American or European? Framed or frameless? Full overlay or overlay? Ready-to-assemble or custom? Inset or reverse bevel? What wood species? What color? What size? These questions, and additional, should come up whenever you search for new kitchen cabinetry. They could be overwhelming if you're just starting out and your kitchen design ideas continue to be stewing in your mind. All these questions are merely compounded whenever you look at the costs and start to see the wide price variance in kitchen cabinetry. You might consider then, "why is this cabinet distinctive from this 1?" Read on to learn about the major different types of kitchen cabinets and how to tell good quality cabinets from others.
It is first important to understand that there are two main kinds of cabinets: framed and frameless. Framed cabinet design is related to the American school of kitchen design. Bordered by a 1 " bit of wood, framed cabinets have doors that "lip" over the frame. These doors can come in standard overlay (partial overlay over the frame), full overlay, and inset (situated within the frame so that the door is flush).
Frameless cabinets, on one other hand, are often found in European cabinetry design. These cabinets do not use the 1 " bit of wood for a frame - the doors and hinges are directly attached to the walls of the cabinet, which need to be slightly thicker than their framed counterparts with this reason. Frameless, or European, doors tend to have a broader opening and are more accessible since the frame doesn't impinge.
Framed cabinets are often installed in more conservative kitchens because of their traditional aesthetic. Doors on this kind of cabinet are usually more ornate and may feature crowned molding. Frameless cabinets are better for smaller spaces and fit in well with modern style kitchens. Whichever form of cabinet you get choosing, it's also advisable to bear in mind that some appliance makers design their products to suit only one form of cabinet. As an example, high-end European designers like Gaggenau and Fagor streamline their cabinets for frameless cabinets, while other companies like GE and American Blue Star build for framed cabinets with wider flanges.
But why is some of those cabinets more costly than others? What determines a home cabinet's quality? The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) says you will find numerous features linked to quality, form, and function that determine a cabinet's price. These variables include construction quality, door styles (molding adds substantially to the cost), the joints, hinges, drawer glides, hardware, storage options, and materials and finishes.
The principal reason most Americans begin a home remodel, after failure of a significant appliance, could be the deterioration of the conclusion on the kitchen cabinets. The natural oils on our hands can deteriorate an inferior quality lacquer finish on a cabinet door and eventually leave an obvious discoloration. This is in addition to common spills and cooking residue that over time can need replacing builder-grade and shop-built finishes. Determining a top quality wood finish on a home cabinet can have a practiced eye. The best wood cabinet finishes work with a multi-step procedure for sanding, sealing, hand-wipe staining, finish coating of conversion varnish and baking in specialty ovens. If you appear closely at the cabinet door you will see these flaws in lower quality kitchen cabinets:
Stains in the crevices Dirt particles trapped under the finish Rougher areas to the touch where it wasn't uniformly sanded A murky look where in fact the natural grain has been masked - the consequence of poor toner stain And other flaws your kitchen designer can point out An appealing proven fact that you could find counterintuitive is that local cabinet shops that advertise custom cabinetry do not necessarily produce higher quality custom kitchen cabinets since they rarely have the capital to invest in the state of the art finishing equipment that manufacturers who deal exclusively through kitchen dealers have invested in. When you're going right through our kitchen design process, make sure to keep the significance of a top quality finish on kitchen cabinets in mind.