The type of cabinet that you choose to install in your kitchen is an important decision to make because the kitchen is where you want to feel comfortable to be in, it is the place where you read your morning paper or catch up on the news after you get back from work as you prepare your dinner for the night. A kitchen needs to have plenty of storage space to place all of your plates, glass, utensil and cooking machine, and with a good storage concept you will be able to have a clean de-cluttered kitchen look. Below are some of the ideas that can help you in choosing the right type of cabinet for your kitchen.
What you need:
- Proper planning and sketches of the desired design
- Budget
- Suitable kitchen accessories
- Cooking utensils
- Cooking machines
- Materials for the cabinets
Method:
- First of all, you have to study the layout of your kitchen area and also your family\’s lifestyle plus your cooking method. Other things that you need to take into consideration during the study and planning is the storage and display that you need, the kitchen accessories and also the cooking machine to be use.
- Guidance is important if you are not familiar with designing your kitchen for example you can get it from an architect, a kitchen designer, get some ideas from the local kitchen store supplier, or the internet that you can incorporate into the kitchen area of your house.
- If you are on a tight budget, stock cabinets are always the preferred type to choose from. The stock cabinets are mass-produced and it comes in standard sizes, styles, woods and accessories, thus providing you with extra budget that can be use for upgrade elsewhere.
- If you have a high budget, you can opt for custom units that can fit to your exact dimensions of your kitchen area. Apart from that, semi-custom cabinets is also available for you to take into considerations but it is a pre-order type of cabinets and its set widths required insertions of a perfect fit to your kitchen area.
- Other than that, you need to choose the preferred wood and its finish for example hardwood types of cabinet such as maple, oak or cherry. You also need to study on the manufactured finishes such as laminate or thermofoil where both of them are easy to clean and much cheaper than the wood materials. Make sure to collect some information on the common repairs needed on the cabinets and also its warranty coverage, plus if there is a showroom sample that has been use for a while, take a little of your time to look at the cabinets carefully to see how it wears over time.
- Try to look for cabinets that can support heavy cookware and comes with durability, can withstand a lot of openings, bumps and also spills. Look for drawer that comes with dovetailed joints which are much stronger than stapled ones. If you want to have sturdier door, look for a fitted mortised corners rather than non-interlocking butt joints. It is also recommended that you choose a 3/4-inch-thick (2 cm) face frames.
- Do have a look inside the cabinets because most stock and semi-custom cabinets only use solid wood for the exterior look of the kitchen cabinets frame, doors and drawers. The inside of it sometime are only made of particleboard or veneer-covered plywood where both of this materials are less likely to warp than solid wood, and you can use stain or paint on it.
- Finally, make sure to check for drawers that can extend completely and also equipped with self-closing glides which can also hold loads of at least 75 pounds (35kg). A well-made drawer are made of at least 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch (1.2 cm to 2 cm) sides along with dovetailed or doweled joints and also a strong bottom which is glued into grooves.
Additional Reading:
http://www.demesne.info/Improve-Your-Home/Kitchens/Kitchen-cabinets.htm
http://homedecor.iloveindia.com/room-decor/kitchen-decor/kitchen-cabinet/cabinet-counter-tops.html
http://www.home-improvement-and-financing.com/kitchen-cabinet-and-equipment.html
http://www.kitchen-cabinets-design.com/articles/choosing-kitchen-cabinets-part1.php
http://www.kitchen-cabinets-design.com/articles/choosing-kitchen-cabinets-part2.php
http://www.howtodothings.com/real-estate/a3994-how-to-choose-kitchen-cabinets.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_110320_choose-kitchen-cabinets.html
Image Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianroberts/3358842844/
