LTD versus solid wood, Blum versus Hettich, soft-close versus push-to-open. Terms that reveal who is speaking honestly with you. And who is testing you.
What your kitchen is actually made of. Most price differences lie here.
Particleboard covered with decorative foil. The cheapest material for fronts and carcasses. Lifespan of 8-15 years for quality versions (Egger, Kronospan). Cheap LTD peels at the edge after 3-5 years.
When: Initial budget, rental flat, temporary solution.
Moulded wood fibre without growth rings, solid and stable. Finished in high gloss or matte. Expensive fronts, cheap carcass. Suitable for more complex shapes (milled, curved).
When: Mid-range budget, clean modern aesthetics, surfaces without patterns.
A thin layer of real wood glued onto MDF or chipboard. Looks like solid wood for half the price. Weak point: the edge: a quality manufacturer uses real wood on the edge too; cheaper ones use printed plastic.
When: Premium budget, wood appearance without solid wood costs.
Solid wood throughout its full thickness, glued from planks. The most expensive material, oak, walnut, maple, ash. Requires stabilised humidity (kitchen with induction + good steam: OK; cellar: problem).
When: Top budget, a kitchen for generations, classic or country style.
Acrylic foil or varnish with a gloss up to 92 units (almost mirror-like). Senosan = Austrian company, the benchmark of quality. Watch out for fingerprints. More visible in darker tones (anthracite, black).
When: Premium, modernist feel, apartments with ample natural light.
How a kitchen is assembled. Details that reveal fair price quotes.
Cabinet carcass, sides, base, back. Usually made of MDF regardless of the door style. A thickness of 16 vs 18 mm makes a noticeable difference in stability.
What you see. The door material determines 60% of the appearance and price. Thickness 18-22 mm.
Traditional carpenter's joint: the tongue of one piece fits into the groove of another. A mark of a true joiner. Cheap workshops glue butt joints and screw them together.
Edge banding of the board. ABS = plastic edge strip bonded with hot-melt adhesive. Thickness 0.4 vs 2 mm affects service life: a thin strip will crack at the corner after one year.
A thin decorative strip edging the front. Classic or country style. Often solid wood even in otherwise laminate kitchens: a combination of materials.
The mechanics no one sees. The difference between "the kitchen works" and "the kitchen is a nuisance".
Austrian hardware manufacturer, premium standard. Guaranteed functionality for at least 30 years. Soft-close hinges, full-extension runners, TIP-ON systems. If an offer mentions "Blum" without further specification, ask for the exact type (BLUMOTION? LEGRABOX?).
German hardware manufacturer, second tier. Solid for a mid-range budget, 20-30 % cheaper than Blum. Hettich Quadro = their premium range comparable to Blum LEGRABOX.
Hydraulic mechanism that dampens the closing of doors and drawers. Blum BLUMOTION = patented technology. Cheap imitations (Chinese) fail after 5-8 years.
Opening the door by a light push, without handles. Mechanical (TIP-ON, lighter version) or electrical (SERVO-DRIVE, for large drawers).
The drawer extends 100% of its length. You can see the rear end. This is necessary for practical storage. Without full extension ("partial extension"), 30% of the drawer remains inaccessible.
What a kitchen actually uses. This section can double the price.
Refrigerator, dishwasher and freezer concealed behind a front panel. Requires a dedicated appliance (built-in panel, precise dimensions). More expensive than freestanding models, but creates a visually cleaner kitchen.
Burners that heat only the ferromagnetic vessel. Safe, energy-efficient, and easy to clean. Premium variants (BORA with integrated extractor) solve the lack of an extractor above the hob.
Top brands of integrated appliances. The price of a Gaggenau oven starts at 90 thousand - a kitchen with full Gaggenau equipment (oven, microwave, hob, fridge, wine cellar) easily exceeds 700 thousand.
Natural (granite, marble) or sintered (Dekton, Silestone). Price 25-80 thousand Kč for a 4m kitchen. Marble: beautiful but sensitive (stains from wine and oil). Dekton: expensive, resistant to everything.