DIY Kitchen Cabinets

[BlueSky]

Hi folks.... just found this awesome forum and hope it will help me to answer some questions i have regarding a DIY Kitchen cabinet project.

First off, my plan is to basically remove and rebuild existing home-made kitchen cabinets. Existing cabinets were built entirely of non-cabinet grade plywood with a cheap veneer applied to cabinet face. However, i like the physical layout of the cabinets so i will be building to nearly the same scale again.

I am looking for easy cleaning so was thinking of white melamine MDF for interior/shelving portion. The big question is the doors and front face..... i would like a wood grain look but not at the price of solid timber, lol. So this has me thinking of a laminate on ply. I want something that i can buy in sheets, cut myself, apply a very simple design with a router, and sand/stain/varnish myself. I have looked at the melamine finished doors but they just seem a little too "plasticy" for me. I really prefer the wood look.

I really want to attempt this project myself rather than going the "stock cabinet" approach. I have lots of time and have (or can purchase) the necessary tools to get the job done.

I have a $5000 budget in mind to do the job..... and i am hoping to re-use existing countertop since it is fairly new. I am working with a 16ft top and bottom design all on 1 wall, so no corners or anything fancy.

I am trying to learn about laminates, MDF, HMR particleboard, and other terms so i have a clue what i'm getting into and what options i have.


So, am i crazy to attempt this? Can anyone help recommend the materials for starters so i can get this part figured out and then go from there? Thanks for any help.

[silentC]

Pick up a copy of Danny Proulx's book (something like "Making Kitchen Cabinets"), or a similar one by Jim Tolpin ("Building Traditional Kitchen Cabinets" or similar) both should be on Amazon. All the info in there you'll need about hardware, materials etc. with a North American slant.

[BrettC]

Bluesky,
Try looking for some veneered plywood (or even perhaps veneered MDF) and combine this with some real wood. Places like Amerind or Mr Plywood can give you some quotes on the veneered stuff.

Use the real wood for the mouldings / rail and style joinery etc... You can get router bit sets like the CMT Kitchen cabinet router set - all depends how much you want to do yourself. If using a panel raising bit a vertical panel raising bit is said to be safer than the large one but all should be used in a router table (sorry if I'm telling you to suck eggs here:D ).

I like the melamine idea for the internal work. I have a kitchen with crappy cupboards - cheap plasticy looking veneer and am planning on doing likewise soon - as soon as current project done so could be a while..

BTW books sound like a good idea - thanks for the suggestion might check them out.

Edit - Just noticed you were in Canada - oops don't think Amerind or Mr Plywood reach that far but do a search for veneered plywood etc... - alternatively if Mike Holmes is still kicking around....

[Brian 1520]

I would suggest using Veneered mdf for doors.
Most kitchen makers will edge band them with appropriate banding,you will 3mm stuff for this.They charge so much a mt,quite a few small kitchen makers out source the edge-banding.

[BlueSky]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Actually i have already purchased Danny Proulx's book as well as another similar kitchen cabinet making book. Both are nicely illustrated and provide lots of sound ideas and examples.

I have a new table saw and sliding mitre saw already, and now plan to buy a decent table router.

My main goal right now is to figure out the wood materials list. I have pretty much decided on melamine interior work, and am toying with the idea of solid woods for front face and doors/drawers. I am trying to do as much of the work myself as possible so wouldn't mind spending a bit more in quality material if a trade-off is an easier material to work with. Is veneered plywood easier or harder than solid wood to cut, edge, and finish?

[silentC]

The veneered ply will be much easier to work with than solid timber but it requires you to do something with the edges. You're also limited to flat surfaces, so raised panels are not an option.

Probably the easiest door construction would be a hardwood frame with a veneered ply panel. You could make your drawer fronts the same way, or use solid timber to match the door frames.

If you want to make slab doors rather than frame and panel, you'll need to edge the ply. You can do that with solid timber, or you can buy iron-on edge banding in a matching timber veneer.

The advantages of the ply over solid timber is that you can make virtually any size panel. It is also dimensionally stable, which means you don't have to worry about wood movement. You can make a frame and panel door with a ply panel and it can be glued into the door, whereas a solid timber panel needs to float in a groove.

If you wanted to make raised panels, that can be done with the veneered ply too, but it requires a lot more work to do. Some people use veneered MDF and route a pattern on the face letting the MDF come through. It goes a much darker colour than the veneer when stained and some people seem to like the look. I don't.

[Rosethorn]

Hi Bluesky, I recently 'didup' a kitchen for a lady using solid timber sourced locally. The timber was for 9 doors, 2x 2.1m pantry doors, kickboards and a couple of small shelves and a cupboard over the fridge. The cost for the timber (silky oak) was $530, which I thought was pretty reasonable and I had very little waste as the boards I chose were fairly useable. I just did a raised panel using a tongue and goove bit as the lady didn't want deep panels as they catch the drips etc as things run off your counter top. Speaking of which, why is there never a drip groove under counter tops? (same as window sills have). It would make sense as it would stop spills ending up in drawers and on doors. Has anyone else out there tried it?
cheers rosethorn

[timberpassion]

Gday mate

Id like to give my oppinion if i could.

Kitchen cupboards should never be built from anything but HMR white chipboard. Its easy to clean and waterproof wich is what u want in any area taking on moisture like a kitchen or bathroom/laundry area.
Its cheap to buy in sheets and easy to work with. If your table saw doesnt have a scribe blade on it, my Father has been making the highest quality kitchens for 35yrs by cutting everything 2mm oversize and running it over a jointer/benchplane. U want to leave 2mm and no less due to the melamines tendency to chip out in larger pieces.


My views on kitchen doors on a budget.
Veneered MDF is your easiest choice as once laminated in the correct tape can be almost seemless.
You were talking routing?? so you want panel doors, goto your local timber door company and speak to them direct (phones are for schmucks :p ) If you can get around it and use there standard sized doors you can pick them up pretty cheapley and will in no way hurt your budget (plus saving you more trouble than its worth not having much experience). Stain them yourself and save more money. I can pick up panelled doors from my local guy for cheaper than i can source the timber most of the time. Dont route anything that isnt solid, its just nasty :p What use is a nice veneered board if your gonna see the MDF inside. And as for combining a veneered board with real timber to make a panel door, for someone with experience and the correct machinery it may work but i wouldnt even bother. You will end up spending more time and money on stuff ups than its worth. Go see your local doorman and get a price before you take anyones advice.


A kitchen is only furniture from the outside, on the inside is always pots and pans so keep it simple. In everything from materials to the way its built.


I love kitchens, worked with them my whole life. I wrote about 4 pages here then realised that you live in canada.............3 ½ pages deleted hahaha

Good luck in any solution you choose mate, hope it ends up everything that you hoped it would be :D


Simon

[BlueSky]

You guys are great!! I can certainly see the pros/cons for the points each of you are trying to make...... so now i need to sit down myself and weigh out these pros and cons. At least now i have a fairly good idea of what i am attempting for when i price out the materials and costs of having panels made for me etc etc etc.

Thanks again for all the help.

[soundman]

Now the real chalenge here is to see how much of that $5000 you can spend on tools and still get the job done:D