Flat packs? Is their anything wrong with them? Retailers that build flat packs and sell them as rigid? Spotting the difference between flatpacks and rigid built.
Flat packs? Is there anything wrong with them? Retailers that build flat packs and sell them as rigid? Spotting the difference between flatpacks and rigid built.
So what better? Rigid or flat pack? My retailer says they build kitchen cabinets, but do they really?
As an industry standard, most cabinets in the UK are made from an 18mm board. Your cabinet starts life as sheet material usually sized around 2400mm x 20oom, some manufacturers use 15mm or 16mm which saves on cost but boards can also differ in density.
Eg. a 16mm high-density board can offer more rigidity than an 18mm low-density board but many KBB retailers opt to tell you their board is thicker so it’s better. Some retailers have such low-density boards it’s referred to as ‘Weetabix’ and you can almost push a screw through it by hand. Buying this type of board can save a KBB manufacturer thousands based on the amount of board they buy to produce a cabinet.
Spotting a flat pack over a rigid-built kitchen.
Flat-pack kitchens are mass-produced and if you have the time, they can save lots of money and often can be made from a good quality board. The telltale signs of a flat-pack kitchen are the number of holes found in them which you don’t need to use. A flat-pack kitchen will have hinge holes for example drilled on both sides and many holes for various shelf positions. This is because the left and right sides are universal and it saves on production costs.
Rigid-built kitchens will be purpose-built and handed left or right without the holes. There are usually more colour choices also with rigid build kitchens as they are made from scratch.
What’s the difference between Glued or Cam and Doweled?
Many flat-pack kitchens are cam and dowelled, cams are a usually metal piece that allows a screw to pull into it and lock it into position, and the dowels help with alignment and rigidity. To add structure and keep things in place retailers may add glue to the dowels to prevent them coming apart. The downside to glueing is if a fitter needs to amend the cabinet or make onsite alterations the cabinet has to be broken which can affect its longevity.
Many flat & rigid cabinets offer a removable back, which allows the installer to slide the back out, make any holes for plumbing etc. and then slide the back, back into place creating a nice finish.
So what better?
This depends on the budget. A flat pack can offer savings and be just as good as a rigid kitchen and produce the same finish but you may be limited on colour choice and will have additional holes in your cabinet which aren’t required (but easily covered up). Many flat packs are also only available in standard sizes, if a bespoke size is required it has to be adapted.
Ridgid, as long as they are rigid and not just a flat pack being sold as a rigid can offer more colour choices, easier and quicker installation times, bespoke options available with a purpose-built cabinet to suit the bespoke size, no unsightly holes, many cabinet makers will also tailor the cabinet around any niches.
What to look for as a standard.
18mm in a good quality board
Cabinets that are fully edged with no exposed chipboard that could allow water ingress.
A removal back on especially sink base units to allow clean pipe cuts
Adjustable feet to allow better alignment.
Cabinets that are made with a CNC machine for accuracy flat pack or rigid.
Quality fixings to hang units which are concealed so you don’t see them.
Considerations.
For painted fronts, opt for an oak-coloured cabinet to give the look of real wood-made cabinets and a more luxurious finish.
Opt for colour-coordinated cabinets, but not too dark. You want to be able to see what’s in your cabinets (This is why a wood finish is a good solution for a painted kitchen).
Look for additional details on cabinets that make a cabinet different to eveyone else’s.