5 Common Kitchen Repairs in Byron Bay Coastal Homes

Look, I fix a lot of kitchens around Byron Bay. And honestly? The same stuff breaks over and over. Living 400m from the beach, I see this every week - humidity gets into everything, salt air corrodes whatever it touches, and your kitchen cupboards just slowly fall apart.

Here's what actually breaks in Byron Bay kitchens and what you can do about it.

1. Cupboard Doors Won't Close Properly

This is the number one callout. Your cupboard doors are either hanging wonky, won't stay closed, or you've got that annoying gap where they don't line up anymore.

Cause? Usually the hinges. Byron Bay's humidity kills cheap hinges in about 2 years. They rust, the screws strip out of swollen chipboard, or the hinge cups crack. Sometimes it's the doors themselves warping from moisture - especially on beach-facing kitchens in Belongil, Suffolk Park, Wategos.

Quick fix: Tighten the adjustment screws on your hinges first. Those little Phillips head screws can adjust up/down and in/out. Takes 5 minutes.

Proper fix: Replace with marine-grade stainless steel hinges. Yeah they cost more (Contact for quote-12 per hinge vs Contact for quote for the cheap ones), but they'll actually last. I use Blum or Hettich hinges on coastal properties - both have proper corrosion resistance.

2. Drawer Runners Are Stuffed

Your drawers stick, won't close all the way, or fall off the runners when you pull them out. Super annoying when you're trying to cook and your cutlery drawer jams.

Byron Bay problem: Salt air + cheap metal runners = rust city. The ball bearings seize up, rollers stop rolling. I've pulled out runners that are basically orange rust sculptures.

Fix: Replace with soft-close runners. Not because soft-close is fancy - because quality soft-close runners use better materials that handle coastal conditions. Blum Tandem or Hettich QuadroV6 runners are what I fit. Cost about Contact for quote-60 per drawer but they'll outlast your kitchen.

Pro tip: Get full extension runners. Pull the whole drawer out so you can actually see what's at the back. Game changer.

3. Chipboard Swelling Around The Sink

The cabinet floor under your sink is soft, spongy, or straight-up falling apart. This happens in probably 60% of Byron Bay kitchens I see - especially Arts & Industry Estate homes, older Sunrise Beach places, anywhere with the original 90s kitchen.

What's happening: Water leaks (usually from the sink waste or tap connections) + humidity = chipboard swells up like a sponge. Once it starts, it doesn't stop. Just gets worse.

The fix: Cut out all the damaged chipboard. Replace with marine ply or proper moisture-resistant board. Seal all edges with waterproof coating. Fix whatever was leaking.

Cost: Usually Contact for quote-350 depending on how bad it is. But if you ignore it, the whole cabinet eventually collapses and you're looking at Local Expert to replace the whole sink base unit.

4. Benchtop Lifting or Delaminating

Your laminate benchtop is lifting at the edges or around the sink cutout. Or worse - the laminate is peeling away from the chipboard underneath.

Byron Bay special: This happens fast near windows or anywhere steam escapes. I see it heaps in Bangalow Road homes, beachfront properties, anywhere with ocean views (because those windows are open all the time getting salty humid air through).

Prevention: Keep benchtops dry. Wipe up water immediately - especially around sinks and cooktops. Use your rangehood fan.

Repair options:

• Small lifting (under 50mm): Glue and clamp it back down. Araldite works. Contact for quote-180.
• Delamination spreading: Cut out that section, patch with new laminate if you can match it. Contact for quote-450.
• Whole benchtop gone: Replace it. Stone's popular in Byron now - lasts forever in coastal conditions.

5. Soft-Close Mechanisms Failed

Your soft-close drawers suddenly slam shut like they're angry. Or cupboard doors close the first 80% soft, then bang hard at the end.

Not a huge problem, but super annoying. And if you've got holiday rental guests, they'll mention it in reviews (ask me how I know - I fix heaps of Airbnb kitchens around Byron).

Cause: The dampers wear out. Cheap soft-close mechanisms last maybe 3-4 years in Byron's humidity. Quality ones last 10+.

Fix: Replace the damper units. For drawers, that's usually the whole runner (Contact for quote-60 per drawer). For cupboard doors, you can sometimes just replace the damper part (Contact for quote-25 per door). Takes about 20 minutes per unit.

Why This Stuff Breaks Faster in Byron Bay

People from Sydney or inland move here and wonder why their kitchen falls apart in 5 years when it lasted 15 years at their old place.

Simple: You're living in a salt-air, high-humidity environment. Your kitchen's 800m from the ocean? That's coastal. 2km away? Still coastal. Byron Bay's basically an island - sea air comes in from every direction.

What this means:

• Metal corrodes faster (hinges, runners, screws)
• Wood and chipboard absorb moisture and swell
• Adhesives break down quicker
• Moving parts (hinges, drawers) seize up from salt buildup

It's not your fault. It's not even necessarily bad quality kitchens (though yeah, cheap kitchens die faster). It's just Byron Bay being Byron Bay.

When to Call Someone vs DIY

You can DIY: Tightening hinge adjustments, cleaning runners, replacing drawer fronts, fixing small laminate lifting.

Call someone: Water-damaged chipboard replacement (need proper moisture-resistant materials), benchtop work (easy to make it worse), anything involving plumbing connections, full door or drawer runner replacement if you don't have the right tools.

Cost guide for Byron Bay:

• Simple hinge adjustments: Contact for quote-120
• Replace door hinges: Contact for quote-280 for 4-6 doors
• Replace drawer runners: Contact for quote-350 for 3-4 drawers
• Fix under-sink chipboard damage: Contact for quote-350
• General kitchen door repairs: Contact for quote-200

Quick Maintenance Tips to Make Your Byron Kitchen Last

These actually work:

• Wipe up water immediately. Especially around sinks. Every single time.
• Run your rangehood. Gets cooking humidity out before it condenses on cupboards.
• Leave cupboard under sink slightly open overnight. Lets it dry out. Sounds weird but prevents that spongy chipboard thing.
• Check hinges every 6 months. Tighten if needed. Replace at first sign of rust.
• Oil drawer runners yearly. Couple drops of 3-in-1 oil keeps them sliding smooth.
• Fix leaks immediately. That "small drip" under the sink kills the cabinet in 6 months.

Look, coastal living's great but it's hard on kitchens. These five problems - I see them every week around Byron Bay. The good news? They're all fixable. The sooner you deal with them, the cheaper the fix.