Kickboards are like the foundation of a house, they must be strong. They should be built in a ladder construction so they can easily support the weight of a kitchen for its lifetime. Clip on kickboards leave unsightly gaps that invite vermin. They also pose a problem around breakfast bars and the ends of the kitchen as they are never finished off to a high standard. Clip on kickboards have to have a gap either at the top or bottom to get them off and on, again, not ideal. The strongest and most aesthetically pleasing way to make kickboards is ladder construction. When you do this type of construction you must plain the kickboards to make the kitchen level, then when the kitchen cupboards sit on the kickboards they are sealed, vermin free and very strong with no gaps. Kickboards are usually the same colour as the kitchen fronts. This way the kickboards will seem almost hidden, as you do not want to make a feature of them, otherwise the kitchen will look smaller and the room will be too busy.
They are not called kickboards for nothing, they will be kicked by people’s feet, hit by mops and brooms, and probably children’s toys as well, so for this reason, you definitely want a strong kickboard construction. Clip on keyboards cannot cope with this abuse, so it won’t be long before your kitchen will look unsightly and old. The reason most companies use clip on kickboards is because it is quick and easy for them, not to mention, cheap.
They sell this idea saying it is easy to clip off and spray for vermin. For a remodelling kitchen design, I say make them ladder construction in the first place, to stop the vermin all together.