How to Choose the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets: Your Complete Buying Guide

 Kitchen Cabinets are the built-in furniture installed in many kitchens for storage of food, cooking equipment and often silverware and dishes for table service. They also contain appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers and ovens. Cabinetry is available in a wide range of styles and materials. Wood cabinets are the most common, followed by laminates and metals. Some manufacturers use a combination of these materials to create a unique look. Cabinetry is also available in custom sizes and finishes.

Special hardware is used to make cabinet contents easier to access

Special hardware is used to make cabinet contents easier to access. This may take the form of a push to open mechanism where a spring-loaded mechanism opens the door without the need for handles. This is commonly used in high end kitchens where a clean handle-less look is desired. Drawers or trays can also be used to increase accessibility of cabinet contents and reduce bending and squatting. These options are especially useful for corner or blind cabinets.

 The cabinet box can be made from solid wood, plywood

Cabinets are constructed from a wooden box or "carcass" that is closed on five sides and opened by doors or drawers. They can be framed or frameless. Framed cabinets include a wood frame that wraps around the edges of the cabinet box, whereas frameless cabinets do not have this front face frame. The cabinet box can be made from solid wood, plywood, particle-board or a composite material such as MDF (medium-density fiberboard) or Thermofoil, a resin that permanently hardens after heat curing. Solid-wood frames are typically more expensive than MDF or plywood.

 A wide variety of colors and effects

When wood cabinets are manufactured, they can be stained to achieve a wide variety of colors and effects. Other finishing processes include sanding, mechanical or manual color consistency procedures, and spraying of sealers and top coats. Factory-applied wormholes, compression marks and oversanding are sometimes used to give a distressed or antique look to the cabinets.

The cabinet industry, like the construction industry

The cabinet industry, like the construction industry, slowed in late 2006 as the housing market faltered. The slowdown has caused some cabinet companies to initiate minor, short-lived layoffs. However, cabinet demand is strong in the remodeling industry and continues to rise as homeowners remodel their older homes. This is being fueled by the growing trend toward larger kitchens that require more cabinet space.

As the industry expands to meet consumer demands, it is also expanding into applications outside the kitchen. Home offices; mud rooms or breezeway storage areas; transitional workspaces such as a computer area near the kitchen; and fitted bedroom components are a few of the applications helping to drive cabinet sales.

Conclusion

The design of cabinets has evolved considerably over the past century. In the post-World War II era, countertops of low-cost laminates became popular, leading to the introduction of the frameless cabinet style that is now standard in many kitchens. Since then, advances in wood species, manufacturing methods and finishing techniques have continued to improve the quality and appeal of Kitchen Cabinets.