The Secrets of Smart Cabinet Buying

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What every buyer of kitchen and bath cabinets needs to know

The most important decision in choosing cabinets is to select a style and appearance that suits your needs.
If you don’t like the look of your cabinets, then the rest doesn’t really matter.

After you have found the style and look you like, then you must choose between the various makes and brands of cabinet. Not all cabinets are constructed the same. Different types of wood and methods of construction can make a big difference in both how satisfied you are with your cabinets and how much you pay. As with most things, the highest price does not necessarily guarantee the best quality and the lowest price is not always the best bargain. We created this guide to help you make the right cabinet choice for your situation, budget and taste.

Framed or frameless

Before you can choose you cabinets, you need to understand the components of a cabinet. A cabinet is, essentially, a cube with one side open. The open side can be framed or frameless. In North America, most cabinet buyers opt for framed cabinets. In Europe the preference is for frameless.

• Framed cabinets have the doors attached to the face frame of the cabinet. You can see the face frame of the cabinet behind the door. Having a face frame can make a cabinet more structurally strong. This type of mounting can be more durable, but can also cost a little more.
• Frameless cabinets usually attach the doors directly to the sides of the cabinet. This creates a more modern contemporary look.

What kind of wood

Aside from all metal cabinets, all but the cheapest cabinets are made out of wood or a wood byproduct. Most cabinets are manufactured using a combination of materials. The parts of the cabinet that show might be solid wood, but the box might be made out of veneered plywood. These hybrid cabinets combine the desired look and strength, without breaking the bank.

Manufactures typically use four basic choices: solid wood, plywood, particle board, and MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard).

• Solid wood - Provides the best quality cabinet, but is usually the most expensive. You can choose from a variety of common woods; cherry, maple, oak, beech, birch, or exotics like mahogany. Solid wood shelves are best, but expensive.
• Plywood - It has the strength of solid wood (sometimes even stronger), and is usually faced with a thin attractive wood veneer. Plywood is made by bonding together thin layers of wood with glue. It is used primarily as the box behind the frame that forms the cabinet itself. Often manufacturers use edge banded plywood for shelves.
• Particle board - Less expensive than plywood, particle board is formed by binding grains of wood material with glue under pressure and heat. Particle board is generally used for low grade cabinets. Don’t put too much weight on a particle board shelf, as it will bend.
• MDF - an engineered wood product similar to particle board. Usually it comes with a paper or resin veneer. It is the least expensive wood material and is considered the lowest grade. MDF shelving will bend quickly and easily.

The thickness of the material you choose will also help give extra strength and durability. For example, a plywood cabinet might be made out of 1/2” or 5/8” plywood. The 5/8” cabinet may cost a bit more, but is stronger and more durable.

Framed cabinets typically use solid wood, plywood, or less frequently particle board for the frame. Frameless cabinets are more likely to use MDF or particle board.

The cabinet doors can be any of the above materials. The sides of the cabinet are likely to be plywood, particle board, or MDF. Shelves and drawers should be either solid or made out of plywood if you want them to last, because they are subjected to the most use and weight.

There are three major types of door construction, also know as “Frame and Panel” construction.  The idea is to create a “floating” panel within a frame.  This center panel is usually not glued to the frame. Doing so ensures that seasonal movement of the wood does not compromise or distort the door frame. This is also know as a “five piece door”.  This consists of the center panel, framed horizontally by “rails”, and vertically by “styles”.  

To keep the center panel in the frame, the panel is captured in a groove inside the frame. There are three major types of panel construction.

• Flat Panel - Has its visible face flush with the front of the groove in the frame. This gives the panel an inset appearance.

• Raised Panel - Has a profile cut into its edge so that the panel surface is flush with or proud of the frame. Some popular profiles are the ogee, chamfer, and scoop or cove.

• Applied Mounding - Mouldings are applied to door to achieve a more detailed raised profile.

Cabinet construction styles

There are two main approaches to commercial cabinet construction; preassembled or ready to assemble.

• Preassembled cabinets are usually the most expensive for two reasons; labor and shipping costs. Most preassembled cabinet frames are manufactured using nails, staples, glue, screws, or some combination of these fasteners.

• Ready to Assemble (RTA) are factory engineered to provide quick assembly at the job site. Because they are factory engineered, RTA cabinets are often as structurally sturdy as a factory preassembled cabinet. Most RTA cabinets can be assembled with tools as simple as a common slotted screwdriver because they make use of Cam Locks. These simple pieces of connecting hardware are inserted into cabinet edges (that have been prepared at the factory) and a simple ¼ turn will securely lock the pieces together. RTA cabinets usually come with simple instructions for quick and easy assembly.


