Making my own kitchen 😥🤞

[Richard Burns]

Hi everyone,

Looking for a little advise, I'm going to have a go at building/making my own kitchen and was after some direction to what material I should use.

Would MRMDF be the best choice?
What thickness would be best?
Should I use a specific paint?

Many thanks in advance

 

[Spectric]

You need to be more specific on what style you want, MDF boxes or something more traditional and also this will impact to an extent the tools required.

 

[Richard Burns]

Will be looking to make basic shaker style cabinets.

 

[Kayen]

Melamine faced chipboard for the cabinets (can't beat it) MRF for the doors would work well. There are plenty of firms that cut and edge at a reasonable cost and it's really the best way to do it. The best finish is something like sprayed PU or AC, but if you haven't the necessary equipment, oil based eggshell will have to do.

 

[meccarroll]

Hi Richard I am a carpenter and currently finishing a kitchen made from melamine (Cupboards) and MR MDF (for panels doors etc) I have made kitchens and bedroom furniture etc before too.

A lot depends upon your equipment and skill level and work area when contenplating a project like a kitchen.

I used 18mm melamine faced chipboard for the cabinet carcases and once cut I used an edge bander to apply pre glued edging tape to the cut edges. The units are put together using cam dowels and wooden dowels (the same as flat pack kitchens).

For the face of the cabinets I used 18mm MR MDF cut to size then sprayed with water based paint (one high build primer and two top coats).

I have a panle saw with scoring blade and CNC router so cutting the melamine was not too bad but for me. If you do not have equipment that can cleanly cut melamine it might not be the best choice of material for you to use as it can chip on the edges when being cut. Another option for you would be to buy the units without doors etc and add your own doors draws etc which might be a better option if you are short on equipment.

Mr MDF is a very common material to use in cabinet construction for draw fronts trim etc. You could easily make shaker style doors and draw fronts form it and it's not too expensive either. I normally use 18mm MR MDF for shaker style door frames and 6mm MDF for the panels but 9mm is another common thickness for door panels too.

For ironmongery fittings I use Blum which are slightly more expensive than some others but well worth the extra as the technical back up is second to none.

I do have spray equipment HVLP spray guns, Complient spry gund and conventinal spray guns, turbines and compressors etc so can manage to spray finish my items but if you don't have this equipment I'd think about hand painting using a speciality paint.

The kitchan I am currently making has 14 units and well over 100 pieces of cabinet parts so you are going to need to plan out your kitchen first. I use CAD to draw out the kitchen plan and elevations then skip over to the Blum cabinet configurator to design the actual cabinet and obtain cutting lists and fittings parts lists. I also use an online panel cutting optimiser to work out the most economical way to cut up my sheet material.

Mark

 

[Drifter2406]

MFC is the best stuff, hundreds of colours and edging to match, 99% of kitchens are made of this, sometimes the doors are too but a big majority of the units are made from this. Being in Kent you could possibly get the board from a supplier called Panelco, they deliver to the public I think, they are based in Tilbury.

 

[Ollie78]

I would personally buy the boxes from DIY kitchens and spend the time and effort on nice doors and nicer other bits.
Spend your time and effort on the bits you can see.

 

[meccarroll]

I would personally buy the boxes from DIY kitchens and spend the time and effort on nice doors and nicer other bits.
Spend your time and effort on the bits you can see.

I would very much agree with Ollie on this unless you are on a very tight budget or can't buy the sizes you need.

The main reason I have made melamine units on the kitchen I am currently working on is because it's for a family member and trying to save them some extra cash but also because most of the units are bespoke sizes. I also had a lot of melamine sheeting left over from a shop fit job so just went for it but making the units has been the most time consuming part of making the kitchen and not the most profitable way to spend your time if thats limited.

 

[Richard Burns]

Hi Richard I am a carpenter and currently finishing a kitchen made from melamine (Cupboards) and MR MDF (for panels doors etc) I have made kitchens and bedroom furniture etc before too.

A lot depends upon your equipment and skill level and work area when contenplating a project like a kitchen.

I used 18mm melamine faced chipboard for the cabinet carcases and once cut I used an edge bander to apply pre glued edging tape to the cut edges. The units are put together using cam dowels and wooden dowels (the same as flat pack kitchens).

For the face of the cabinets I used 18mm MR MDF cut to size then sprayed with water based paint (one high build primer and two top coats).

I have a panle saw with scoring blade and CNC router so cutting the melamine was not too bad but for me. If you do not have equipment that can cleanly cut melamine it might not be the best choice of material for you to use as it can chip on the edges when being cut. Another option for you would be to buy the units without doors etc and add your own doors draws etc which might be a better option if you are short on equipment.

Mr MDF is a very common material to use in cabinet construction for draw fronts trim etc. You could easily make shaker style doors and draw fronts form it and it's not too expensive either. I normally use 18mm MR MDF for shaker style door frames and 6mm MDF for the panels but 9mm is another common thickness for door panels too.

For ironmongery fittings I use Blum which are slightly more expensive than some others but well worth the extra as the technical back up is second to none.

I do have spray equipment HVLP spray guns, Complient spry gund and conventinal spray guns, turbines and compressors etc so can manage to spray finish my items but if you don't have this equipment I'd think about hand painting using a speciality paint.

The kitchan I am currently making has 14 units and well over 100 pieces of cabinet parts so you are going to need to plan out your kitchen first. I use CAD to draw out the kitchen plan and elevations then skip over to the Blum cabinet configurator to design the actual cabinet and obtain cutting lists and fittings parts lists. I also use an online panel cutting optimiser to work out the most economical way to cut up my sheet material.

Mark

Thank you for your detailed response.
I have a dewalt table saw set in a workbench, so cutting the panels shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I have also taken the liberty of getting Wren to design me a kitchen, as they conveniently give you all the cabinet sizes in their quote, so can just transfer that over to cut list optimizer

I will check out DIY kitchens for cabinets and see if the cost outweighs my time spent on it (although In my heart I do want to do the whole thing, I want to be able to say "I made that")


I may also use this project as an excuse to get an airless sprayer (even if just to sell it after) , I have a wagner hvlp but don't really get on with it, I find it too inconsistent.

The cabinet construction I was hoping to borrow a domino from a family member and use that along with glue and screws.

 

[Doug71]

You need the right kit to work with MFC and I'm afraid a Dewalt table saw isn't ideal, you really need a sliding panel saw with scoring blade or a good MFT/track saw type set up.

I'm building a kitchen for a customer and have been buying in ready made MFC carcasses to make things quicker and easier but for the final stage I'm making the carcasses myself as the quality of the bought in ones is not quite there. The cutting and edging of the panels is fine and they have 18mm backs so good in that respect but the assembly isn't great with parts not quite lining up, probably wouldn't be a problem with overlay doors but this is all in frame and I need parts in the right place to reference off.

 

[Spectric]

If you went for a more traditional look and have a router then look at panel and frame because now with the panels sitting in grooves the edges are not as important.