If you are buying custom doors for an IKEA kitchen or wardrobe, you will probably compare a few suppliers. Price per door is the easy number to line up, but it leaves out the things that decide how the project actually goes: who makes the doors, what you can see before you pay, how long it takes and what happens if something is wrong.
Below are the questions worth asking every supplier, with Customea's own answers so you have something concrete to compare against.
Who actually makes the doors?
Ask whether the supplier manufactures the doors in its own workshop or buys them in and resells them. It affects lead times, custom sizes and who fixes a problem.
Customea: NAVURBANâ„¢ doors are made in our own factory at Mortdale. Polytec Thermofoil doors are bought in as finished doors from Polytec and delivered to our Mortdale factory, where we drill the hinge and drawer holes, then pack and ship them. Customea was founded in 2020 by Mathieu, a cabinet maker and licensed renovator, and his partner Suzanna. Orders are collected from our factory at Mortdale, and the showroom is in Tempe.
How big are the samples, and are they the real door?
A small colour chip tells you the colour. It can't tell you how a profile, an edge or a frame width looks at real size. Ask what size the samples are and whether you can get an actual door.
Customea: there are two kinds. An 80 × 160 mm finish sample settles the colour, for $5 to $10. A Full Size Profile Sample is a real 400 × 200 mm drawer front made on the same line, in the same material and with the same profile and edge as the doors we would ship you, for $30 to $100. Both are on our samples page.
Does the sample cost come back?
Ask whether sample costs are credited against an order, and on what conditions: minimum spend, expiry, and which samples count.
Customea: the value of your finish samples is returned as a single-use discount code, emailed automatically once the sample order is paid. It is valid for 12 months on a joinery order of $1,000 or more. Full Size Profile Samples are not credited, because they are made the same way as your doors.
What is the lead time, and what happens when the order is ready?
Ask for the lead time from order confirmation, how you will be kept informed, and how long you have to take delivery once the order is finished.
Customea: doors are made to order, typically in 4 to 6 weeks and occasionally sooner. We email you as the order moves through production and when it is ready. From that email you have seven days to collect or to book and accept delivery. After seven days a one-off $250 storage fee applies. Interstate and regional freight can add one to two weeks.
How is it delivered, and how are damages handled?
Ask how the doors are packed, what delivery costs where you live, and how long you have to report damage.
Customea: Sydney metro delivery is a flat $250 with our local delivery partner, and pickup from our Mortdale factory is free by appointment. Large orders travel in MDF crates by freight. Damage must be noted with the driver and reported through your order page, with photos, within 24 hours of delivery. The full terms are in our shipping policy.
Can you see and price the whole job before you pay?
A price per door is useful. A price for your actual plan is better, and seeing the doors on your own layout is better again.
Customea: paste a saved IKEA kitchen design into the 3D Kitchen Planner and you see your own kitchen in 3D with our doors, priced live. For kitchens and PAX wardrobes, the Instant Quote tool prices a PDF exported from IKEA's planner.
Does the range cover everything in your home?
Check that one supplier can do the kitchen, the wardrobes and the living room, in matching finishes, and handle any non-standard sizes.
Customea: our range covers fronts and panels for IKEA METOD, PAX and BESTÅ and for Bunnings kitchens: 22 door profiles across seven finish families, in our standard sizes or in custom sizes up to 1200 × 2400 mm through the bespoke door builder.
What is the returns policy?
Made-to-order doors are rarely returnable. Ask exactly when an order becomes final.
Customea: our doors are made to order to your specification, so we can't accept returns for an incorrect order or a change of mind after 24 hours. Stocked items such as handles can be returned within 14 business days if undamaged and in their original packaging, less a 20% restocking fee.
A checklist to take with you
| Question | Customea's answer |
|---|---|
| Made in-house or resold? | NAVURBANâ„¢ made in our Mortdale factory; Polytec Thermofoil bought in finished and drilled to order there |
| Full-size door sample? | Yes: a real 400 × 200 mm drawer front, $30 to $100 |
| Sample credit? | Finish sample value returned as a code: 12 months, orders of $1,000 or more |
| Lead time? | 4 to 6 weeks from order confirmation |
| Window to take delivery? | 7 days from the ready email, then a $250 storage fee |
| Sydney delivery? | $250 flat, or free pickup from Mortdale |
| Damage reporting? | Within 24 hours, with photos |
| See it before buying? | 3D Kitchen Planner, Instant Quote and the Tempe showroom |
| Custom sizes? | Up to 1200 × 2400 mm |
Common questions
Where can I see Customea doors in person?
At our showroom at 600 Princes Highway, Tempe, opposite IKEA Tempe. It has full-size doors and finish displays from every range.
Which doors does Customea make, and which are bought in?
NAVURBANâ„¢ doors are made in our Mortdale factory. Polytec Thermofoil doors are bought in as finished doors from Polytec and delivered to our Mortdale factory, where we drill the hinge and drawer holes, then pack and ship them.
Do Customea samples cost anything in the end?
The value of finish samples is returned as a single-use discount code for a joinery order of $1,000 or more, valid for 12 months. Full Size Profile Samples are not credited.