Why We Use 18mm Cabinet Sides, Not the 15mm Standard
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Cabinet side thickness rarely comes up when you're comparing kitchen quotes - door styles and worktop finishes get all the attention, while the boards actually holding the cabinet together stay hidden behind the doors. Most suppliers fit 15mm sides because it's cheaper to buy and cheaper to fit. Nottingham Kitchen Fitter specifies 18mm as standard on every carcass, base unit to wall unit, because that's the thickness still holding hinges and shelves properly a decade after installation.
If you're weighing up quotes from different Nottingham kitchen suppliers, it's worth asking each one what thickness their cabinet sides are built from before you compare the prices - the answer explains a good part of the difference between them.
What Our 18mm Cabinet Spec Covers - And What It Doesn't
- Base units, wall units and tall units all built with 18mm cabinet sides as standard
- Shelves specified in 18mm, not just the outer carcass walls
- Backs of wall-mounted units in 18mm, for stronger screw retention into the wall
- Furniture-grade European MFC board, precision-cut and edge-banded on machinery set up for the thicker material
- The 18mm specification written into your quote, not just mentioned verbally
- European hinges and mounting hardware matched to 18mm sides for the correct screw length and adjustment range
Not Included / Costed Separately
- Worktops - stone, quartz and laminate surfaces are a separate specification and separate cost
- Door fronts and fascias, which are chosen for style and finish rather than structural thickness
- Respray and re-facing projects, where the existing carcass, whatever thickness it was originally built to, stays in place
- The roughly £1,000-1,500 this adds to a full kitchen build over 15mm construction - it's priced into the quote, not offered as an optional extra to strip back out
From Design to Sign-Off: How the 18mm Spec Reaches Your Kitchen
- Free home consultation & design -- We visit your Nottingham home, measure up and talk through layout options, using CAD and interactive floor-planning software so you can see a photo-realistic version of the new kitchen before agreeing to anything.
- Written quotation -- The cabinet specification - 18mm carcass, board grade and guarantee terms - goes on your quote in writing, alongside worktops, doors and every other cost, so nothing is left to a verbal promise.
- Manufacture -- Boards are precision-cut and edge-banded on machinery set up specifically for 18mm material, then inspected for dimensional accuracy and joint quality before they leave the factory.
- Installation -- City & Guilds trained joiners fit the units, scribing to walls and floors that are rarely perfectly square in older Nottingham properties, and securing wall units into whatever's actually behind the plaster.
- Sign-off & warranty -- A final walk-through confirms everything is aligned and adjusted properly, followed by a written installation warranty, a 5-year guarantee on labour and installation, and a 2-year guarantee on products.
What 18mm Construction Adds to Your Kitchen Quote
The 18mm upgrade isn't priced as a separate line most suppliers would show you - it's simply how every carcass is built here, and it typically adds somewhere around £1,000-1,500 to a full kitchen compared with the same design in 15mm construction, depending on how many units you're having. Full kitchens start from around £5,000, with flexible finance available through an FCA-regulated partner, subject to status, so the 18mm premium usually gets absorbed into a monthly figure rather than felt as a lump sum. What you actually pay depends on the size of your kitchen, the number of units, the worktop and door finish you choose, and any structural work needed - none of which can be priced accurately over the phone. A free home visit gets you a full written quotation with the cabinet spec, guarantee terms and every cost itemised, so there's nothing hidden once work starts.
15mm vs 18mm Cabinet Sides, Side by Side
| 15mm cabinet sides (industry standard) | 18mm cabinet sides (our standard) | |
|---|---|---|
| Hinge screw grip | 12-13mm of material to bite into | 15-16mm of material to bite into |
| Shelf under a 25kg load | Measurable sag develops within 6 months | No measurable movement in the same test |
| Typical issue after 7-10 years | Loose hinges, uneven door gaps, bowing shelves | Cabinets holding their original alignment |
| Cost on a full kitchen | Included in the base price | Roughly £1,000-1,500 more |
| Feel when a door closes | Often described as hollow | Solid, substantial closing sound |
Who's Actually Building Your Cabinets
Cabinet thickness is a joinery decision, and joinery is where this business started. Nottingham Kitchen Fitter is a family-run business, trading for over 20 years across Nottingham and the wider East Midlands, with more than 800 kitchens completed for local homeowners - everything from tight Victorian terraces in the Lace Market to modern city-centre apartments. The carpentry and cabinet making on every job is done by City & Guilds trained master craftsmen, not subcontracted out to whoever's cheapest that week, which is exactly the kind of decision that shows up, or doesn't, in cabinet construction a decade later. Every customer gets a written agreement before work starts, so the 18mm spec is on paper, not just spoken about at the kitchen table. Work finishes with a formal sign-off, a written installation warranty, a 5-year guarantee on labour and installation, and a 2-year guarantee on products. This isn't a national chain passing your job between call centres - you deal directly with the people building your cabinets.
