Cost of 1 Piece MDF Cabinet Doors at Cutting Edge
Updated November 22, 2024
Discover the cost of one-piece MDF cabinet doors, including pricing for raw-backed and melamine-backed options.
Painted kitchen cabinet doors are in high demand, making them a go-to choice for many clients. As a cabinet maker or contractor, you’ve likely encountered 1-piece MDF cabinet doors as a popular recommendation for painted finishes. But before you commit to using them in your next project, it’s essential to understand their costs. Are 1-piece MDF cabinet doors a budget-friendly option that aligns with your project’s needs, or will they stretch your margins too thin? And will using them negatively affect your reputation as a trusted contractor?
Cost of 1 Piece MDF Cabinet Doors From Cutting Edge
At Cutting Edge, we produce custom-sized cabinet doors. Thus, we don’t have a catalogue of prices per size – as you can imagine, it would be incredibly long. Instead, we provide you with a square-foot price.
You can easily use a square foot price to calculate the cost of your cabinet door. First, figure out the area of your cabinet door in square footage – width in inches multiplied by height in inches, divided by 144.
Then, take the result and multiply it by the square foot cost.
Now, 1 piece MDF doors have a minimum price per piece because they take a minimum amount of material and labour.
Finally, all the pricing in this article is retail. If you have a contractor discount set up, apply that discount to this pricing.
Raw-Backed MDF Doors - Minimum of $29.98/Piece
Raw-backed MDF cabinet doors are the most common choice. Just as it sounds, raw-backed doors have a raw (or ready-to-finish) back.
Therefore, you must paint all sides of raw-backed MDF doors – the front, edges, and back.
Raw-backed MDF doors cost $19.98 per square foot; the minimum cost per piece is $29.98.
| Door Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 12" by 6" | $29.98 |
| 12" by 12" | $29.98 |
| 12" by 24" | $39.97 |
| 12" by 36" | $59.95 |
| 18" by 36" | $89.93 |
Melamine-Backed MDF Doors - Minimum of $30.73/Piece
Typically, you would choose melamine-backed MDF cabinet doors if you need to cut costs slightly. They have a melamine back that doesn’t require finishing.
Thus, you only have to apply a painted finish to the front and edges of melamine-backed MDF doors.
Melamine-backed MDF doors cost $20.48 per square foot; the minimum cost per piece is $30.73.
| Door Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 12" by 6" | $30.73 |
| 12" by 12" | $30.73 |
| 12" by 24" | $40.97 |
| 12" by 36" | $61.46 |
| 18" by 36" | $92.19 |
1 Piece MDF Cabinet Doors Are a Routered Door
You might be wondering what 1 piece MDF doors are. If you already know, jump ahead to the next section!
Here’s a quick explanation if you are new to 1 piece MDF cabinet doors.
Most cabinet doors are 5 piece doors, meaning they have five components. Typically, those five pieces are two stiles, two rails, and a centre panel.
On the other hand, 1 piece MDF cabinet doors have (can you guess?) only one part. That is a ¾” thick MDF slab. We lay that slab on a machine that cuts into the centre section. We machine the centre section down until it’s flat and recessed, but leave the outer edges at ¾” thick.
Once the machining is complete, the door has an outer frame and a centre panel and looks like a 5 piece door.
1 piece MDF cabinet doors don’t require much manual labour thanks to the complex machinery available. Our team has to teach the machine how to make the requested door by creating a program, but once the program is complete, the machine does the majority of the work by itself.
Factors That Affect the Cost of 1 Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
Thanks to the simplicity of 1 piece MDF doors, they are a cost-effective option compared to 5 piece cabinet doors. Thus, there are limited factors that affect the cost.
MDF Selection
The main factor that affects the cost is the MDF option you select. Raw-backed MDF doors are slightly less expensive than melamine-backed MDF doors.
Finishing
Next is the finish. As you’ve already learned, you must paint raw-backed MDF doors on the front and back. Thus, raw-backed MDF doors require more paint and labour, which increases the cost.
Alternatively, melamine-backed MDF doors take less paint and labour, which reduces the finishing cost.
Hinge Drilling
Cabinet doors from Cutting Edge do not come pre-drilled for hinges unless you request it. Hinge drilling costs $1 per hinge location. Most cabinet doors require two hinge locations; thus, your cost increases by $2 per door.
Customizations
As we’ve mentioned, 1 piece MDF cabinet doors are easy to make once the machinery knows how to produce them.
However, custom doors or profiles take a bit of work to set up. Our team has to create a new program to your specifications, which takes at least one hour. Most new programs cost between $50 and $75.
Factors That Don’t Affect the Cost of 1 Piece MDF Doors
Now, 1 piece MDF cabinet doors are less complex than the 5 piece alternatives. Thus, two factors don’t affect the cost.
Stile and Rail Width
You can choose any stile and rail width for 1 piece MDF cabinet doors without changing the door cost.
Profile
You can choose from any of our preprogrammed profiles without changing the price. Having said that, we consider any customizations to existing profiles a custom program. It takes just as much (and sometimes more) effort to tweak and correct an existing program as it does to create a new program.
Price Out Your 1 Piece MDF Cabinet Doors
As a cabinet maker or contractor, you know that selecting the right kitchen cabinet doors involves balancing aesthetics, durability, and budget. While your clients care about style, you need solutions that also align with project costs and timelines.
At Cutting Edge, we understand how crucial it is to stay on budget while delivering quality results. Now that you have a clearer understanding of the costs and factors affecting 1-piece MDF cabinet doors, you’re better equipped to make an informed decision for your next project. Ready to dive deeper into specifics or explore how these doors fit into your plans?
If so, it’s time for you to learn how to price out your 1 piece MDF cabinet doors online for instant, accurate pricing.
