Sheet Material for cabinets

[Martin_S]

Have just completed my kitchen using top end cabinets and doors from Magnet. I have a larder area which I need to build and have a series of cabinet door and drawer fronts from Magnet so that the completed project will match the kitchen.

All of the Magnet cabinets are 18mm and white, with silver edge banding. The edge banding is easy but am struggling to find suitable sheet material that is not ridiculously expensive.

I can get 15mm melamine faced chipboard relatively cheaply, but as soon as I look for 18mm MDF or Ply with a melamine face, the price goes through the roof.

What should I be looking at? Or should I just use MR MDF and paint it?

 

[Distinterior]

The carcass material of your Magnet units will be MFC (melamine faced chipboard), not MDF.
White 18mm MFC is available from literally dozens of suppliers....

 

[Martin_S]

The carcass material of your Magnet units will be MFC (melamine faced chipboard), not MDF.
White 18mm MFC is available from literally dozens of suppliers....

True - it is chipboard, had not looked closely before. Thanks.

However, it is very dense chipboard - not the flimsy / loosely packed stuff you get in cheap flat pack furniture.

Is all 18mm MFC the same or does it come in different grades and densities?

 

[Distinterior]

Is all 18mm MFC the same or does it come in different grades and densities?

It does vary in quality, but if you stick with Egger or Kronospan, you wont go wrong.

 

[Martin_S]

It does vary in quality, but if you stick with Egger or Kronospan, you wont go wrong.

Thanks - really appreciate the help.

Final questions - is there a big difference between 15mm and 18mm (as I know my local Jewsons has plenty of 15mm) and I was planning to use the same material for drawer bottoms as I do for the drawers and cabinets, as am storing heavy stuff - does that make sense or would 12mm be better in terms of keeping the weight down?

 

[Distinterior]

With all due respect to Jewsons, it's not likely to be the better quality board that they will be selling, no matter whether its 15 or 18mm....

I make my own drawer bottoms from 16mm material, because that's what the drawer box runner/ sides that I use requires.
In the big scheme of things, the difference in weight is negligible.....The wider the drawer, the thicker the better.

 

[Oakay]

It does vary in quality, but if you stick with Egger or Kronospan, you wont go wrong.

Egger has been significantly denser in my experience but we prefer Swiss Krono to either.

 

[Distinterior]

Egger has been significantly denser in my experience but we prefer Swiss Krono to either.

I should have said "Swiss Krono" rather that just Kronospan......Kronospan have a factory in Wales and in my experience, the quality of that board isn't as good as the Swiss board ( often it has bits of plastic and assorted foreign objects in it....) Its known as "Chirk", after the Welsh town in which it's made.

 

[Oakay]

I should have said "Swiss Krono" rather that just Kronospan......Kronospan have a factory in Wales and in my experience, the quality of that board isn't as good as the Swiss board ( often it has bits of plastic and assorted foreign objects in it....) Its known as "Chirk", after the Welsh town in which it's made.

Which is a shame because it would be nice to use the more local product.

 

[Distinterior]

Which is a shame because it would be nice to use the more local product.

Oh, ...dont get me wrong, I completely agree with you but the Chirk just isn't as good.

 

[Martin_S]

OK - Thanks for all the input, Swiss board or Egger it will be, with matching bottoms!

 

[Martin_S]

Am finding it a challenge to find somewhere that stocks Egger or Krono that will fulfill a small retail order - I only need 3, maybe 4 sheets.

Am down in Portsmouth and Lathams in Fareham have plenty but a minimum order value of £500 and the local sheds don't stock the good stuff and are out of stock anyway.

Suggestion VERY Gratefully Received.

 

[Martin_S]

Am finding it a challenge to find somewhere that stocks Egger or Krono that will fulfill a small retail order - I only need 3, maybe 4 sheets.

Am down in Portsmouth and Lathams in Fareham have plenty but a minimum order value of £500 and the local sheds don't stock the good stuff and are out of stock anyway.

Suggestion VERY Gratefully Received.

Belay that panic request! Apparently, Covers in Portsmouth have 11 sheets of 18mm melamine faced MDF in stock - so I will go with that....