Kitchen Renovations in Cairns: Cabinets, Benchtops and Design

A kitchen renovation is mostly a set of decisions: the layout, what the cabinets are made of, what the benchtop is, and who does each part. This page sets out those decisions and the questions worth asking, so that the quotes you collect are quotes for the same job.

Start with the layout

The layout drives most of the quote. Keeping the sink, cooktop and fridge where they are is a smaller job than moving them, because moving services means more trades and more work behind the walls. Ask each cabinet maker to quote against the same layout, or to say clearly where theirs differs.

A drawing of the proposed kitchen is worth asking for before you agree to anything. It is much cheaper to change a line on paper than a cabinet that has been made.

Custom or flat-pack

Flat-pack kitchens arrive as standard-sized cabinets in cartons and are assembled and fitted from parts. Custom kitchens are made to the size of your room, so they fit awkward corners and unusual wall lengths without filler panels. Flat-pack can suit a room that works with standard sizes, and custom suits a room that does not.

Neither is better in every case. A cabinet maker can tell you which they would use for your room, and why.

Benchtops

The benchtop is a decision of its own: the material, the thickness, the edge, and the cut-outs for the sink and cooktop. Ask whether the quote includes the benchtop at all, and who is supplying and fitting it. Quotes that look different on price are sometimes the same job with the benchtop in one and out of the other.

Cabinets in a humid climate

Cairns is humid for much of the year, and kitchens are damp places even in dry climates. It is worth asking what the cabinets are made of rather than assuming. Questions to put to the cabinet maker:

• What is the cabinet box made of, and is it a moisture-resistant grade?
• Are the cut and drilled edges sealed, including the edges that will not be seen?
• What are the hinges, runners and handles made of?
• Which cabinets sit under the sink or beside the dishwasher, and how is the material there protected?

Each of these is a question, not a rule. A good answer names a material and a method, and a vague answer is worth noticing.

The parts of a cabinet

A few terms come up in every quote. The diagram names them.

Before you sign

Queensland has specific rules for building work, and they apply to many kitchen renovations. These are the points the building regulator, the QBCC, sets out.

A licence. Building work valued over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence. The QBCC has a Cabinet making licence class, which covers installing, refurbishing, restoring or repairing kitchen, bathroom, laundry and other fitted cabinets on site. Ask for the licence number before you agree to anything.

A written contract. For work over $3,300 the QBCC says a written, dated and signed contract is essential, and that the contract must include advice about your right to a cooling-off period.

The deposit. The most a contractor can ask for as a deposit depends on the price of the job. From $3,301 to $19,999 it is 10% of the contract price, and for more than $20,000 it is 5%. There is an exception of up to 20% where more than half the price is made-to-measure work done away from your home, and the QBCC gives made-to-measure kitchen cabinetry as an example.

Insurance. Queensland Home Warranty insurance applies to residential building work valued over $3,300, counting materials, labour and GST. The QBCC lists replacing or refitting fixtures or fittings in a kitchen among the work it covers. Ask whether it applies to your job.

Sources: the Queensland Building and Construction Commission pages "Who must hold a QBCC licence" (reviewed 16 April 2026), "Cabinet making" (licence class), "Contracts and payments" (reviewed 14 May 2026), "Deposits and progress payments" (reviewed 27 June 2025) and "What work requires insurance" (reviewed 1 August 2024), at qbcc.qld.gov.au. Rules and figures change, so check the QBCC pages for the current position.

What to include when you enquire

• The size of the kitchen, and whether it is a straight run, an L or a U
• Whether you are keeping the layout or changing it
• Whether you want custom or flat-pack cabinets, or want advice
• What you would like the benchtop to be, if you have a view
• Whether the old kitchen needs removing, and whether appliances are staying
• Anything unusual about access, timing or the state of the walls and floor

You will not know all of it, and that is fine. A cabinet maker will want to see the room before pricing it properly.

Common questions

Get a kitchen quote

Tell us the room, roughly how big it is, and what you want done. We will pass it to a local cabinet maker who can quote it.