Kitchen cabinet door front cost

[RogerS]

Chaps..bit of a cheeky request as given enough time I should be able to work it out but I need an answer for SWMBO tomorrow .....

how much very very roughly should I budget for material costs for a kitchen door shaker style - oak- excluding door furniture and hinges and my time to make it....say a floor standing 600mm wide door unit?

I assume that I'll buy it in kiln dried as close to size as possible. What do I make the door panels with? Can't see Travis Perkins understanding oak veneered plywood somehow.

Lastly does anyone have a telephone number for Howdens as their website is remarkably coy?

Many many thanks

Roger

 

[Karl]

Hi Roger

Personally, I don't think it'd be worth it. You can get a door and drawer front from B&Q for £35. Solid Oak. I think it is in their "IT" range. OK, if you are particularly concerned about grain orientation etc, it may not be for you.

Howdens - check out your Yellow Pages - my local branch is in there.

Cheers

Karl

 

[WellsWood]

OK, lets assume you make the door entirely from 75 x 25mm stock and you can get away with resawing to half that for the panel (unlikely, I would think), you'll need about 4m per door. SLH list 150 x 25 Euro Oak at £6.83/m +vat which makes your 600mm x 715mm door cost £16 plus delivery just for the raw materials. This assumes no wastage so put on another 15% or so.
Realistically though, I think you'd be looking at well over £20 per door, and that's before you start planing, machining and finishing. The amount of work involved in turning rough sawn timber into a frame and panel door that will go the distance in a kitchen environment is easily underestimated.
Unless you have a burning desire to make your own doors or have a need for non standard sizes its hard to justify the cost over a half decent bought-in item.
Good luck anyway

 

[RogerS]

That's interesting although surprising, I must admit, especially as there have been some threads that extolled the virtues of making your own.

I'll definitely take a look at what B&Q have to offer in the oak front doors...but surely they're veneered chipboard? Aren't they?

EDIT: Just checked their site and it says the doors are made from particle board.

 

[JFC]

I would buy in 3x1 PAR and 6mm veneered board for the panel unless you want a solid raised and fielded panel . Costs vary on timber so i cant comment on that . As for putting a B&Q door up against a solid oak hand made door :roll: The guy wants a quality kitchen not a load of cheap rubbish . ( i think)
When i make these doors for other carpenters i run out of clamps !

 

[Smudger]

We've got some B&Q solid oak doors in our kitchen in France. They are fine, except they have moved slightly, perhaps because the house isn't lived in for months at a time. One door is slightly warped and two drawers now need a little bit of planing to fit smoothly - they now collide. They look good, often complimented.

 

[JFC]

Your post says it all really , if some have moved and warped . Why would you being there change that ?Are they good doors while your around :lol:

 

[Smudger]

There are more changes of humidity and temperature in unoccupied buildings.

 

[Ratter]

I've deliberated this question as well and I'm going to make my own.

I was quite surprised to find the B & Q doors so cheap but they are on 50% off at the moment. I believe the Solid Oak ones are solid timber but other ranges (which are even cheaper) are chipboard.

If you make your own, you can obviously choose how you lay out the wood grainwise and use better timber than a shed would who are making it down to a price, but you will have more waste and labour. You are not bound by standard styles and sizes either although in practice it seems easier to stick to standard sizes except when you need to squeeze in an extra unit.

I guess if you are doing it for yourself and want high standards you would be prepared to cost in all your time at not very much because it is a hobby after all.

If you were trying to run a business like this, you would have to compromise on materials or charge higher prices. I'm sure there are better doors around than the B & Q ones, but probably not at the price.

 

[JFC]

There are even more on a boat and outside joinery and i've had no problems with my hand supplied joinery .

 

[mailee]

yep! the Bent and Quirky oak doors are definitely solid Oak as I have some in my workshop I ripped out of a kitchen fit a couple of months ago. I have cut one down so can tell you it is solid. Reason they changed them....Too dark! Typical woman's thinking. :roll:

 

[Karl]

Hi Roger

The B&Q doors I referred to above are definitely solid oak - no veneer/chipboard/mdf. I know because I have fitted several kitchens of this particular style, and it amazes me what good value they are.

Re: movement of doors. I have been back to a do further work for a couple of those customers, and have not seen (nor had any complaints about) warped or moved doors.

Like I said at the beginning, at £35 you can't knock it.

Cheers

Karl

 

[RogerS]

Like I said at the beginning, at £35 you can't knock it.

Cheers

Karl

Good recommendation..guess where we're off to today? Guess what SWMBO is going to think about the colour/finish/style :evil:

 

[jasonB]

Roger I can buy 22mm finish size oak flooring for about the same amount as 1" sawn boards, these come in 7", 9" & 11" width, just rip them to what you need and a quick skim in the thicknesser. if you go for 100mm styles & rails you will get enough for 4 doors out of 1m2 that costs about £35 so say £10 per door. A 8x4 of veneered MDF will yield 12-15 panels so say another £2-3 per door, better still the 22mm stuff is thick enough to deepsaw for panels and has a bit more character than veneered board.

Here are a few things made from oak flooring cupboard, bathroom vanity, kitchen shelves. This is all french oak, should have a bit more character than AWO, more suited to your cottage.

Several of the "solid timber" kitchen and bathroom doors are actually glued up from narrower strips a bit like worktops or are strips with a thin face veneer so watch what you are buying.

Jason

 

[Ratter]

I decide to visit Shedsville today and look at the famous Solid Oak doors.

Interesting... The panels were certainly made up of thin strips, so I can believe Jason that the frames probably are as well. Devilishly cunning these sheds. I personally didn't like the finish very much, although it's always difficult to judge under the lighting provided. There did seem to be a lot of variation in colour and grain even on the same door.

So I'm happy to go the bespoke route myself but you pays your money and takes your choice - oddly my SWMBO isn't that bothered what it looks like (it's me that does) but she has threatened to turn ugly if I don't finish it before Christmas!

I wouldn't mind knowing where you got that beautiful oak flooring from, Jason. I bet they don't deliver though and you're the other end of the country

 

[jasonB]

Came from here, only deliver locally but I usually pic it up. You should be able to find something local, just don't get the stuff with grooves in the back!

Makes quite a nice floor as well :wink:

 

[motownmartin]

I bought some solid Oak doors from http://www.diy-kitchens.com/acatalog/Br ... anded.html the size you are looking for cost £30.12 + vat, these are sanded and you apply your own prefered finish, I applied 5 coats of Danish oil to these, very pleased with them even with the flood damage.

Martin

 

[RogerS]

Nice work, Jason.

We looked at the solid oak and I have to agree with other posts and SWMBO as the finish looked 'plasticky'.