Since my flat packs Vs cabinet maker post for our laundry renovation, we have done our research on the laundry flat pack cabinets and priced up and compared what was available at Ikea, Bunnings and Masters.
In the end we decided to go with Masters because they have a 10 year warranty, the finishes were modern and looked like they were well made and best of all we had a discount voucher which saved us $350 off the total amount.
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| Laundry flat pack layouts in store |
First we checked out Masters online to get an idea of what they had on offer. Then we went to the store and created a shopping list by choosing what we liked on the displays - the colour and style of the door fronts, colour of the kick board, door handles and the size of the cabinets that fit.
We resisted the urge to buy everything there and then and went home and mulled over the design and all our options, priced it all up, triple checked it would fit, then went back and purchased everything.
I know that may sound tedious but they don't call me the Organising Queen for nothing! It all went smoothly because we knew what we were getting and we weren't standing in the aisles stressing out like shoppers around us where because they were overwhelmed with all the choices!
We resisted the urge to buy everything there and then and went home and mulled over the design and all our options, priced it all up, triple checked it would fit, then went back and purchased everything.
I know that may sound tedious but they don't call me the Organising Queen for nothing! It all went smoothly because we knew what we were getting and we weren't standing in the aisles stressing out like shoppers around us where because they were overwhelmed with all the choices!
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| Planning and drawing with strong coffee and/or wine is a must! |
Here are my tips on entering the world of DIY flat pack cabinets:
1. Go to the shops prepared - Take your room measurements, notepad, pen and a tape measure. You may look a little nerdy (or like an Organised Queen - or King!) but at least you'll be able to work out there and then what will fit and what won't.
I find taking photos is a good way to remember what it looked like and also a photo of the price tag which should have the model and measurements too. It saves having to write it all down which might make you look like a bigger nerd!
I find taking photos is a good way to remember what it looked like and also a photo of the price tag which should have the model and measurements too. It saves having to write it all down which might make you look like a bigger nerd!
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| An organised mess! |
2. What size cabinets - Most of the sizes are fairly standard so we worked out which cabinets would fit the space so that we could then have a play around with the layout.
Ask yourself - do you want to fit in more smaller cupboards or fewer large cupboards. Do you want cupboards, drawers, or other features like drying racks. For us this depended on:
Cost - Is it cheaper to do it one way or another?
Aesthetics - What looks better?
Practical - What works for us?
Also check with the cabinets what's included as they vary by brands - hinges, shelves, how to hang, etc so there's no surprises about what you need to have the complete cabinets installed at home.
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| Playing around with layout and different sized cabinets |
3. Special products or features - Keep your eyes open for special features that you can include in the cabinetry, as this may affect the type of cabinets or drawers you get.
Good storage and keeping everything organised is on top of my list for our laundry. So when I spotted this small pull out caddy that fits into a base cabinet I was sold straight away - it's perfect for holding all the cleaning bottles. I'm in love with my pull out caddy under the sink in the kitchen it's one of my favourite features of our kitchen renovation, they are such a great invention!
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| Our pull out caddy that will go into a drawer cabinet |
4. Side panels and Kick board - Don't forget you need side panels between each of the cabinets as well and these come in various sizes.
You also need a kick board for the base cabinets, which come in just a few colours and if you are brave you can get a contrasting colour (like we did in our kitchen renovation). We were tempted to go with silver but in the end decided on white as it's just a small area and we didn't think it would add much to the design.
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| Our flat packs hand picked off the shelves |
5. Pick the style and colour of door fronts - The basic flat pack range of doors has a mat finish which can be hard to clean and looks a little plain.
We went for a gloss finish Profile - Whitehaven which is heaps easier to clean and looks stylish and modern. These are slightly higher in price but I think will make our flat packs look more like custom made cabinets.
We went for a gloss finish Profile - Whitehaven which is heaps easier to clean and looks stylish and modern. These are slightly higher in price but I think will make our flat packs look more like custom made cabinets.
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| Our door fronts - a glossy bright white |
6. Pick out the handles - There are so many different styles of handles to choose from .... so many they all start to look the same after a while!
Consider the sizes, the finish (shiny or mat) and how they feel in your hand. You want them to look good and be comfortable too.
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| Handles galore |
7. Stop and think about it! - There's no need to pile everything on the trolley and rush home with it all there and then unless you're on a renovating show on TV!
Because let's face it, that's how mistakes are made and sometimes costly if you can't return items. Once you're confident in the design and decisions made then you can take your goodies home ...... and start assembling!
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| Trolley loaded - lets go! |
I'm really happy with what we picked out, it feels good to be organised and have everything ready to go and the money we're saving by doing it ourselves is keeping us under budget.
We will be assembling and installing all the cabinets in the next few days so that the rest of the plumbing can be done and the tiler can finish laying the splash back tile.
Wish me luck on entering the land of flat pack assembling!
Wish me luck on entering the land of flat pack assembling!
You can see all my Laundry/Powder Room
renovation progress posts here:
Laundry/Powder Room Renovation - Changing The Plumbing
Laundry/Powder Room Renovation - Changing The Plumbing
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These are going to look SO nice... yeah, I have found that bringing measurements to the store is always a MUST!
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