What You Need to Know When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets
Beautiful. Functional. Practical. Durable.
Ideally, these are words you would use to describe the cabinets in your home. However, with so many options out there, how can you be sure that what you’re choosing will be useful and aesthetically pleasing for years to come? Here are the basics on cabinets to help you in the process!
Cabinets are an incredibly diverse home component and there are a multitude of price points, colors, finishes and sizes. You can work with a mill shop to create custom cabinets that fit perfectly in your home or you can buy them off the floor of a home center.
The first thing people notice is the door style – shaker, raised panel, recessed panel, and plank. Combined with the style is the finish – stain, paint, synthetic, solid wood, laminate, veneer. When making these choices, keep quality in mind. If you are the type of person who likes to remodel for the latest trends and will have a new kitchen every 10 years, perhaps the highest quality isn’t a priority for you. If you plan to design your dream kitchen and spend many years there, durability should be the deciding factor in your choices.
There are also two basic types of cabinet boxes – framed and frameless. Frameless is the style that has no frame showing – it is used for the full overlay door. It is always used for the contemporary look which is so popular now. But frameless cabinets are not limited to contemporary, many people put traditional doors on frameless boxes. The advantage of frameless construction is that there is more interior space.
Framed cabinets are typically used within traditional doors. The doors can be used in a ¾ overlay where it covers most but not all of the frame. Another type, inset doors, are set inside the frame and are usually the most expensive option because of the amount of labor and materials involved.
Another element to consider is the height of the upper cabinets. Would you like cabinets that go all the way up to the ceiling or do you prefer space at the top? Full-height cabinetry is more expensive so if you like the look of full height but want to reduce costs, a soffit can be built down from the ceiling that the cabinets butt up to.
Also, look at the door hinge rating. This tells you how much force the cabinet door can withstand. What you need is based on your use. For example, if you have toddlers in the home, you might opt for a higher rating in the event that they try to hang off lower doors.
Don’t forget about the hardware! There are going to be many options and it might feel overwhelming. Your kitchen designer can recommend which hardware works best with the cabinets you have chosen.
Other custom choices include self-closing doors, interior lighting, glass doors, roll-out shelves, spice drawers, wine racks, and more.
In summary, there are dozens of cabinets to choose from. Please ask us if you need guidance when it comes to your cabinets – we want you to love them for a long time!
