Invest in quality cabinetry and you’ll have a kitchen that lasts for years. With fresh, on-trend yet timeless colors and door styles, plus convenient upgrades like trash pullouts and organizational drawers.
Typically made of birch-veneer or MDF-core plywood, cabinet cases offer strength and versatility. Choose routed profiles for doors and drawer fronts for visual appeal, but avoid shallow dadoes to minimize warping.
Customization
Cabinets are one of the most important elements of your kitchen. They provide storage and organization, enhance the look of the room, and add to your home’s resale value. Custom cabinets allow you to customize them to your exact specifications. This includes materials, finishes, sizes, and even design.
Using an in-house designer, you’ll work up detailed computer aided design (CAD) engineering drawings for each cabinet before ordering them. This process ensures that you get exactly what you want in your finished kitchen.
Semi custom cabinets are more adaptable than stock models, but still fall within a limited range of configuration choices. For example, manufacturer A might offer customization on fronts and depths while manufacturer B might only allow for size modifications in 3-inch increments.
Materials
The types of materials used to make cabinets have a major impact on their cost, longevity, style and ease of installation. They also determine how durable, sturdy and beautiful a kitchen cabinet will be.
Solid wood is the most popular choice for kitchen cabinets. It is easy to work with and provides a natural texture that will complement any design. Solid wood cabinets are more resistant to dents, scratches and warping than other materials, but they require regular maintenance to keep them looking good.
MDF, or medium-density fiberboard, is another popular choice for cabinets. It is less expensive than solid wood and is very durable. It is usually covered in a layer of wood veneer or laminate to provide extra protection.
Melamine is another option for cabinet boxes and door fronts. It is made by bonding decorative resin-infused melamine paper to an MDF or particleboard substrate with heat and pressure. This material is affordable and offers a wide variety of designs, colors and textures. It is also water-resistant, making it ideal for Custom Kitchen Cabinets.
Design
Cabinets that are fully assembled in the factory offer more flexibility in design than those built on site. Popular modifications include up to 1/8-inch incremental adjustments in cabinet depth, prep for glass doors, finished interiors, beadboard ends or interiors, angled end cabinets and storage units, and a variety of door styles including arched tops and mullions.
For example, changing cabinet depth is an often-overlooked but useful modification that can increase storage, help avoid obstacles like appliances or light fixtures and elongate walls to fit tall ceilings. Similarly, choosing to have hinges installed on the left or right side of a cabinet can help prevent awkward door openings and avoid doors hitting appliances. Wide cabinets also benefit from support feet below or near vertical dividers to prevent sagging. The best supports are made of 3/4″-thick veneer-core plywood. They should be fastened to the cabinet sides with biscuits for both added strength and a positive means of locating the dividers during assembly.
Installation
Cabinet installation is a major project, but with clear instructions and standard tools, it’s doable. Homeowners who live in their homes during renovations should make sure pets and young children are kept safely out of the work area, either in another part of the house or off-site completely.
The level of customization you choose has a bigger impact on cabinet costs than material or labor. For example, wood cabinets are more expensive than other materials such as laminate and thermofoil that mimic the look of wood without the price tag.
The type of back panel also affects cost and durability. The most robust construction uses a full plywood back to keep cabinets square during delivery and install, handle heavy countertops, and resist moisture damage. Less costly options use thin panels or metal hangs rails and brackets, or omit the back panel altogether. The stronger construction is a more durable choice, but will add to the overall installation cost.