Kitchen buying guide
One kitchen, six different jobs.
The sink base, the cabinets and the shutters each face different water, steam and heat. Kitchens that swell or peel are usually built from one material throughout, or stuck down with the wrong glue.
Six parts, explained.
What each part of the kitchen goes through, and what we'd build it from.
Base cabinets View →
Action TESA HDHMR
Mopped floors, spills, wet hands and the weight of everything on the counter.
Sink base View →
Century Sainik 710 (BWP)
Leaking pipes and water that stays. The hardest job in the kitchen.
Wall cabinets View →
Action TESA HDHMR
Steam and smoke rising from the hob, but no standing water.
Shutters View →
Action TESA HDHMR
Opened dozens of times a day, so the hinges need wood that holds a screw and stays flat.
Surface finish View →
1 mm laminate outside, 0.72 mm inside, a backing laminate on the reverse face
Grease, scrubbing and fingers, every day.
Edges and glue View →
Matched edge banding. Fevicol Marine for the boxes and sink unit; HeatX near the hob and chimney
Water gets in at the edges first, and heat opens a weak bond above the hob.
Side by side.
| Material | Handles water | Strength | Relative cost | Where it fits in a kitchen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWR plywood (Woodnation) | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ₹₹ | Cabinet boxes, if you prefer plywood |
| BWP plywood (Century Sainik 710) | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ₹₹₹ | Sink base |
| HDHMR (Action TESA) | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ₹₹ | Boxes and shutters, the whole kitchen |
| Boilo (Action TESA) | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ₹₹₹ | Sink base, wash area |
| Moist Master (Action TESA) | ●●●●● | ●●●●● | ₹ | Wall cabinets on a budget |
Pick a part.
Tap the part of the kitchen you're building.
What decides a kitchen’s material cost.
We don't print rates because they move with stock and quantity. These are the five things that move a kitchen's cost.
The board
HDHMR, BWP and Boilo cost more than plain board. You're paying for how they take water.
The finish
Acrylic costs more than laminate, and needs its own glue.
The laminate thickness
1 mm on show and 0.72 mm inside is cheaper than thick laminate everywhere, and works just as well.
The sheet count
Layout, cabinet sizes and how cleanly they're planned decide how many sheets get used and wasted.
The brand and the mark
A known name, a printed mark and a GST bill cost a little more, and come with quality you can hold someone to.
Spend where the water is. HDHMR for the kitchen, and the top grade only for the sink base. That's what we recommend.
Get today’s kitchen ratesMistakes we see every week.
One board for the whole kitchen, sink base included
The sink base faces water the rest never sees. Order it separately.
Plain particle board or MR plywood under the sink
It lasts until the first leak. Then it swells and sags.
Leaving edges open
Water gets in through the edges first. Edge-band every cut edge, inside the cabinets too.
No backing laminate
Laminate on one face only pulls the shutter out of shape over time. Put a backing sheet on the reverse.
The general-purpose glue above the hob
Heat softens it and the edge opens. Use a heat-resistant grade there.
Acrylic stuck down like laminate
It holds at first and peels later, usually at a corner. Acrylic needs its own adhesive.
Questions we get asked.
Plywood or HDHMR for a kitchen?
We recommend HDHMR for the boxes and the shutters. It's dense, stays flat and holds a hinge screw, and Action TESA gives it a 15-year written warranty. If you prefer plywood, use BWR for the boxes. Either way, the sink base gets BWP plywood or Boilo.
Laminate or acrylic shutters?
Laminate is tougher and hides daily wear, and matte or textured finishes hide fingerprints. Acrylic gives a deep mirror gloss but shows scratches and fingerprints more. Both go on HDHMR.
How many sheets does a kitchen need?
It depends on the layout and cabinet sizes, so there's no fixed number. Send us the layout or the cabinet sizes on WhatsApp and we'll work out the sheets.
Is particle board OK in a kitchen?
Plain particle board, no: it swells at the edges in a kitchen. Moist Master, our moisture-resistant particle board, works for wall cabinets and shutters away from water. Never under the sink.
Also see.
Planning a kitchen?
Send the layout or the cabinet sizes. We'll reply the same day with the materials for each part and the rate.