If your kitchen cabinets display wear and tear, it may be time for a replacement. Sagging, crooked doors, and scratches indicate that your cabinetry is not of the best quality and will soon need to be replaced. To avoid renovating or replacing the whole kitchen, you should look for the best kitchen cabinets to remodel.
Now, while deciding or purchasing the type of kitchen cabinets you want, a few things are essential to be looked into. For instance, the type of quality and durable material for the kitchen cabinetry, the detailing on the cabinet doors, and the type of model; are several attributes of a good kitchen cabinet that fits the whole aesthetics of the space.
Hence, we have curated this guide to help you make a better choice when building kitchen cabinets for your home. Find several valuable factors that will help you model beautiful, functional, highly long-lasting, and aesthetically pleasing kitchen cabinets.
Why is it necessary to go into detail when building kitchen cabinetry?
We often see varieties of high-quality kitchen designs and cabinetry that are not only very beautiful, easy to use with comprehensive storage options, but also quite functional. Yet, the most evident problem with most is the quality aspect.
With day and age and people’s personal preferences, kitchen cabinets are available in different forms and custom orders. Everything can differ from materials, finishes, styles, detailing, and colors. While you can always go for the already designed and approved kitchen cabinet designs, there is always a need for some personal touches.
You can add more value to your kitchen cabinetry system by choosing the correct and best kitchen cabinet characteristics. Even if you think there is no need for cabinet remodeling, normal wear and tear become visible with time. The change in temperature, weight, and moisture affects the quality of the cabinets.
Hence, it only helps to choose the right mix of high-quality kitchen cabinet features and usefulness. That will also add to the overall value of your space if you ever decide to put it on sale. Nonetheless, with unique styling, excellent artistry, and materials quality, it is worth investing in them.
A well-upgraded kitchen nowadays comes with elevated countertops of sturdy material, stainless steel appliance installations, solid cabinetry choices, and many more. For a better fit, it is best to avoid any shoddy building of kitchen cabinets with cheap materials and budget.
With that said, we shall dig into the critical characteristics of a good kitchen.
Everything is Plywood construction.
If you notice your kitchen cabinet shelves sagging, your previous cabinet construction was of inferior quality with weak particleboard.
Kitchen cabinets are made of either plywood or particle board. Particleboard is an affordable alternative, but plywood is more moisture-resistant. It is made by pressing wood particles together with glue at a high temperature. However, it may not be as resistant to damage from moisture or impacts as plywood.
Plywood is considered to be of higher quality because it is made of several layers of wood glued together. This makes the cabinets more sturdy and resistant to damage during installation or from heavy countertops.
Kitchen cabinets are usually made of wood and are mounted on the walls and floors of your kitchen. They have a box-like structure and usually come with doors. Although the definition of kitchen cabinets may seem simple, paying attention to the quality and details of the cabinets you choose is essential.
Hence, choosing kitchen cabinets with an all-plywood construction is essential. The cabinets will be sturdy for many reasons.
- Plywood is practically multiple layers of wood glued together lengthwise and crosswise, making it exceptionally strong and durable.
- They have several quality features that make them water-resistant even if installed beside sinks and faucets.
- They are not prone to warping or shrinking.
- They can withhold the pressure of heavy kitchen appliances and heavy countertops.
- They are easy to install and remove as well.
- They have several quality features like a strong structure and smooth finish that are easy to construct with glue, screws, and fasteners.
Overall, all-plywood construction is an excellent choice for kitchen cabinets as it suits or can be applied on any surface.
Soft-close hinges.
When building kitchen cabinets, hinges are another critical factor to put effort into. It would help to choose hinges with a soft-close feature to avoid noise. Without them, a kitchen cabinet can become a noisy mess and look more like an open shelf than a secure storage option.
The most recommended and popular type of kitchen cabinet hinge is self-closing with soft hinges. They are also easily adjustable with screws and nails during seasonal changes and door contractions. Most top-quality cabinetry systems have four-way adjustability hinges and a floor-mounted base to avoid malfunctioning and loose or uneven door closure.
Soft-closing hinges with self-closing have notable characteristics like:
- A six-way adjustability hinges such as left-right, in-out, and up-down.
- A six-way adjustability hinge with a soft-close feature is easier to install with nickel-plated hardened steel door hinges.
Benefits of Soft-Close Hinges on your kitchen cabinet:
- Minimum friction extends the life of the cabinet hinges.
- Optimum wear and tear of the door closure.
- Soft-close hinges reduce the stress on the whole cabinetry system.
- Minimum friction and maximum silence when closing the doors.
- Avoids damages, dents, cracks, and scratches on the cabinet doors.
Since there are different types of hinges, you should be careful when buying them. With all that, you should only look into low-end hinges that are cheap, low-quality, and last only a short time.
