Soft-Close, Handle-Free & Shaker: Kitchen Cabinet Styles Explained
A clear guide to kitchen cabinet styles including flat panel, shaker, and handle-free designs, plus soft-close hardware, with costs and pros for…
February 7, 2026
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What Cabinet Replacement Covers
Cabinet replacement works best when the layout’s already right — you just want better storage and a newer-looking kitchen. We measure every cabinet width, depth, and height to the millimetre, so the new units fit the existing footprint without gaps or forced cuts.
Scope includes: cabinet removal, wall and floor rectification behind the old units, new cabinet install (flat-pack or custom), door and drawer hang and adjustment, benchtop template and install if replacing at the same time, handle fit, and a post-install tune-up after the hinges settle.
Cabinet Options Compared
Three main categories of replacement cabinetry, with significant quality and cost variation within each.
Flat-pack (IKEA, Kaboodle, Bunnings)
Pros: cheapest, standard sizes, off-the-shelf availability, well-warranted carcases.
Cons: limited to 150mm increments, fewer door finishes, awkward-shaped rooms need custom inserts to fill gaps.
Typical cost (cabinetry only): $3,000–$8,000 for a 15-cabinet kitchen.
Semi-custom (local Perth cabinetmakers)
Pros: made-to-measure widths, wider door and finish choices, typically better hinge and drawer hardware, Australian-made.
Cons: 6–10 week lead time, mid-range pricing, less-consistent quality between makers.
Typical cost (cabinetry only): $8,000–$18,000.
Fully custom (premium cabinetmakers)
Pros: any size, any finish, veneer or 2-pack spray options, custom joinery (appliance garages, specialty drawers, integrated handles).
Cons: most expensive, 8–14 week lead time.
Typical cost (cabinetry only): $15,000–$35,000+.
Perth-Specific Cabinet Replacement Notes
Two things worth knowing about cabinet replacement in Perth homes:
- Humidity in coastal suburbs. Cottesloe, Scarborough, North Beach, Mosman Park etc. — we specify moisture-resistant (MR) board for carcases, stainless-steel hinges, and sealed edge-banding. Standard board swells and fails within 5–7 years near the coast.
- Older-home stud spacing. Pre-1970s Perth homes often have non-standard wall framing — 450mm studs rather than modern 600mm. Affects how wall cabinets anchor. We scan walls before ordering so brackets land on timber, not between studs.
Cabinet Replacement With a Project Manager vs. a Cabinetmaker
Cabinetmakers make and install cabinets. They don’t disconnect your plumbing, disconnect and reconnect your electrical, patch wall damage behind the old units, coordinate the benchtop fabricator, manage rubbish removal, or deal with surprises behind the old kitchen. You’d need to book and pay those trades separately.
We coordinate everything. One quote, one schedule, one point of contact. When the cabinetmaker finds the wall’s out of plumb by 25mm, we already have the carpenter booked to pack it. When the bench fabricator needs a 12mm infill, we’ve got the cabinet end-panel ordered. You pay us — we pay them.
Cabinet Replacement Timeline
A cabinet replacement with existing benchtops retained runs about 3 weeks total:
- Measure + quote (week 0): site visit, cabinet sizing, itemised quote.
- Order (weeks 1–4): flat-pack is 1–2 weeks; semi-custom 6–10 weeks; custom up to 14 weeks. Nothing happens on-site during this period — you can keep cooking.
- Strip-out (day 1): disconnect services, remove old cabinets, expose and rectify walls/floor.
- Install (days 2–5): base cabinets first, then walls, then benchtop template and connection of services.
- Finishing (days 6–8): door hang, handle fit, drawer adjustment, touch-ups.
If replacing benchtops at the same time, add 2 weeks to account for bench fabrication lead time between template and install.
Indicative Cabinet Replacement Costs
Installed costs (cabinetry + labour + minor wall/floor rectification, benchtops excluded) for a typical 15-cabinet Perth kitchen:
Flat-pack tier — $8,000–$15,000
IKEA METOD or Kaboodle carcases with standard doors, European soft-close hinges, basic handles.
Semi-custom tier — $15,000–$28,000
Australian-made carcases, wider door/finish choice, Blum or Hettich hardware, designer handle options.
Custom tier — $28,000–$55,000+
Fully custom, 2-pack spray or veneer finishes, integrated handles, specialty drawers and appliance garages.
Add $4,000–$12,000 if replacing benchtops; $1,500–$4,000 for new splashback.
Why Kitchen Owners Pick Us
One point of contact
James manages every trade. You never explain the job twice or chase a sparky who hasn’t turned up.
Itemised quotes
Everything in writing — scope, materials, labour — before you commit. No ‘from $X’ bait.
Trades booked and held
We book licensed trades for specific dates and hold them. If the cabinetry is delayed, we move the install, not the plumber.
Compliance documented
Plumbing, electrical, gas — every connection certified. You get the paperwork at handover, not by chasing it later.
Who Replaces Kitchen Cabinets With Us
Cabinet replacement is usually the right answer for:
- Mid-life kitchens — 15–25 years old, layout still works, cabinets tired or damaged. The bones are fine; the surfaces aren’t.
- Investment properties between tenants — faster and cheaper than a full reno, lifts the rental price.
- Sale-prep renovations — dated cabinetry is the single biggest objection at inspection; a swap removes it for 20% of full-reno cost.
Kitchen Cabinet Replacement FAQs
Possibly — if the new cabinets are built to the exact same widths as the old ones and the benchtop is in good condition. In practice, benchtops usually come off with the cabinets and it’s cheaper to replace them together than to re-use an older top on new cabinetry.
Most kitchens run four to seven days on site, plus the cabinetry lead time (1–14 weeks depending on flat-pack vs custom). We don’t start demolition until cabinets are on the ground, so you’re not left with a stripped kitchen waiting for deliveries.
Flat-pack if your kitchen has standard 150mm-increment widths and you want to move quickly for under $20k total. Custom if you have non-standard dimensions, want specific door finishes, or are already spending $30k+ and want the joinery to match. Semi-custom sits between.
You usually find old water damage under the sink, patched holes behind the oven, dodgy past-tenant electrical, or (in pre-2000 Perth homes) asbestos vinyl behind the toe-kick. We photograph, flag it, fix what has to be fixed before the new cabinets go in, and agree any extra cost with you in writing.
For about three to four days mid-job, no — when the sink, cooktop, and benchtop are out. Before and after those days, you can usually cook normally. We often set up a temporary kitchenette in the laundry or an adjacent room.
Cabinets are warranted by the manufacturer (7–10 years for flat-pack carcases, 10+ years for custom, shorter on doors/drawers depending on finish). We warrant the install — level, plumb, aligned doors, properly-adjusted drawers — for 12 months.
Installed: $8k–$15k for flat-pack tier, $15k–$28k for semi-custom, $28k–$55k+ for fully custom (cabinetry + labour + wall rectification, benchtops excluded). Add $4k–$12k if replacing benchtops.
If the carcases are still structurally sound — yes, absolutely. Door-only replacement costs about 30–50% of a full cabinet swap. We offer it under Cabinet Resurfacing. If the carcases are warped or water-damaged, full replacement is the better call.
Serving the Perth Metro Area
We service homes right across the Perth Metropolitan Area including in and around:
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