Hinges

Hinges hold the door to the cabinet and allow it to swing open and closed. Hinges are as much a style decision as they are a construction and quality issue. There are two basic types of hinges.

• Concealed hinges are embedded in the cabinet and frame and hidden from view. In most modern kitchen and bath cabinet applications, concealed hinges are preferred. Most cabinets use a “cup” hinge. When you open a cup hinged door, you will notice a little recessed cup in the door, which allows an area for the hinge to hide when the door is closed.

• Surface mount or exposed hinges are clearly visible and bring a distinctive style or look to the cabinet. Most antique furniture uses this type of hinge. Use of these hinges can bring a rustic look to your kitchen or bath.
Hinge quality varies, depending on the manufacturer. Look for a quality pressed steel, cast aluminum, or brass hinges. Also, check that the hinges allow for alignment adjustment. Over time your doors might sag a little, and a quality hinge allows for easy alignment.

Handles

Handles and other decorative hardware are typically not part of the cabinet itself. Some cabinets have recessed handles built in, called finger pulls (these do not show or require additional hardware).

When handles or knobs are needed you can usually choose from a wide variety of styles and materials (metal, wood, plastic, glass, ceramic, and more) depending on your taste and budget.

Most cabinets are not predrilled for knobs or handles. It will be up to you or your installer to drill the necessary holes and attach the hardware. If you are installing them yourself, take your time, don’t rush. Be sure they are properly positioned, aligned, and centered. Always check your measurements twice before you drill!

Drawer construction
With drawers, you will face the same wood selection choices you have with the cabinet. Again, solid wood makes the best drawers but is more expensive. Plywood also works very well. Particle board and MDF typically are used on low end drawers.

Usually the drawer box (sides, front and back) come preassembled. With RTA cabinets you might need to install the four sides with screws, the front fascia board, and drawer bottom.


A drawer box can be assembled in many different ways. A dovetail joint in the drawers is considered best. A dovetail corner is when the edges of the wood are milled on two sides to enable the sides to interlock, without any fasteners. Glue may be used to reinforce the dovetail join. Dovetail construction produces the strongest and best looking joint and is the most expensive. Often, only the front and sides of the drawer box are dovetailed (the part you see when the drawer is open).

A dovetail requires considerable time to manufacture, and many manufacturers are able to reproduce the same strength, for much lower cost. Often the drawer box is constructed by “glue and screw” methods, which have proven to be very strong.

Another important consideration is the construction of the drawer bottom. This thin piece of material will have to support the weight of everything you put in your drawer. Thicker is better, solid wood is best, veneered plywood is a good second choice. Again, avoid particle board or MDF for drawer bottoms.

Drawer rails

Drawer rails make it easy for you to pull out and push back the drawer. There are a lot of options available. Described below are some of the more common and modern choices:

Location of rails: Look for double (a left rail and a right rail) either under mount or side mount. Cheaply made cabinets sometimes use only a single under mount which over time can shift up or down or side to side and keep your drawer from opening correctly.

Quality of the rails: How the drawer moves over the rails also reflects the quality and the cost of the cabinet.

Ball bearing glides (also called slides) are the best and most expensive. A sealed ball bearing glide will never need lubrication, whereas unsealed ball bearings might need occasional oiling. Often these glides are precision engineered so that only a light finger touch is needed to pull open a drawer, or push it closed.

Roller glides are a good lower cost alternative. They work very much like a train’s wheels on a rail. The quality of the wheel and the rail dictate the glide and durability. Look for thick steel rails (never plastic!) that are epoxy coated. Roller wheels on higher end cabinets should have ball bearing wheel mounts. Solid wheels made out of Nylon, Delrin, or Teflon (without ball bearings) are perfectly acceptable, avoid cheap conventional plastic rollers.

Warranty

Most reputable manufacturers supply some kind of warranty, usually at least one year. If you purchase a good quality cabinet to begin with, chances are you will reduce the need for an extended warranty.

Product lines

Not all model lines have every size and type of cabinet. Make sure your model line carries all the cabinets and accessories necessary to fit your room and accessory requirements. Some product lines include “specialty cabinets” which help create a high end, custom look. Specialty cabinets such as appliance garages, plate racks, wine racks, rollout trays, etc. might not be available in all product lines. Choose a product line that fits both your requirements and budget.

Summary

There are numerous choices of materials and manufacturers of cabinets. Remember that that your new kitchen is probably the most expensive room in your home. Chose a style of cabinet that is both attractive and timeless, something you and others can live with for years to come. Consider the important construction details that make up a quality cabinet. You are then ready to purchase the best quality cabinet and stay within your budget.

This document is provided by BestCabinetDeals.com.
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