Melamine interior
The interior of the cabinet is just as important as the exterior. This is because the interior consists of shelves or drawers that store all kitchen essentials. Consequently, the interior should be easy to clean and made of non-porous, tough material that can withstand damage like staining and wear and tear.
Melamine is a popular choice for cabinet interiors because it is usually available in light colors. It can also be attached to particleboard, wood veneers, and plywood without much effort. Furthermore, melamine is durable and resistant to staining, water, and fire. It can also be cleaned with solid household solutions–unlike other smooth laminate surfaces.
Face Frame
There are two types of cabinets available: framed and frameless. A solid hardware frame is attached to the front of the cabinet box in a framed cabinet. This includes the drawer glides and door hinges. The hardware is directly connected to the cabinet box in a frameless cabinet. This is done by screws directly into the sides of the cabinet box.
Framed face kitchen cabinet
This type of kitchen cabinet face frame can be either an inset, partial overlay, or full overlay. You can notice the difference in the number of frames that are revealed. Its valuable features are:
- The door hinges and drawer glides are attached to the face frame.
- They are more stable during the cabinet box installation.
- They are suitable for front cabinets with a solid hardware frame.
Frameless face kitchen cabinet
- They are suitable for front cabinet boxes with no frame.
- The cabinet doors are attached directly to the cabinet side box.
- Drawer glides and door hinges are connected to the cabinet side walls as they have thicker side panels.
- The cabinets should be a full overlay with drawer fronts and cabinet doors revealed.
- This face frame kitchen cabinet is mainly made of particleboard and often loosens with time.
- They are usually higher costs for installation.
The differences between these two types of face frames for kitchen cabinets are significant features based on installation cost, stability, construction method, appearance, and strength.
Full-height back panels
How the cabinet installation’s back construction is done influences the cabinet’s strength. That is why heavy-duty full-back plywood panels are applied for added and enhanced quality cabinet installation. You can even use the cabinets with picture-frame construction like brackets, thin panels, and rails. More importantly, they are less costly than full-plywood construction.
With fewer chances of damage and accidents, full-height back panels are helpful to invest in.
Steel under-mounted soft-close drawer glides
People often need to remember to think about the under-mounted drawer glides. They are as important as any other elements of the kitchen cabinetry system. Drawer glides have an abundance of options. We suggest choosing the soft-close drawer glides with full-length under-mount.
Heavy-duty drawer glides have several benefits to offer, such as:
- They prevent the cabinet drawers from sticking or sagging due to being overweight.
- They support smooth gliding movement to the drawers without noise.
- They are long-lasting as it produces minimum friction.
On the other hand, soft-drawer glides with under-mounted have many advantageous attributes, like:
- They are easily adjustable.
- They are mounted under the drawer box, supporting heavy loads.
- You can access the entire drawer space.
- The soft-close dampening system silences any noise when opening or closing the cabinet door.
Hence, the under-mount soft-close drawer glides are best for the best quality kitchen cabinet characteristics.
Custom modification
When you want the best kitchen cabinets, opting for custom-made ones is the way. These cabinets are designed from scratch to meet your needs and kitchen space. You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of styles, sizes, and colors and add any special features you want. The only downside is that custom-made cabinets are more expensive than ones you can buy off the shelf.
Custom kitchen cabinets provide the perfect solution for every home. They are built to last and require minimal repairs, making them an excellent investment for any household.
You can modify almost every element of the kitchen cabinetry system, and that includes:
- Finishing
- Beadboard ends
- Storage units
- Cabinet box sizes
- Mullion doors or open front doors.
- Angled cabinets
A high degree of customization options is excellent for a kitchen cabinet design.
RTA kitchen cabinets
You can, without a doubt, go for the RTA kitchen cabinets. They are Ready-to-Assemble kitchen cabinets that have almost preassembled to perfection from the factory itself. While there is little choice to be modified, they are still a quality alternative. They save time and even money.
You can even buy the pre assembled kitchen cabinets online and have to install them at home. Call the experts to install it if you need help figuring out the process.
RTA kitchen cabinets come in multiple parts, such as hardware, inserts, cabinet, drawers, face frames, and drawer glides. Since they come with a manual for assembling, they are often accessible for DIY. But as a constant nature of many things, pros and cons are unavoidable. So what are they?
Pros of RTA kitchen cabinets:
- They are less expensive than custom-designed kitchen cabinets and fully-assembled kitchen cabinets in the factory.
- Since they are packed separately, the shipping cost is also lower.
Cons of RTA kitchen cabinets:
- As most parts are packed individually, it takes longer time to assemble and install.
- They are less durable and robust.
Bottom line
When choosing kitchen cabinets, consider their material, construction, door style, and finish. Doing so will help you avoid disappointment in the future. If you’re unsure of your selection, contact our Kitchen Design Dubai experts. Remodeling a kitchen is a significant investment, but well-built cabinetry can help ensure that your new kitchen becomes worthy.
If this guide helps you in any way, leave a comment about its usefulness.