Kitchen Cabinetry Explained

Carcass16 mm board, edged on every visible face

Two cabinetry quotes can name the same door colour and still differ by a third. The distance sits where you cannot see it: the board behind the finish, how its edges are sealed, whether drawer sides are steel or more of the same board, and how far a hinge can be adjusted once a ninety-year-old floor moves again. This guide reads that line of the schedule out loud.

The carcass decides how long the finish lasts

Carcasses are the boxes behind the doors. In Bentleigh homes where the sink, dishwasher and laundry door often share one short wall, the substrate under the laminate is what decides whether a cupboard floor is still flat in year five. Substrate can be specified run by run, not as one blanket upgrade.

Melamine particleboard16 mm, faced both sides — the working standardStable while dry. Every cut edge must be banded.

Moisture-resistant board16–18 mm MR board under sink and dishwasherTolerates a slow leak far longer than standard board.

PlywoodLighter box, holds a screw, higher material costEarns its place in tall units and long unsupported runs.

Back panelGrooved-in 6 mm, not pinned 3 mmA grooved back is what keeps a box square under load.

Doors: the finish you touch every day

Laminate frontMatte or textured face, repairable only by replacement

Two-pack polyurethaneSprayed MDF, seamless profile, can be resprayed later

Timber veneerReal grain, sequence-matched across a run, lacquer sealed

Shaker profileRouted one-piece MDF or a jointed five-piece frame

Edge banding1 mm ABS, radiused, colour-matched

The edge is the honest part of a door. Thin 0.4 mm banding chips at the corner a hand catches; 1 mm ABS with a small radius survives it. Ask which thickness is quoted, and whether the glue line is visible. A seamless laser-applied edge costs more and shows less.

Door choice also sets the handle. Handleless fronts need a routed rail or a J-pull, which is a cabinetry decision made early — see Modern Handleless Kitchens.

Drawer box · reference photographMetal-sided runner, full extension, soft close

Hardware is the part that wears out

Boards sit still. Hinges, runners and legs move thousands of times a year, and they are the first thing a lean quote quietly downgrades. Four details tell you most of what you need to know before signing anything.

01 HingesThree-way adjustable, soft-close integrated rather than clip-on. Adjustability matters because period floors and walls are rarely square.02 RunnersUnder-mount and full extension, so the back of a deep drawer clears the bench edge. Check the load rating for pot and pantry drawers.03 Drawer sidesSteel or aluminium sides hold their shape and gain internal width; board sides cost less and lose both over time.04 Legs and kicksAdjustable legs with a clip-on kick let cabinets level independently and come off again for a future plumbing repair.

Four questions that separate two similar quotes

Which cabinets get moisture-resistant board?A clear answer names the sink, dishwasher and any laundry-adjacent run. A vague answer names the whole kitchen or none of it.What thickness is the edge banding?One millimetre on doors and exposed carcass edges, thinner banding only where nothing is handled.Are drawer sides metal or board?This single line explains a surprising share of the gap between two otherwise identical cabinetry schedules.Are fillers and scribes included?Walls in older Bentleigh and Ormond homes bow. Scribed fillers are how a straight cabinet meets a crooked wall without a shadow gap.

Taking the cabinetry line to a quote

Cabinetry can be a scope on its own. Custom Kitchen Cabinetry, Made to Measure covers non-standard widths, tall units and awkward returns; Kitchen Makeovers keeps sound carcasses and replaces only the fronts, benchtop and hardware. If the layout itself is wrong, cabinetry follows Custom Kitchen Design rather than leading it.

Bring your measurements and a door direction to Request a Quote, or send a shorter question through the contact form.