That a company that makes furniture out of cardboard may be cutting corners elsewhere as well.

neb:

 

That a company that makes furniture out of cardboard may be cutting corners elsewhere as well.

 

So nothing then. The 25 year warranty on Ikea cabinets speaks for itself. 

Since mitre Ten is out of the picture have you considered place makers, we looked at all 3 kaboodle came last , hard choice between mitre ten and placemakers. M10 only won as we got  a trade discount 

Bung:

 

SATTV:

 

Quite often, the flatpacks use chipboard and not MDF, you will want to check as chipboard does not last.

 

 

MDF & chipboard both swell up if they absorb water. 

 

Our kitchen must be around 15 years old by now. Around that time Peter Hay flat packs were changing to moisture resistant chip board that had a green tinge to it. I polyurethaned any raw edges that might have got wet as well and there's been no problem with any of the cabinets. I've had to replace a couple of hinges on corner cupboard doors and the soft closers on the drawers don't last long with the weight we put in them.

 

Edit checked receipts, not as old as I thought.

 

If it was me, I wouldnt have an issue with MDF except the sink cabinet.  I would build a cabinet out of plywood and just paint it.    The bottom plate of many sink cabinets just swell and have to get cut out and replaced some time later.  

Having had our 30 year old (partially renovated) kitchen replaced under insurance by an insurance-appointed kitchen specialist, I'd say you probably couldn't do any worse. 

I'd choose a Kaboodle over the rubbish that our perfectly serviceable kitchen was replaced with. It annoys me every time I go into our kitchen. 

Modern but cheap cabinetry and cheap hardware (hinges etc), combined with poor workmanship is a recipe for disaster. 
We have a small kitchen, but we were told by the kitchen installers that they were putting in a $30k kitchen. 
I'd pay them nothing for this. It's flimsy and clearly cheap. It's what I would assume the cabinetry would be like from the hardware stores as opposed to a kitchen company, as such. 

My concern with kitchens is that they have a bit of a hard life - there's moisture, heat, cold, sharp objects, blunt objects, weight, pressure and every other type of assault on the kitchen surfaces, so choose carefully. 

Older kitchens were made of sterner stuff - most last for decades. Cheaper modern kitchens clearly aren't designed for that. 

FYI - if Phoenix Kitchens are recommended as an installer, just walk away. 100% would not recommend them. Not even to someone I dislike. 

The biggest moisture risk is the dishwasher cabinet. That is a steam bath for an hour or two per day.

johno1234:

 

The biggest moisture risk is the dishwasher cabinet. That is a steam bath for an hour or two around 6 hours per day.

 

 

 

reven:

 

If it was me, I wouldnt have an issue with MDF except the sink cabinet.  I would build a cabinet out of plywood and just paint it.    The bottom plate of many sink cabinets just swell and have to get cut out and replaced some time later.  

 

Upper cabinets above where you run appliances get trashed from the steam. Rice cookers are the worst ones for this, but kettles etc boiling will leave condensation that will find its way in. I still dont get why they only put an extractor over the elements and not other places in kitchens since IME that is where a lot of cooking is done.

richms:

 

reven:

 

If it was me, I wouldnt have an issue with MDF except the sink cabinet.  I would build a cabinet out of plywood and just paint it.    The bottom plate of many sink cabinets just swell and have to get cut out and replaced some time later.  

 

 

Upper cabinets above where you run appliances get trashed from the steam. Rice cookers are the worst ones for this, but kettles etc boiling will leave condensation that will find its way in. I still dont get why they only put an extractor over the elements and not other places in kitchens since IME that is where a lot of cooking is done.

 

It might be worth talking to a local cabinet maker as well. When we did our Wardrobes our local guy was not much more expensive than Kaboodle etc but could custom make sizes and it was much easier to talk through different quality/price points. 

Handsomedan:

 

I've never understood why extractors aren't put in the ceiling like in a bathroom. 

I cannot believe I have never thought of that before.

See if you can get a sample of the material used to build the kitchen from mitre10 and when you compare that with what a good local installer will use you’ll be shocked at the weight difference. 

Handsomedan:
I've never understood why extractors aren't put in the ceiling like in a bathroom. 

A bathroom with the door closed would be easy compared to an open plan kitchen area. Bathroom water vapour would also be much cleaner than kitchen fumes.

alisam:

 

Handsomedan:

 

I've never understood why extractors aren't put in the ceiling like in a bathroom. 

 

I cannot believe I have never thought of that before.

 

The installation guide on most rangehoods will have a max distance from cooktop to rangehood specified. The more you exceed that the more you lose efficiency of extraction and the more food laden steam gets spread around the rest of the room and its surfaces.