Kitchen Cabinets: Tips For Finding And Buying The Right Cabinets For You

With the number of home sales declining and tightening restrictions in the mortgage industry, many homeowners are finding it more difficult than ever to sell their homes and upgrade to a larger home. Due to this trend, home renovation projects are on the rise as homeowners find ways to make their current homes more livable while adding value to their home. The easiest way to add value and create the feeling of a new home is to renovate your kitchen.

In a kitchen renovation, kitchen cabinets represent the biggest expense in your remodeling budget. Since they are the centerpiece of your kitchen, many of the other decisions about your kitchen will be based on your choice of cabinet. Your countertop, appliance, and hardware decisions will depend on the style and layout of your kitchen cabinets.

The biggest problem with traditional store-bought cabinets is that it can take 8-10 weeks before delivery, so it’s very important to make your cabinet selection before beginning any demolition or remodeling of your kitchen. There are cabinets available online, which could be delivered within 2-3 weeks, but it will depend on the style and build you are looking for. We will talk about the differences in the cabinets later in the article.

Before looking at cabinets, it’s important to come up with a target budget and a basic floor plan or layout. With the average kitchen remodel costing between $40,000 and $50,000 to remodel, it’s important to accurately calculate all of the expenses associated with your project. While it may seem like a challenging project, even a minimally experienced DIY homeowner can design and style their own kitchen with precise measurements and a couple of templates. This could save you a significant amount of money by not using a kitchen designer.

In the event that you think this is a project you feel comfortable tackling, you can use a kitchen designer or go to one of the home improvement centers and take advantage of their free design services.

There are several factors that will affect the cost of your cabinets: the brand of the cabinet, the construction, the type of wood, and the features. It is important to research all of your options. What you’ll find is that higher price doesn’t always equal higher quality, and some of the lesser-known cabinet lines will actually have stronger construction.

However, there are some general kitchen cabinet buying tips that can help you in your kitchen cabinet research.

Wood Options for Kitchen Cabinets

Whether you’re shopping for custom-built cabinets, standard cabinets, or RTA cabinets, all will offer a wide range of wood options. Solid wood cabinets, such as cherry, maple, birch, hickory, and oak, often cost much more than cabinets with a laminate or veneer finish.

Front Frame Kitchen Cabinets

Face frame kitchen cabinet construction is the most prevalent type of kitchen cabinet construction in the United States and is generally lower in cost. This construction technique involves building a kitchen cabinet out of hardwood pieces. Typically, the cabinet front is constructed of several vertical and horizontal 1″x2″ pieces of hardwood. The front frame is then married to the front of a solid particleboard or plywood kitchen cabinet box. It is highly recommended that you try to find cabinets that use solid wood or solid plywood for the cabinet box.

Particle and fiberboard will have a tendency to warp or warp over time due to moisture. Even mid-priced RTA cabinets are available that are made of solid plywood sides. Hardwood or veneer/laminate cabinet doors and drawer fronts are attached by hinges and roller mechanisms to the front frame and cabinet box.

Frameless Kitchen Cabinets (European Style)

Frameless kitchen cabinet construction is becoming more and more popular today as frameless kitchen cabinets are considered more contemporary. With frameless cabinets there is no front frame. Kitchen cabinet doors attach directly to the sides of the cabinet and are secured with pins and cleats. The advantages of this type of construction is that there is wider access to the cabinet space, and the hinges are completely hidden. Typically, “ready to install” kitchen cabinets are built this way.

Kitchen Cabinet Finishes

There are many kitchen cabinet finishes to choose from when using natural woods. Cabinet finishes include stain, paint and glaze options. Also, there are my types of distressing techniques that can be employed on kitchen cabinet surfaces as well. Some options include scraped, antiqued, and rubbed.

There are also many types of laminates that you can choose from.

kitchen cabinet sizes

Kitchen cabinets come in a variety of standard shapes and sizes, however custom sizes can also be easily specified and manufactured, at a price. Standard kitchen cabinet sizes, known as standard cabinets, are often much more affordable than custom or semi-custom cabinets and typically have shorter lead times. Most manufacturers, unless custom built, stock universal sizes, so if you have a kitchen designed at a supply store or by a designer, it can usually be transferred to another line of cabinets.

quality kitchen cabinet

If you plan to live in your home for many years, don’t skimp on your kitchen cabinets. They are constantly used and abused, and only the toughest will stand the test of time.

The best kitchen cabinets use solid frames, doors and drawers and are completely self-contained (closed backs), with reinforced corners. As I mentioned before, it’s important to look for cabinets that have a plywood case versus particleboard or fiberboard. That’s why it’s important to look at all of the cabinet lines that are available, including cabinets that are sold online.

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