Choosing the Right Kitchen Cabinets

If you're remodeling your kitchen, then kitchen cabinets may be top on your list to replace. But be prepared - 70% of your new kitchen remodeling budget will be wrapped up in the cabinets alone. That means it's important to pick wisely when choosing new kitchen cabinets.

Where to Start When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets

You'll find there are numerous choices when it comes to cabinet choices, with a host of different door styles, wood, finishes and options. It might seem a bit overwhelming deciding where to begin when choosing kitchen cabinetry, but here are a few suggestions to get you started. 

• Know Thyself - What this means is examine your kitchen layout and consider your family's life style and cooking habits. Not only do you want beautiful kitchen cabinets, but you also need them to be located in practical areas.
• Not Sure What You Need? Contact an Expert - Ask for professional guidance in picking kitchen cabinets if you need it. Remember, 70% of your budget is going into your kitchen cabinets, so if you're not sure, ask an expert like an architect or a kitchen designer for help.

Finding Ways to Save Costs on Kitchen Cabinets

If you don't have much money to work with, consider mass-produced kitchen cabinets rather than custom units. If the dimensions of your kitchen allow it, standard size stock cabinets save money so you can upgrade elsewhere in the kitchen, such as buying new appliances. You might not have as many finish choices by buying mass-produced kitchen cabinets, but they can still look stylish and be quite durable.

Five Tips When Shopping For Kitchen Cabinets

Once you have a plan for your kitchen remodeling project, consider the following tips as you start looking at new kitchen cabinets. 

• Make Sure They Fit - If your kitchen has 'odd' areas, spend extra money on custom units so they fit to exact dimensions of the space. Having kitchen cabinets that look out of place can be just as bad as keeping your old cabinets.
• Pick Quality Finishes - It doesn't matter if it's maple, oak or cherry. You can spot quality kitchen cabinets when the grain matches from piece to piece.
• Consider Durability and Warranty - While thermofoil or laminate kitchen cabinets are easier to clean and less expensive than solid wood, they are also less durable. It's important to find out what the warranty covers when buying thermofoil or laminate kitchen cabinets.
• Think About Beauty and Practicality - Pick kitchen cabinets that not only look beautiful, but are also useful. That means making sure they can withstand the pounding of heavy cookware and dishes, as well as countless openings and closings.
• Consider the Dimensions - For example, doors should have 3/4-inch thick face frames and have 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick sides. Shelves should be 3/4-inch thick and made of veneer-covered plywood, which is less likely to warp than solid wood.
• Note the Kitchen Cabinet Construction - Drawers with dovetailed joints are sturdier than stapled ones. Doors with fitted mortised corners are stronger than non-interlocking butt joints. When it comes to kitchen drawers make sure they extend completely and are equipped with self-closing glides rated to hold 75 pounds.

Budget Too Small For New Kitchen Cabinets?

If you don't have enough money for new kitchen cabinets, another option is refinishing the ones you currently have. Additionally, refacing is a process where just the doors and drawers are replaced. Another way to save money is to buy a less expensive wood, then stain it to look like your wood of choice. For example, if you don't have money for cherry wood, you can buy pine and use a cherry finish instead.

Whether you're buying new kitchen cabinets or refinishing ones you currently have, it's important to remember two helpful hints. First, your kitchen cabinets are the focal point of your kitchen, so they should look beautiful. Second, kitchen cabinets serve a purpose, so they need to be useful, too. Keep all of these facts in mind, and you'll find shopping for kitchen cabinetry is a breeze.

Kitchen Cabinet Design and Construction

Kitchen Cabinets

The most eye catching aspect of any kitchen is bound to be the kitchen cabinets, and well designed cabinets will inevitably attract as much attention as outdated or damaged cabinets. It's best to keep your kitchen cabinets within the style of your kitchen, but make sure that they're also providing your kitchen with enough space and functionality so that your whole kitchen feels usable and spacious. The cabinets you choose will contribute heavily to the style or theme of your kitchen, so creating a personalized look with your kitchen cabinets is one of the most important aspects of your new kitchen. It's been a long time since kitchen cabinets were unimportant, bland necessities in the kitchen, and cabinets now take on elegant and expressive personalities, giving homeowners the chance to be artistic as well as functional during a kitchen remodel. It's easy to create a whole new look through your new kitchen cabinets.

Custom Cabinets

Custom cabinets are for homeowners who are interested in creating truly unique, one of a kind designs in their kitchens. Designing your own kitchen cabinets allows you to take charge over the look of your kitchen, providing yourself with something completely different from the mass produced cookie cutter style that many homes have. Additionally, custom cabinet design offers the option of creating cabinets and drawers that are suited to the appliances and cookware you already have, so you know that extra large pot or skillet will fit perfectly in its own space, and you can even use up that narrow sliver of cabinet space for a spice rack custom made for your spice bottles. Custom cabinets give you and your family a kitchen that helps to make it fun and easy to cook and clean so you're more likely to see your kitchen as a place to gather. Either design your own cabinets or work with a professional designer to create that perfect look. Regardless of how your cabinets are designed, you're sure to have a kitchen that you helped create, and one that matches your own personality.

Cabinet Materials

It's easy to create your ideal kitchen cabinets from the wide variety of cabinet materials on the market, which is important because the material and finish will make a huge impact on the final appearance of your kitchen. Many kitchen cabinets are made using solid wood, but laminate, glass, veneer and bamboo are other options that are very popular and can make a statement. You will likely spend half of your kitchen remodeling budget on your cabinets, and the material you choose will range in costs, possibly limiting your options. The most expensive choice for kitchen cabinets is solid wood, but they're also incredibly durable and are the most popular because of their natural appearance. You can pair solid wood cabinets with glass display cabinets to break up the consistency and display your unique or decorative kitchen items. For a less expensive wood like look, veneer and laminate are good options and can be combined with solid wood cabinet faces for the best of both worlds.

