What Factors Affect the Cost of Kitchen Cabinets? A Guide

Most experienced kitchen renovation companies like Rize Construct will tell you that cabinetry is a major cost factor in any kitchen renovation or remodel. There are two main reasons for this and that is the cost of the cabinets themselves, and the labour time, not just in fitting, but in uninstalling your old ones.

So, choosing the right cabinets for your kitchen is a major factor on a budget which is especially important for small kitchen renos and remodels.

This guide will take you through the significant differences between cabinets and the option of custom cabinets and the factors that will affect the cost the most.

Custom Cabinets vs Stock or Shop Cabinets

One of the biggest factors in cost is whether you are having cabinets made from scratch or stock off-the-shelf options.

Custom Cabinets

Custom-made cabinets will generally have more limitations in finishes and base materials. But what they lack in choice, they more than make up for in style as you can have any style you please. They also maximise space and create a more unique kitchen look. For older and less well laid out kitchens, or those in a country style where symmetry and sleek lines are not important, custom cabinets come into their own. They can fill any sized shape with draws, cabinets, shelves and recesses as you are using what is already there and all of the previous can be non-standard sizes. Customised cabinets will give a much more individual look and maximise your space.

Stock Cabinets

Most manufacturers will only have a limited number of designs per season or every few years. They’ll focus on what is in style and what is the most popular, so the choice of style or shape is somewhat limited. They do however offer a lot of finishing options like colour and sheen when buying stock cabinets.

Most modern cabinets aren’t real wood, they’re wood composite or MDF and then covered in a variety of finishes like laminate/melamine, vinyl wrap, acrylic laminate, polyurethane 2-pac, timber veneer or solid timber which will affect the price (wood veneers being the most expensive).

Plastic-covered cabinets will be the least expensive and not the sturdiest, but they will work well in modern kitchens where simple designs and sleek lines are your aims. They can still last a lifetime and wipe clean and don’t need any special care or protection like some real woods. The lack of non-standard sizes means your kitchen renovator will be using clever techniques to fill gaps or leave small spaces at the ends of aisles as open storage to make up the gaps.

Drawers vs Cupboards

Lastly, the more drawers you have will also push up the cost as they have far more parts and are more complex to make so it’s worth miming how many drawers you need when on a budget.