Where We Fit 18mm Kitchens Across Nottingham and the East Midlands
Nottingham is home turf - most of the 800+ kitchens completed so far have been fitted in and around the city, including plenty of Victorian terraces in the Lace Market where wall conditions behind the plaster aren't always as solid as they look, which is exactly why the extra screw-holding depth in 18mm sides matters for securely wall-mounting units. Beyond the city, coverage runs across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire from a regional workshop, roughly a 15-20 mile radius taking in West Bridgford, Wollaton, Beeston, Arnold and Sneinton, out to Mansfield, Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Stapleford, and across into Derby, Long Eaton, Alfreton and Heanor, with jobs also completed further out toward Chesterfield and the Derbyshire border. Wherever the postcode, the same 18mm carcass spec goes into every kitchen - it isn't scaled back for jobs further from Nottingham.
Cabinet Thickness Questions We Get Asked
Does the 18mm spec apply to every cabinet in my kitchen, or just some units?
Every carcass - base units, wall units and tall units - is specified in 18mm as standard, along with the shelves and the backs of wall-mounted cabinets. It isn't reserved for a premium tier or show units; it's what goes into every kitchen we build.
Can I ask for 15mm cabinets to bring the price down?
We don't offer 15mm as a cheaper option, no. We'd rather be upfront about that than sell a kitchen that starts developing problems within a few years. If budget is tight, there are other places to save - simpler door styles or a different worktop spec - without touching the carcass construction.
Will 18mm sides make my units look bulkier or reduce cupboard space?
No. The extra 3mm sits inside the cabinet wall, not on the outside, so the external footprint and door sizes match a 15mm kitchen. You lose a small amount of internal depth, a few millimetres per side, which isn't noticeable in normal use.
What guarantee do I get on the cabinets themselves?
Every installation carries a 5-year guarantee on labour and installation and a 2-year guarantee on products, confirmed in writing along with a formal sign-off and installation warranty once the job is finished.
How do I check what cabinet thickness another supplier is actually quoting me?
Ask directly and get it in writing on the quote - '18mm cabinet sides' or '18mm carcass construction' should appear in black and white. Vague phrases like 'solid construction' or 'quality cabinets' usually mean 15mm, because suppliers using 18mm tend to say so, since it costs them more to provide.
Does the 18mm spec apply if I'm just having my kitchen resprayed instead of replaced?
No. A respray or re-facing project keeps your existing carcasses exactly as they are, whatever thickness they were originally built to. That work refreshes the doors and surfaces with a factory-grade finish rather than rebuilding the boxes underneath, so 18mm applies to full new-kitchen installations rather than respray work.
Are there payment options if the 18mm spec pushes the kitchen outside my budget?
Kitchens start from around £5,000, and flexible finance is available through an FCA-regulated partner, subject to status, so the difference between 15mm and 18mm construction can usually be spread rather than paid upfront. A free home visit and written quotation shows you exactly where the money's going before you commit to anything.
Are there payment options if the 18mm spec pushes the kitchen outside my budget?
Kitchens start from around £5,000, and flexible finance is available through an FCA-regulated partner, subject to status, so the difference between 15mm and 18mm construction can usually be spread rather than paid upfront. A free home visit and written quotation shows you exactly where the money's going before you commit to anything.
Ask About Cabinet Thickness Before You Sign Anything
A kitchen with loose hinges or sagging shelves doesn't fix itself, and the longer 15mm cabinets carry daily weight, the further those mounting points wear past the point of repair. If your current kitchen's shelves are already bowing or doors won't sit right, get it looked at before repair turns into replacement. Book a free home visit to see the 18mm difference for yourself and get a written quotation with nothing left off the page.
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