Kitchen Cabinet Materials Explained
Guide To Kitchen Cabinet Materials
Updating your cabinetry is one of the best options if you want to quickly and effectively improve your kitchen’s appearance. How much wall space are your cabinets taking up? Probably a lot, so updating your cabinet fronts will make a significant difference in your kitchen’s overall look. Even if your cabinets are in good shape, they could still benefit from a facelift.
That’s where Total Quality Construction comes in.
We can give your cabinets a new look through the cabinet refacing process. Using this method, we can update the exteriors of your current cabinets with new doors and drawers while preserving the interiors. When you aim to give your cabinets a new appearance, it’s essential to choose your materials carefully. The materials you choose will influence how the remainder of your kitchen will be remodeled when the time comes to complete your kitchen renovation.
With that in mind, here are some of the more popular materials used in new cabinet design or refacing.
1) Premium Laminate
Laminate cabinets are made by fusing polymer resins and paper with heat and pressure. It is a versatile material that can expertly replicate the look of wood or painted cabinetry. In addition, it makes for an ideal material for many kitchen designs because premium laminate is simple to maintain and comes in an almost infinite number of colors and styles.
2) Furniture-Grade Wood
Wood is exquisitely traditional. No matter how used, it can spruce up any room with beauty and distinction. The range of appearances possible when using furniture-grade wood for your cabinets will have a stunning effect on your kitchen’s appearance. You can choose from various colors and finishes, including maple, cherry, hickory, ash, birch, pine, and oak. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what traditional wood cabinetry can do to enhance the elegance of your kitchen. Whether you choose the fine, even grain of maple, the striking contrasts in cherry, or the impactful, open grain of oak, you’ll feel great about your choice.
3) Medium-Density Fiberboard
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an engineered wood composite that is particularly popular among homeowners. MDF cabinets are typically covered in a wood or laminate veneer and have a higher density than other materials. While you cannot paint or stain medium-density fiberboard, it comes in a magnificent array of hues.
4) Plywood
In addition to being reasonably inexpensive, plywood is preferred by many manufacturers for use in making cabinets because it is more stable and resistant to moisture than MDF. Thin wood piles are adhered to one another to create a sandwich-like layer on each board used to construct the cabinet. To keep it further protected, the exterior of the plywood base is covered in exposed plastic laminate, wood veneer, or thermofoil.
5) Stainless Steel
In commercial kitchens, stainless steel is more frequently utilized. Because stainless steel doesn’t expand and contract like wood, it’s a good choice for locations with a lot of moisture.
Despite being used mostly in commercial kitchens, a modern-style kitchen inspired by some of the great restaurant kitchens of the world will find stainless steel a perfect match.
6) Particleboard
Particleboard cabinets are maybe the least used cabinet-construction material. Wood chips and other small particles are mixed with an adhesive to make particleboard, which is subsequently fused into the panels. This mixture is the least sturdy of all the alternatives because it essentially consists of small bits of wood that are only held together by glue. However, its main benefit is its low cost.
Basic Cabinet Components
To better understand how cabinets are put together, it’s a good idea to know the essential components of a kitchen cabinet.
First, the cabinet box is where items are stored and what the frame attaches to. The cabinet doors swing open from there and tend to come in three overlay styles—inset, partial overlay, and full overlay. These refer to how the door sits on the frame and how much of it is exposed.
To hide a cabinet box’s open, unfinished edges, kitchen cabinet panels are fastened to the exposed sides of the cabinets. Panels offer a uniform appearance throughout your cabinets by “finishing” unfinished cabinets.
Learn More Today
Let Total Quality Construction help update your kitchen cabinets and tone. Our services go well beyond cabinetry. Total Quality Construction includes new sinks and fixtures, countertops, under-cabinet lighting, and more.
Call Total Quality Construction to schedule a free consultation, and we can have your kitchen renovation dreams realized right away.