"How come it costs that much?" That must be one of the questions that I hear the most often when I submit price quotations for kitchen cabinetry to homeowners. Although it is true that cabinetry can be designed to be low-budget, middle-range, or high-end, there are so many factors involved that can easily push an intended low-budget project into a higher price range.

The place to start when designing kitchen cabinets for a specific budget is doors. There are more door options available than most people realize, and each option will affect your over-all budget. From least expensive to costliest, door styles are available as follows:

1)Melamine. These are flush doors (no panels or profile details), and are available in a wide range of colours and patterns, from solid colours to imitation wood, and countless others. The newer "thermo-fused melamine" doors have a very thin layer of melamine paper applied to a substrate panel-style door. They are inexpensive and not very durable. These should not be used near sources of water or heat, or where frequent washing will be required.

2)Wood veneer. These are flush doors made with a thin layer of wood over a substrate material. Birch, maple, oak, and ash are all in the same price range, while any exotic or more rare woods (mahogany, cherry, walnut?) will increase the cost. These are often found in modern style kitchens.

3)Wood frame with veneered panels. These doors have frames made of solid wood, and recessed flush panels made of a veneered substrate. A common style among this type of door is Shaker. The wood species chosen will affect the price.

4)Plastic laminate. Looks much like melamine doors, but of higher quality, and much more durable. Wider range of patterns and colours available. Laminates have a dark brown core, so depending on the colour of the laminate chosen, you may see dark brown lines at all the joints ? at each edge of each door, and so on.

5)Wood frame with wood panels. These have frames and panels made of solid wood. The panel usually has a raised detailing. These are often found in traditional style kitchens. Again, the choice of wood affects the price.

6)Wood or lacquer painted frame with panels of another material. These doors have wood, or lacquer painted, frames and another material used for the panel. The other material can be anything, and it is this other material that will greatly affect the cost. Common panel materials include glass, painted finishes, plastic laminates, metal (perforated, brushed, hammered, etc.), cork, and even wall coverings (such as grass-cloth) applied to a substrate.

7)Thermoplastic. These doors are not manufactured by the average cabinetmaker; they are factory-made. Thermoplastics come in a variety of colours and finishes, but the most common are still the glossy white, and the imitation wood. More durable and more attractive than melamine. About the same price range as wood doors. Some manufacturers are now advertising "thermo-fused melamine" ? be careful because the two are not the same at all.

Lacquer painted. These doors are usually lacquer painted MDF, but it is the lacquering work that increases the cost because more labour and specialized painting equipment is involved. These are not "painted" cabinets. Lacquer is applied in the form of a spray, over a sprayed-on primer, and no brush marks or other irregularities half-cell 9bb solar panel are visible at all. If you choose a special finish, such as glazing, the cost increases a bit more.

9)Stainless steel. These doors are usually not made by a cabinetmaker's shop, but are subcontracted out to a metal shop. They are, without a doubt, the most expensive of your door options.

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