You are going to remodel your kitchen? Don’t put all of the attention on countertops and appliances. Cabinets are extremely important as well. They can add up to more than half of your overall renovation costs. Be prepared to spend hundreds or even thousands on quality kitchen cabinets.

IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY

Since cabinets can be costly and difficult to install, you don’t want to replace them very often. If you end up with cheap cabinetry, don’t expect it to last for decades. While quality cabinets have a higher price tag, they will pay for themselves in the long run. After that initial investment, you might not ever have to replace the cabinetry again. It will also add a lot of value to your home.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

How can you tell the difference between cheap cabinets and quality cabinets? Here are a few tips:

Only order from a reliable store that has a positive reputation. Kitchen & Bath Inc., for instance, has a lot of references and an extensive portfolio of before and after pictures. Another sign that a company offers quality cabinets is the awards it has won.

If you are ordering custom cabinets, be sure to ask about the brand of paint and the painting process. Are the cabinets receiving a quality finish that will protect them from spills? How many coats of paint will be used? What about the stain?

Be able to identify flaws in craftsmanship. Signs of the cheap cabinet include inadequate finishes, poorly secured joints, hardware that is not installed properly, etc.

Consider the type of wood that will be used in the construction. Units that use plywood construction are enduring and tough. Well-built kitchen cabinets have solid wood drawers and dovetail joinery. To ensure quality, avoid designs that feature stapled particleboard. Go with a solid wood or plywood panel rather than a medium-density fiberboard plank or veneer particleboard.

The inside of the cabinet matters, quality-wise. While the interior doesn’t have to feel as smooth as the front, it still should not be rough. Do not settle on shelves that are made of lesser-quality, half-inch, or five-eighths particleboard shelves. It will be a complete waste of money if the shelves begin to sag under the weight of heavy pots, pans, dishes, and cans.

Don’t forget about the hardware. Even if the cabinet is made of quality wood, it could still have problems if the hardware is not installed properly. The hinges, knob, drawer guides, and other moving parts should be from established brands. When ordering cabinets, inquire about the hardware manufacturer and brand; do the relevant research.

Will the completed units actually look good in your kitchen? Even if the construction is good, the design itself should be ideal for the overall theme you are hoping to achieve for your kitchen. The cabinets should look as if they truly belong in your kitchen, with the right finish and color(s).

PICKING THE RIGHT WOOD

The quality of the wood is one of the most important considerations when picking a kitchen cabinet. Different types of woods are used for cabinets today, each with different qualities. As an example, while cherry looks gorgeous, it comes at a hefty cost. Hickory is also gorgeous and is seriously hard. Note that most kitchen cabinets only feature real wood on the face frames and have particle boards laminated with fake wood grain veneer on the sides or cabinet grade plywood. Other popular woods for kitchen cabinets are maple, characterized by fine grain, walnut which comes in different grain and color variations, oak, rift oak, ash, birch, beech, mahogany, spruce, pine, fir, and clear and knotty alder.

CHOOSING THE CABINET DOOR STYLE

Cabinet doors are the most important visual design element in a kitchen cabinet, and indeed in the entire kitchen. To pick the perfect cabinet door, consider the door profile first. You could match the profile with what is already in the kitchen such as a modern profile if you love your modern slab.

To narrow down on the cabinet door style, do research and present to the Kitchen & Bath team your top 3 or 4 styles. Our team will guide you on what best works for your kitchen.

STRIKE A BALANCE BETWEEN FUNCTION AND BEAUTY

Once you have decided on the style of your kitchen cabinet, you can then add personality to the cabinet. One way of doing this is using textured or decorative glass doors, which allows you to display your fine china and specialty pieces.

Accessories greatly improve cabinet functionality, but this comes at a cost. When choosing features, consider what you need, not just what the contractor can do. Notable features to consider include built-in charging stations, pull-out trash cans, and lift cabinets with spring-loaded shelves that swing up and out for easy access to food processors, mixers, and other devices.

SETTING A BUDGET

Kitchen cabinets fall into 3 categories namely stock, semi-custom, and custom. Custom cabinets will cost you more, but they are crafted to meet your exact specifications and needs and they include personalized features. Set a budget and stick to it, avoiding the common temptations to buy costlier items on a whim as this will impact the rest of the renovation.

CHOOSING A STYLE

Kitchen cabinet styles are broadly categorized as framed and frameless. Framed kitchen cabinets are made up of a box and face frame on which doors and drawers are attached. Frameless cabinet style, popularly referred to as European-style, does not have a face frame, but rather doors and drawers are attached directly to the box for greater accessibility and a more contemporary look, but at the expense of rigidity. If you opt for a frameless cabinet style, ensure that the box is thick (at least ¾-inch plywood and not the conventional ½-inch particleboard) for rigidity. You could also get a European look with a framed cabinet by going for a full-overlay door to cover most if not all of the face frame.

You owe it to yourself, family, and guests to have quality kitchen cabinets. If they are cheap-looking and sloppily put together, they will stand out – and not in a good way.

Divine Cabinetry is one of Canada's leading cabinetmakers. No matter how big or small your kitchen, bathroom, or built-in cabinet project, you can count on our team to bring it to life just as you expect it with a blend of creativity, technology, and fine craftsmanship.