I did my own kitchen over two years ago and used the plastic legs. There hasn't been any sagging but perhaps it depends on how many you put on. I spent a lot of time making sure the weight was properly distributed and put in a lot of legs. Our floor was a bit uneven so the adjustable legs worked well. . Unfortunately that doesnt work with large island units. I install island units with stone tops that weight 300-400kg + cabinets. Plastic legs just dont cut it. We installed a kitchen today with a floor that was 32mm out of level. We used full plywood box construction kickboards. No problems at all. If there is ever any water problems(burst pipes) the kicks will be fine! The false fronts that are used infront of the plastic legs would just blow apart. If your on a budget then the plastic legs are ok(just) but if you want to do it properly they kickboards are right way of doing it. Cutting Edge Kitchens and Cabinet Making http://cuttingedgekitchens.net.au http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cutting-Edge-Kitchens/290484196676 Mobile : 0419 430 575 PH: 9452 4772 Fax :9452 4772 cuttingedgekitchens@outlook.com The gap can be adjusted so it's tighter. You can definitely set up corner cabinets to have the same gap as standard doors. 2 13532 I asked this question of one of the forum's resident cabinet makers who may/may not wish to identify himself to answer other questions if he sees this, but the rersponse… 3 7705 |