When Old Mother Hubbard opened her cupboard, it was bare. Chances are, when you open your cabinets, 40 spices, 10 flavors of cooking oil, and all those cooking utensils that were guaranteed to make your life easier come spilling out. America’s obsession with culinary paraphernalia has led to another new obsession—organization. And today’s kitchen cabinets offer you loads of neat, little places to put everything (including the kitchen sink).
Organization is just one element to consider when it comes to se-lecting cabinets for your kitchen. Whether you are remodeling an existing kitchen or planning a new one, cabinets will probably be your biggest expense and do the most to set the tone of your kitchen. Cabinets will most likely take up the most visual space in your kitchen—and they can also function in a variety of ways to make your kitchen more of an all-purpose room, from cooking sta-tion to home office.
Cost is a big factor when making cabinet decisions—without the guidance a budget provides, a kitchen could wind up costing you as much as a small vacation house. And, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, roughly half the cost of a complete kitchen-remodeling job goes to cabinets.
Stock cabinets, the ones you find on the sales floor of your local home center, are usually the most affordable—however, they offer the least versatility and flexibility. You need to match them to your kitchen space, and they don’t always fit to maximize space and storage. On the plus side, if you’re in a hurry, stock cabinets do usually offer quick delivery.
Stock cabinets come in three grades. Standard grade is constructed of particleboard sides with stapled and glued drawers. Midrange stock cabinets are typically particleboard with thicker shelves. Higher-grade stock cabinets have plywood sides and concealed hinges and usually a nicer quality finish. A word to the wise: costs can start running up, depending on the type of cabinet material, hardware, accessories, modifications, and finish treatments you select, so bring a calculator with you.
Next on the price ladder are semicustom cabinets. While many of them are stock material, they still offer a fair amount of flexibility because they have features that can help you achieve a near-custom fit.
With custom cabinets anything is possible, but that versatility comes with a price—often a high price. However, it’s all relative. The majority of Americans spend the most time in the kitchen en-tertaining and gathering. So why not have what you would be most proud to own?
To illustrate the difference between semicustom and custom cabi-nets here are the average differences in each of their parts between semicustom and custom cabinets.
Two of the major differences between semicustom and custom drawers are in how the drawers are made and installed, says Vince Achey, vice president of sales and marketing for Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry. Well-made drawers, with dovetail joints are the most dependable drawers and last the longest. When examining dovetail drawers, he advises, check to make sure there are no gaps in the parts that interlock and that all joints are sanded smoothly. The drawer hardware on custom cabinets often has full-extension drawer slides, which are noted for their reliability and ability to stand up to daily wear and tear. Those of the best quality will be mounted underneath the drawer and allow it to pull all the way out and slide with ease.
Semicustom drawers and pullouts usually ride on side-mounted ball-bearing metal slides, which are also pretty decent when it comes to wear and tear. And, finally, the outside frame of a semicustom cabinets is typically made of 1/2-inch plywood with a 1/2- to 3/4-inch hardwood face frame. The custom cabinet Achey’s company constructs is always 3/4-inch thick.
“Basically, the biggest benefit to custom is the ‘yours only’ fac-tor,” says Achey. “Custom cabinetry is built to your exact specifi-cations—color, door style, wood species, and finish. Cabinet height and depth can be adjusted to fit corners or unusually shaped spaces. Potential ‘dead space’ can be creatively turned into a unique storage area, for the best look and optimum use of every nook and cranny.”
By Renee Houston Zemanski
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