Carcassing – Screw or Dowel Construction

The quality of any kitchen is determined by the cabinets and there

are a number of factors that decide how good a carcass is, such as:
Cabinet strength – the build quality of some cabinets is so poor that to even lift them into place is a risk of them falling apart.
Board width – varies from 15, 16, 18 or 19mm. (18 or 19mm preferred}
Design – cabinets that employ a hardboard back or shallow depth back are evidently inferior to ones built using an 18mm back.
Depth – standard cabinet depth is between 560-575mm substantially less than this will lose valuable space in a large kitchen.
Hinge and drawer quality – extremely important due to everyday use of both.
Drawers should be metal sided with a solid base. (Blumotion anti-slam the ulterior at present) Hinges should be of a quality manufacture such as Blum
How are the cabinets constructed ? Cam fixings, Glued and dowelled(are both preferred options). Screws rely purely on the relying on the end grain to hold the cabinet together.
Are the front edges safeguarded? Some manufacturers employ a 3mm protective edge.
Chipboard quality is another important factor and is available in various grades.

One fact that is ignored by many kitchen buyers, and more importantly, manufacturers is the protection of the sink base cabinet, in particular, against leaks which will ultimately

ruin your carcass.
As yet no fully effective barrier agains water ingress exists but I still remain hopeful that one day my own invention, “Unitsaver” will play a pioneering role in creating the

protection required.

Until then, should a sink cabinet suffer water damage it’s off with your worktops, be they laminate, solid surface, stainless steel or granite, Then it’s shopping for new ones,

unless some miraculous method of replacing the sink cabinet exists whilst all the plumbing services and sink remain in situ.
Sorry for the long response but answers to the above questions should help you make a decision.

It appears that both companies offer a high

specification of cabinets but you offer greater detail from one of the companies.

I would be more concerned about any company that does not specify a guarantee period with their products as you stated in your previous post.
You need to determine the method of fixing the carcasses and if they use chipboard screws then you are receiving a product that is inferior to an advanced glued and dowelled system

but if this is reflected in the price difference then that may be of greater consideration to you.

The methods principally accepted as being above others and utilised by the majority of quality retailers remain the metal cam and screw dowelled or the glued and dowelled system.
The disadvantage with a glued and dowelled system for me, is the inability to change selected components of the carcass should it become damaged, far easier and less damaging with a

cam and dowelled system.

You need to determine the method the company uses and decide if this is reflected in the comparitive costs.
A carcass built using screws alone may, has and still is used by a number of manufacturers but improvements in cabinet construction rendered the methods I’ve detailed aa being used

by the more noted manufacturers and these are to be preferred.

Peter,

Thanks for the kind comments and welcome to the forum.