best panels for some shop cabinets

[CrosscutRipper]

Hi to all,
ok, a friend has asked me to make him some cabinets for his new venture. He is opening a Mister Fix It business (watches shoes keys etc) So they have to be sturdy and up to the daily grind of treat em rough build em tough. I was just wondering is there a certain grade of melamine/laminate they use in shop fitting. Hard wearing and easy to clean.
I am out near the Melb Airport and any ideas of somewhere to get Ok priced sheets would be appreciated. Thanks :U

[barrysumpter]

I was speking to an IT franchise related owner a few weeks ago.
About franchising and quality levels etc.
The place he was renting has a clause in the contract that he has to go thru the shopping mall for any construction of display units etc.
$60,000 for just the L shaped displays tucked under an escalator that were really nice looking.
Of course this is a business expense and not out of his own pocket.

I don't have a clue how they can open a business convincing a bank to loan money, pay the rent and make these kind of decisions paying those kind of prices.

[ian]

assuming your friend is allowed to supply his own cabinetry

moisture resistant particle board or MDF with solid wood edges which is then laminated.
you would need to apply the solid wood edging and laminate sheeting.

You would probably build using knock down fittings and supply on height adjustable bases

[malb]

I think you could make an adequate set of carcasses etc from standard 16mm HMR whiteboard to provide the core of the layout. Then cut the outer perimeter material from a fairly standard Polytech, Formica etc HMR colourboard if you can get it properly edged, or alternatively 18mm MDF sheet and laminate, or 18mm carcass satin sheets and have them sanded and painted. Inner faces, doors, drawer fronts can be done the same way but with 16mm colourboard and edged, or 18mm carcass satin and painted. Benchtop can be 38mm benchtop HMR chipboard laminated, an 18 mm top substrate with an 18mm frame beneath and laminate, or an ordered custom benchtop.

As Barry pointed out, it may be academic, as most centres have a single supplier for all shopfitting work due to public liability considerations.

Laminex have their Vic HQ and warehouse on the airport industrial estate, and I think Polytec are in the Northern suburbs somewhere as well. If you are looking toward using whiteboard and/or colourboard with edging, think about having a custom flatpack place supply, cut and edge for you, probably not as essential for a laminate on chipboard surround, but a PIA to try to do onsite so the laminate covers the ends of the adjoining sheets. A few years ago 2 pack on carcass satin was around $100 per sm for painting, may have gone either way since depending on how many painters there are and how busy they are. Another option would be car paint over MDF if you can wriggle a deal with a painter that way.