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Kitchen Cabinets
Even so, you can always specify door styles, direction of door swing, and whether side panels are finished. And you can sometimes get options and add-ons such as breadboards, sliding shelves, wine racks, and special corner units.
A recent development, the so-called RTA ("ready-to-assemble") cabinet costs even less than other stock units, but requires some basic tools and elbow grease to put together.
You may see stock lines heavily discounted at some home centers. But buying such cabinets can be a lot like doing your own taxes: you may find you're lacking the knowledgeable help that could clarify the possibilities and save you money.
Custom cabinets. Many people still have a cabinetmaker come to their house and measure, then return to the cabinet shop and build custom cases, drawers, and doors.
Custom cabinet shops can match old cabinets, size truly oddball configurations, and accommodate complexities that can't be handled with stock or semi-custom cabinets. A skilled craftsperson can create kitchen woodwork that looks like fine furniture. Such jobs, however, may cost considerably more than medium-line stock or semi-custom cabinets.
Semi-custom cabinets. Between stock and custom cabinets are "semi-custom" or "custom modular" units, which can sometimes combine the best of both worlds. They are manufactured, but they are of a higher grade and offer more design flexibility than stock cabinets. Not surprisingly, they cost more, too.
Semi-custom systems come in a wide range of sizes, with many options within each size. You can change virtually everything on these basic modules: add sliding shelves; replace doors with drawers; set a matching hood unit over the cooktop; add wire baskets, flour bins, appliance garages, and pullout pantries. If necessary, heights, widths, and depths can be modified to fit almost any design.
Be advised, though: because these cabinets are configured to order and because most are imported from abroad, they could take longer to materialize than custom units from a local cabinetmaker. Order as much ahead as possible.
Door hinges are also critical hardware elements. European or "invisible" hinges are most trouble-free. Choose these unless you want the period look of surface hardware. Check for adjustability; invisible hinges should be able to be reset and fine-tuned with the cabinets in place.
Most cabinet boxes are made from sheet products like plywood, particle-board (plain or laminated), or medium-density fiberboard. Solid lumber is sometimes used, but is usually reserved for doors and drawer faces.
Hardwood plywood is surfaced with attractive wood veneers on face and back. The higher the face grade, the more you'll pay. Particleboard costs less, weighs more, and is both weaker and more prone to warping and moisture damage than plywood. Generally, particleboard cabinets are faced with either high-pressure plastic laminates or a softer material called melamine. Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), a denser, furniture-grade particleboard, is tougher, smoother, and available with high-quality hardwood veneers.
Make sure laminate and edge banding are thick enough not to peel at the corners and edges. "Once a cheap cabinet starts peeling," one shop warned, "that's it."
A recent development, the so-called RTA ("ready-to-assemble") cabinet costs even less than other stock units, but requires some basic tools and elbow grease to put together.
You may see stock lines heavily discounted at some home centers. But buying such cabinets can be a lot like doing your own taxes: you may find you're lacking the knowledgeable help that could clarify the possibilities and save you money.
Custom cabinets. Many people still have a cabinetmaker come to their house and measure, then return to the cabinet shop and build custom cases, drawers, and doors.
Custom cabinet shops can match old cabinets, size truly oddball configurations, and accommodate complexities that can't be handled with stock or semi-custom cabinets. A skilled craftsperson can create kitchen woodwork that looks like fine furniture. Such jobs, however, may cost considerably more than medium-line stock or semi-custom cabinets.
Semi-custom cabinets. Between stock and custom cabinets are "semi-custom" or "custom modular" units, which can sometimes combine the best of both worlds. They are manufactured, but they are of a higher grade and offer more design flexibility than stock cabinets. Not surprisingly, they cost more, too.
Semi-custom systems come in a wide range of sizes, with many options within each size. You can change virtually everything on these basic modules: add sliding shelves; replace doors with drawers; set a matching hood unit over the cooktop; add wire baskets, flour bins, appliance garages, and pullout pantries. If necessary, heights, widths, and depths can be modified to fit almost any design.
Be advised, though: because these cabinets are configured to order and because most are imported from abroad, they could take longer to materialize than custom units from a local cabinetmaker. Order as much ahead as possible.
Judging quality
To determine the quality of a cabinet, first look closely at the drawers. They take more of a beating than any other part. Several designs are shown. You'll pay a premium for such details as solid-wood drawer boxes, dovetail joints, or full-extension, ball-bearing guides.Door hinges are also critical hardware elements. European or "invisible" hinges are most trouble-free. Choose these unless you want the period look of surface hardware. Check for adjustability; invisible hinges should be able to be reset and fine-tuned with the cabinets in place.
Most cabinet boxes are made from sheet products like plywood, particle-board (plain or laminated), or medium-density fiberboard. Solid lumber is sometimes used, but is usually reserved for doors and drawer faces.
Hardwood plywood is surfaced with attractive wood veneers on face and back. The higher the face grade, the more you'll pay. Particleboard costs less, weighs more, and is both weaker and more prone to warping and moisture damage than plywood. Generally, particleboard cabinets are faced with either high-pressure plastic laminates or a softer material called melamine. Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), a denser, furniture-grade particleboard, is tougher, smoother, and available with high-quality hardwood veneers.
Make sure laminate and edge banding are thick enough not to peel at the corners and edges. "Once a cheap cabinet starts peeling," one shop warned, "that's it."
