The kitchen is one of the most critical spaces in your home. Your design, budget, and functionality are the most significant factors in how to move forward in designing your kitchen. For some, these cabinets are “just” cabinets. However, a kitchen cabinet that’s awesome to look at can have an enormous influence on the overall look and feel of your kitchen space.
Selecting kitchen cabinets is one of the most challenging tasks to do, especially if you want to make your kitchen look good. Choosing the wrong cabinets can have a lasting impact, not only on your budget but on your kitchen’s look and function as well. Kitchen cabinets are the first things you see when you walk into a kitchen. Find a kitchen that will fit your budget and also kitchen cabinets that look great and are of great quality, such as Shaker Style Cabinets.
Most people think that because the wall length of their kitchen has unusual size, they need custom cabinets. However, a lot of people aren’t aware that custom cabinets are expensive. Once you install these cabinets though, you’ll soon notice that you aren’t happy with the outcome. You’re left unsatisfied and with a broken budget. To avoid that, here are some tips to help you upgrade your kitchen cabinets.
Getting the right measurements
Before even picking a cabinet, you should always have the correct measurements and dimensions of your kitchen. All of these measurements matter when you’re planning your layout.
Always consider where the plumbing is, any electrical outlets, gas pipes, water pipes, kitchen sinks, etc. Also, take note of where your kitchen cabinet door might open.
You should know about Cabinet types
It’s always the basics that you need to know about before starting anything else. Before picking out what cabinet fits your kitchen, you should know about the four types of cabinets which are:
- Under-the-counter cabinets
- Standalone cabinets
- Wall-mounted cabinets
- Special types
Knowing the quality
Under these types of cabinets, you should also know how to choose a quality grade. Knowing the type and quality of your cabinet can make or break your budget. Here are some quality grades you need to know about.
- RTA or Ready to Assemble cabinets: Most of these cabinets are found at large retailers like IKEA. Although these cabinets are affordable and convenient, they aren’t that durable. Installing RTAs isn’t difficult but can be quite confusing for DIY builders. You may have to call a professional team to install ready to assemble cabinets.
- Custom Cabinets: These cabinets are made to order and cater to a person’s needs and specifications. Cabinets of this quality can be costly because of the materials and skills required in matching a customer’s preferences.
- Semi-Custom: These cabinets are actually stock cabinets that have little modifications requested by a buyer. Paint, knobs, custom doors, etc. can be made to a stock cabinet. The pricing on these items can vary, depending on the cabinet’s base price, and the type and quality of modifications done.
- Stock Cabinets: These cabinets come from direct manufacturers and don’t have any modifications to them. These cabinets are perfect for your kitchen if you want a more hands-on approach to your kitchen renovation or repair.
The Type of Wood
Most kitchen cabinets typically utilize wood as a prime material. Using wood for your cabinets lets your kitchen a more “warm” atmosphere. Pair it with the right lights, countertops, tables, and chairs, and then you’ll have the perfect kitchen. Mainly, the best choices for wood cabinets are cherry and maple.
The lumber from these trees is perfect for cabinets because they’re shock-resistant, have good strength, and have low stiffness. Both maple and cherry are also easy to work with because they have excellent bending properties. Woodworkers and custom furniture makers often choose these types of woods for flooring, instruments, carvings, moulding, custom furniture, and kitchen cabinets.
Decide on Framed or Frameless cabinets
For a more traditional look, going for frames works best. The frame enables the cabinet to be much stronger, preventing it from warping. The framework also helps secure cabinet doors. Due to the strength of the frame, kitchen cabinets can hold more weight and is considerably more durable than frameless styles.
Frameless cabinets, on the other hand, are stylish when incorporated in more modern cheap kitchens. Since a frameless cabinet doesn’t have a large center stile, you can place two cabinets side by side without any problems. Going frameless means you get to put more which means more storage space. For those who want unique styles on their kitchen cabinet, going frameless is the best route to take.
Takeaway
Choosing the right kitchen cabinets is a tough job. If you don’t know about wood types and quality grades, then you might end up having budget problems. More importantly, getting the size and measurements of your kitchen beforehand can help you choose the perfect kitchen cabinet.
Depending on your style, you could go for either frameless or framed kitchen cabinets. After all, we all want to achieve a kitchen that’s comfortable and warm. Choosing the best kitchen cabinets helps with that.
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