M aterials
Materials used in Kitchen renovation designs and constructions, with particular relevance to the Canberra, Australia market; based on Australian Standards and European technologies - as applied by Aneka Kitchens, Canberra ACT.

Basic Cabinet materials -

• MDF  Medium Density Fibreboard, is made from almost powdered chips from higher-graded timbers that are stronger than the older Pineboard that is now no longer used for kitchen manufacturing.

( Melamine is a mainly white paper that is  covered in glues and applied under heat and pressure to an MDF board to create a decorated internal surface for interior cabinet panels).

• HMR  The cheaper standard board could be used when covered with timber veneer, but the recommended grade for Kitchen cabinetry, shelving and panels is 16 mm  High Moisture Resistant HMR particleboard.

Bench Top materials

Bench tops from 'High Pressure' Laminates are manufactured by Aneka Kitchens; if produced from other materials (Stainless steel, Corian, Granite, etc.) then they are bought in from specialist manufacturers.

'High Pressure' Laminates -

'High pressure' Laminates such as LAMINE, and European imports such as DUROPAL and NEVERMAR are mainly used for the bench tops. These species of hardwearing bench tops now consist of many hundreds of colour bursts, patterns, and textures from which to select. Solids from St. Croix, patterns from Patagonia, and wood grains from the Congo with a whole series of edge details to set off your new designer laminate bench tops. The material is very hard, scratch and stain resistant but not impervious to cuts, burning cigarettes and scratches. These materials are the most economical solution.

Note: 'Low pressure' Laminates are not recommended for bench top material.

Further details and colour charts can be obtained by clicking on any of the manufacturers Logo's below which will bring you direct to their sites.

WilsonArt laminates

PanelArt Melamines

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel benchtops can be provided with seamless integrated sinks, providing a easy to clean, hygienic environment, much used in large commercial kitchens. Integrated Stainless steel Benchtop; as applied in a domestic kitchen --> (the owner is a commercial caterer)

Although good looking and shining from a distance, stainless steel is not scratch resistant and can show cuts and scratches, finger marks show up easily.

Scratches can be buffed out but require some work.

Ceramic Tile - 

This is the bench component that allows for the most design latitude. There is a ceramic tile shape, colour and pattern to take you anywhere you want to go within the design spectrum. As for durability, the kiln-fired nature of the product makes ceramic tile one of the more practical countertop solutions. It is hard wearing, ably to be sanded to remove scratches or light stains.

Engineered Stone. 

Products such as RockSolid Granit are based on Italian developments and are formed of powdered granites with a high proportion of quartz, mixed with resins under high pressure/temperature . They are the closest to real Granite slabs, with a great number of practical advantages(see RockSolidGranit). It comes in predictable forms, patterns, textures and characteristics, and can include many colours and textures that are not provided by Mother Nature.
These products comes in a number of beautiful designs. The latest product provides a 3-D view of sparkling 'deep' metals. There is no sealing required, as for natural stone, as it is practically stain-resistant; but although more impact resistant it may be more prone to chipping at the edges. The product is available in standard slabs that provide seamless bench tops; it will be measured and installed by our local distributor, after the cabinetry installation - this may take 14 days.

The product is superbly hardwearing, stain resistant and able to absorb heavy impacts. The cost is about 3x the cost of High Pressure Laminates and a bit less than Natural stone.

(The fitting must be absolutely precise and can not be performed from blue-prints only.) 

Man-made 'stone'

DuPont, the company responsible for insulating the nose cones of NASA rocket ships, has provided the technology for your kitchen countertop with CORIAN. DuPont's revolutionary technique, developed approximately 30 years ago, blends natural minerals with pure acrylic resin creates an ideal surface for living. With over 50 different colors and patterns, Corian is form and function personified. Beneath the dramatic beauty lie an incredible, long-life ruggedness and an easy to maintain practicality. Corian can have 'molded in' sinks and cutting boards as well as inlaid strips of contrasting colours. The cost of plain Corian is less than engineered stone; the darker colours and particularly those with inlaid patterns or stripes are more expensive. Other products like this such as STONE_ITALIANA, SILE-STONE, CDK-STONE look like granite but can be molded like Corian and are non-porous. All these products are measured very precisely after kitchen installation by our local distributor, Enterprise Joinery, and production time may be 14days.

Sink, cutting area and bench top can be formed as one brilliant seamless unit.

Slate and Bluestone - 

Slates are formed from tiny particles of clay and silt on the sea floor that solidified into shale hundreds of million years ago - then compressed into slate when earth segments folded or where pressed upwards into mountain ranges.
Slate is easier to work than granites and consequently its cost is much less, approximately half the cost of granites. It has a textured look and feel and is not as smooth as granites or marbles. The surface is porous and needs treatment with a sealer or impregnator to prevent staining.

Both Slate and Soapstone are probably best suited to Country style Kitchen designs, providing a rustic look and ambience.

Granite Slab - 

These sculptured slabs of natural granite, 3cm or 5cm thick, give the appearance of museum quality artwork in your kitchen. Granite comes in two basic types: consistent and variegated. Except for occasional blotches of mica or feldspar, consistent granite exhibits the same pattern throughout the slab. Variegated granite has swirling patterns and colours that shift dramatically from slab to slab. This however, can make matching slabs difficult and seams are often visible.

