There's a lot to take into consideration when picking out kitchen cabinets. After all, they do take up quite a lot of room in your kitchen, making them a primary point of focus. If your cabinets don't match the rest of your kitchen, it will be painfully obvious. At the same time, style isn't everything, and your kitchen cabinets will need to be sturdy and functional. This guide will give you some pointers on picking out kitchen cabinets.
Construction Type
There are three types of cabinet construction:
- Stock - You can find stock cabinets at your local home improvement store. They are premade and easy to install. The drawback to these is that they only come in a limited variety of sizes and materials; if you've got a very specific amount of space to fill, you may not be able to find stock cabinets that fit. And, you may not even be able to find the kind of material you want. However, they do come in the most popular materials available, and the use of filler strips in spaces between walls and cabinets makes them fit in most kitchens.
- Semi-custom - These are made-to-order cabinets and are a little more expensive than stock cabinets, but give you more options. Depending on the manufacturer you place your order with, you'll have options of different drawers, pantries, cabinet sizes (including odd sizes), and slide outs. You'll also have a broader selection of materials.
- Custom - It probably goes without saying, but custom cabinets give you the most options. You have them made with any material and in any design. Just contact a custom cabinet manufacturer or a local carpenter to get started. Custom cabinets are the most expensive of the cabinet options.
Material
There are also many different materials you can choose from for your cabinets. In fact, if you're going the custom route, you can really use any material you want. Here, though, are a few common materials and their pros and cons:
- Wood - Since there are so many different types of wood and wood finishes out there, this option has great deal of variety that goes along with it. Wood is also easy to paint. The one major drawback to wood is the potential for it to warp with time and humidity. This can cause draws to stick (though, draws with ball bearings generally don't) and surfaces to become uneven. Wood varies in pricing depending on the type you choose.
- Stainless steel - Stainless steel cabinets fit best in more modern-style kitchens. These are the most durable option. They are also very easy to clean, which is good, but they tend to clearly show scratches, fingerprints and other marks. Stainless steel is, in general, more expensive than either wood or laminate cabinets.
- Laminate - Laminate cabinets are made up of layers of kraft paper, which are bonded together under extreme pressure, finished with a decorative layer and coated with a plastic sealant. Laminate cabinets have two distinct advantages: they are the cheapest cabinet option, and they're available in almost any color you can think of. The drawback is that they can be chipped, and they're virtually impossibly to repair because the color is only in the surface layer.
Color is the other major thing you should consider when picking out cabinets. The color of the wood or paint will be a vital part of the overall look of the cabinets and your kitchen. Once, you choose a type of cabinet, a material, and a color, you can begin the installation process!