The majority of homeowners use wood cabinets, and while some choose wood cabinet faces and others choose solid wood cabinets, the wood species you choose is an important decision. Most cabinets are made from walnut, maple and pine, but bamboo cabinets are also considered hardwood because they're just as durable and have the added benefit of being environmentally friendly. Durability is an essential consideration because dents and small nicks are less likely to be apparent, but hardwoods are also able to be painted or stained to fit with your chosen style of kitchen design. It's best, however, to opt for a light stain that allows the natural color of the wood to show through. The finishing touches of your hardware and drawer pulls will give your kitchen that great new look you've wanted, and will complete the theme that your cabinets are going for.

Cabinet Storage

One reason homeowners redesign their kitchen cabinets is to create more storage for their appliances and belongings, and this can be a great motive. New kitchen cabinets allow you to get the most usable space out of your existing kitchen, regardless of its current size, and encourage you and your kitchen to work seamlessly together, especially when your cabinets are custom built. Your kitchen will operate smoothly when it's clear of clutter and has ample countertop space for food preparation, so appliances that are less frequently used should be stored away within your cabinets where you will be able to easily access them. Both kitchen cabinet refacing and replacement allow you to change enough about your cabinet storage space to make sure that you'll have enough room to keep all of your belongings, and your kitchen cab be abundantly more space saving and efficient with new kitchen cabinets.

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

With the number of home sales dropping, and the tighter restrictions in the mortgage industry, many homeowners are finding it harder than ever to sell their homes and upgrade to a larger home. Because of this trend, home renovation projects are on the rise as homeowners are finding ways to make their current homes more livable, while adding value to their home at the same time. The easiest way to add value and create the feel of a new home, is to renovate your kitchen.

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

The biggest issue with traditional, store bought cabinets is that it could take 8-10 weeks before delivery, so it is very important to make your cabinet selection prior to do starting any demolition or remodeling of your kitchen. There are cabinets available on-line, that could be delivered within 2-3 weeks, but it will depend on what style and construction you are looking for. We will talk about the differences in cabinets later on in the article.

Before looking at cabinets, it is important to come up with a target budget and a basic floor plan or layout. With the average kitchen remodel costing $40,000-50,000 it is important to accurately calculate all of the expenses involved with your project. While it may seem like a challenging project, even a DIY Homeowner with minimal experience can design and layout their own kitchen with accurate 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 that you are comfortable tackling, you can either 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 are going to affect the cost of your cabinets: cabinet brand, construction, wood type, and features. It is important to research all of your options. What you will find is that a higher price doesn't always correspond with higher quality, and some of the lesser-known cabinet lines will actually have a stronger construction.

There are however, a few general kitchen cabinet buying tips that may help you in your kitchen cabinet research.

Kitchen Cabinet Wood Choices

Whether you are buying custom made cabinets, stock cabinets, or RTA cabinets, they will all offer a wide range of wood choices. Solid hardwood cabinets, such as Cherry, Maple, Birch, Hickory and Oak typically cost much more than laminate or veneer finished cabinets.

Face Framed Kitchen Cabinets

Face framed kitchen cabinet construction is the most prevalent kitchen cabinet construction type in the United States and usually it is lower cost. This construction technique involves the building of a kitchen cabinet face out of hardwood pieces. Typically the cabinet face is constructed using several 1"x 2" vertical and horizontal hardwood pieces. The face frame is then married to the front of a particleboard or solid 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.

Particleboard and Fiberboard will have a tendency to sag or warp over time from moisture. Even mid-priced RTA cabinets are available that are made from solid Plywood sides. Hardwood or veneered/laminated cabinet doors and drawer faces, are then attached via hinges and roller mechanisms to the face frame and cabinet box.

Frameless (European-Style) Kitchen Cabinets

Frameless kitchen cabinet construction is becoming increasingly popular today as frameless kitchen cabinets are considered to be more contemporary. With frameless cabinets there is no face frame. The kitchen cabinet doors attach directly to the sides of the cabinet and are secured with pins and dowels. The advantages of this type of construction, is that there is wider access into the cabinet space and the hinges are completely hidden. Typically "ready-to-install" kitchen cabinets are constructed in this manner.

Kitchen Cabinet Finishes

There are many Kitchen cabinet finishes to choose from when using natural woods. Cabinet finishes include stain, paint and glazing options. In addition there are my types of distressing techniques that can also be employed on kitchen cabinet surfaces. Some options include Rasping, Antiquing and Rub-through.

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. Standards kitchen cabinet sizes, known as stock cabinets, are usually much more affordable then custom or semi-custom cabinets and usually have shorter lead times. Most manufacturers, unless custom built, stock universal sizes so if you have a kitchen designed at supply store or by a designer it will usually be transferable to another cabinet line.

Kitchen Cabinet Quality

If you plan on living in your home for many years, do not skimp on your kitchen cabinets. They are constantly used and abused, and only the sturdiest will stand the test of time.

The best kitchen cabinets employ solid frames, doors and drawers and are fully self-contained (closed backs), with reinforced corners. As I mentioned before, it is important to look for cabinets that have a plywood box versus particleboard or fiberboard. This is why it is important to look at all of the cabinet lines that are available, even cabinets that are sold on-line.