The cost is not for everyone, but the look is simply spectacular.

Natural stone is less impact resistant then man-made stone, this will depend on the thickness of the slab. Also natural stone will be more susceptible to staining than the man-made stone, and needs sealing at least every six-months (a simple process). The lighter colours particularly are susceptible to permanent stains from wine, beetroot and oils, if left for a longer period.

One type of imported and beautifully finished stone from China may is substantially cheaper than other imported or local products, but they are very limited in colour and come only in thinner slabs with one edge type pattern.

As for all stone surfaces, the measurement is only performed after installation of the kitchen cabinetry, the stone is then shaped and installed - this will normally be within two weeks of cabinetry installation. 

Some DON'T s...

• Stand, sit or place heavy objects on your stone tops.
• Use cleaners containing acids, vinegar, lemon juice etc. on Limestone, Marble or Onyx tops.
• Use scouring agents (dry abrasive cleaners such as Ajax.

DO cleanup spills of oil, sauces, fruit juices, wines and soft drinks off as soon as possible, using mild detergent or stone soap, then rinse and dry.

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Door construction types

In general doors are often bought-in from firms such as Duratech Industries a local firm that specialises in Door manufacture and Vinyl wrapping and has an excellent variety of profiles, sizes, textures, patterns and colours.

Aneka Kitchen however, thanks to its automated equipment and advanced CAM software, custom designs and manufactures its own range of doors in any size and with many optional profiles, with or without rebated panels, for the up-market polyurethane painted doors.

	1. Slab - Flat door styles with no raised or recessed profile. Solid wood slab doors are usually constructed of several pieces of solid stock wood joined with adhesive, then cut to size. Laminated slab styles are made of a substrate material (without a routed shape), then covered with the manufacturer's choice of laminate. Slab door styles may have detailed or plain edge profiles.
	2. Recessed Panel - A 'picture frame' is constructed, often with either miter or mortise and tenon joints. One or more flat panels is secured within the frame. Panels may be grooved or otherwise decorated. When 18mm - 25mm HMR particle board is used then the cut doors are profiled and recessed panels are formed using an automated Router.
	3. Raised Panel - Frames are constructed with panels secured in place as above. The raised panel is usually constructed of several pieces of solid stock lumber joined with adhesive, cut dimensionally and then routed or shaped with the desired edge profile. Raised panels might also consist of wood veneers adhered to plywood or another substrate, but this is more prone to different aging then the door itself.
	4. Routed - MRPB (Moister Resistant medium density fiberboard) or other material is shaped to create the appearance of raised or recessed panel or panels then painted or covered with the manufacturer's choice of laminate. In its simpler form these could be made of just 16mm HMR particle board, then vinyl coated, or left plain. Aneka prefers to use a minimum of 18mm or 25mm depending on the rebating or profiling requirements.

There are also differentiations in door styles by varied frame edge profiles and the dimension to which the door overlays the cabinet front frame.

Apart from the conventional doors discussed one must also consider different functional doors (all of which are obtained from specialist local or interstate manufacturers, including:

• Roller doors - there are a number of examples in the Aneka Showroom - these are very practical to enclose shelving within easy reach of the food preparation area and that, when 'pulled-down' enclose the full depth of the benchtop area.
• Bifold doors - two doors hinged together - used in the same fashion, but enclosing a larger area; this idea is also very popular for access to corner areas in a bench.
• Pivot Sliding doors - an alternative idea, here the door pivots open, then slides into a gap at the side of the cupboard.

Glass door styles constructed of pseudo or real lead-glass, or plain glass covering a open worked lattice, as shown in the picture.

The inside of cabinets are not just occupied by shelving - the modern kitchen cabinets hide a range of inside constructions, such as Sliding drawers, that are now very popular for storage of pots and pans, Spices racks, Kitchen tidiers, wire baskets, inbuilt Dishwashers etc.; these are shown on the Accessories page.

There is no sign of joins or edgings, a beautiful smooth product. The colour range is unlimited and a gloss or semi-gloss is advisable in a kitchen. Cleaning is easy.
But - consider using 1 or 2 mm pencil round edging ratherthan straight edges to prevent chipping of the paint over time.
NOTE: Painted surfaces can be relative easily repaired by colour matching and scratch repainting, or sanding down and full repainting.

On a particle board base a natural timber veneer can be applied to both sides, that is sealed with a clear coating for durability, or with a stain or lacquer. The colour range is limited to the availability of the timber species. Edges are square and in the same material or a matching strip so a tiny join could be showing. Veneer is usually only applied to flat panel doors with square edges. If profiles or grooves are applied then the board material may show and therefore a liming or staining should be used before applying the final clear finish. Acids or oil stains must be removed immediately, cleaning is with a damp cloth.

Solid Timber- 

Oak

Poplar

Pine

Birch

Any timber species can be used. Popular Australian hardwood species are:

• Blackwood
• Tasmanian Oak
• Sydney Blue Gum

The timber used depends on current availability, (the design at the left is manufactured in cedar) and it is unlikely that all doors will have exactly the same colour and texture. Although unsurpassed in quality feel and look Timber doors may be subject to movements as they are affected by large changes in moisture and temperature. Cleaning is with a damp cloth, durability depends on the surface coating. Lacquer - two-pack is recommended, otherwise natural timbers should be oiled.