With so many choices available, it can be overwhelming to select the perfect kitchen cabinets, including materials, finishes, doors, and drawers. The question then becomes, how do you start and figure out which options will work best for your kitchen renovation?
Types of Kitchen Cabinets Quality Grades
Kitchen cabinets are divided into three classifications based on their construction quality: Stock Kitchen Cabinets, Semi-Custom Kitchen Cabinets, and Custom Kitchen Cabinets.
The cabinets exhibit a variety of appearances and designs, showcasing distinct styles and finishes. It is common for cabinets to be crafted from diverse materials.
Which option to select?
To determine which type of kitchen cabinet to select, consider the amount you are willing to spend. This detail will assist you in making a decision on kitchen cabinetry.
Stock Cabinets – Types of Kitchen Cabinets for Everyone
Opting for Stock Kitchen Cabinets is a cost-effective and straightforward choice that suits all. Irrespective of your budget for kitchen cabinets, going for a stock option would be a wise bet. However, stock cabinets are available in set sizes, which means you might have to adjust other kitchen details to fit them in. Stock cabinets may not have the versatility of bespoke cabinets, but they are a practical and budget-friendly option that’s available in large batches. While they offer a slightly limited assortment of accessories, they are made of melamine, particleboard, or solid wood, and covered with plastic laminates, depending on the manufacturer.
Semi-Custom Types of Kitchen Cabinets for Personalized Style
Semi-custom kitchen cabinets offer a greater variety of materials, finishes, and styles for a higher-quality construction than stock cabinets; however, they come with a higher cost. Semi-custom allows for customization of cabinets’ standard sizes, such as depth or height, but with limitations. For complete customization, Custom Cabinets are necessary. With the benefits of a personalized appearance, additional storage solutions, decorative options, an affordable price, and a variety of finishes available, semi-custom kitchen cabinets may be the ideal choice for your kitchen renovation.
Custom Kitchen Cabinets – Guarantee for a Dream Kitchen
Opting for custom kitchen cabinets grants you complete authority over the materials, wood, and designs used. Unlike other kitchen cabinet options, you can rest assured that custom cabinetry will fulfill all of your requirements for functionality, storage, and style. With customization, you can choose the door styles, finishes, wood types, accessories, and colors that you prefer. However, be prepared to pay a higher cost as custom cabinets are the most expensive of all kitchen cabinet options due to their fully tailored nature. These cabinets offer personalized sizes, superior handcrafted construction, and a multitude of materials, finishes, accessories, and styles to choose from.
Stock vs Semi vs Custom Cabinets
Pre-made kitchen cabinets are available in standard sizes and cannot be customized. They are the most cost-effective choice with the lowest price among the three alternatives.
Semi-custom cabinets are essentially pre-made cabinets with the option to add certain details. Customizations include adjusting the depth and height of the cabinets or drawers, or making accessory modifications. These cabinets fall within the mid-level price range.
Customized kitchen cabinets offer flexible options for cabinet sizes, door styles, colors, accessories, and finishes, but they come with a premium price.
Basic Types of Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinets that provide support for countertops at the lower level.
The function of base cabinets in the kitchen is to serve as the foundation for countertops. They play a crucial role as they provide support for the heaviest and one of the most important items in the kitchen. For this reason, they must possess qualities such as strength, sturdiness, and proper balance. Generally, standard-size base cabinets are 36 inches tall and 24 inches deep, though the depth can be increased to 27 inches depending on the manufacturer. It is advisable to increase their depth to obtain more storage space. A four-inch recessed riser-toe kick serves as the base upon which the base cabinets rest.
Beautiful Design Achieved with Wall Cabinets.
Kitchen cabinets that are mounted to the wall have different names such as wall cabinets or upper cabinets, but they serve the same purpose. They are placed above base cabinets and are vital for renovation projects. Base cabinets provide ample storage space and support for countertops, but wall cabinets serve a more important role as they contribute to the appearance and functionality of the kitchen while also providing necessary storage. These cabinets are typically 12 inches deep but can be increased to 17 inches with custom cabinetry. Using wall cabinets on a single wall can help to maximize space and make the kitchen look larger or smaller, depending on your preference. This layout is especially useful in smaller kitchens.
Tall cabinets for the pantry to provide additional storage space.
Whether you refer to them as Pantry Cabinets or Tall Cabinets, both names carry the same meaning. These types of cabinets have a full-height design that runs from the floor up to the ceiling. Their height ensures that they offer ample storage space, ranging from 84 to 96 inches per unit. Pantry or Tall Cabinets create a striking vertical appearance in the kitchen and are also ideal for storing brooms due to their generous size.
The purpose of drawer cabinets is to provide functionality.
The most utilized element in any kitchen is the Drawer Cabinets, which are essential for its effectiveness. It is important to ensure the drawers are well-constructed with robust and high-quality materials, regardless of whether you choose semi-custom, custom, or pre-made kitchen cabinets. The first criterion to consider is a minimum of ½ inch thick plywood for the drawers. For a top-of-the-line design, the plywood inside the drawers should be at least 5/8 inch thick.
Drawers constructed with ¾ inch plywood provide increased durability and longevity. When selecting materials, opt for laminated particle board or plywood for the drawers. Two options for the drawer fronts include Slab Drawer Fronts, which are composed of a smooth panel, and Five-Piece Drawer Fronts, which consist of a frame surrounding a central panel that can either be recessed or raised. Choose Slab Drawer Fronts for a sleek and minimalistic appearance, while Five-Piece Drawer Fronts are ideal for achieving a traditional aesthetic.
Different Varieties of Kitchen Cabinet Doors.
Various kinds of kitchen cabinet doors exist, and they have the potential to serve as the ideal focal point for your kitchen area. The foremost visual element that will determine the ambiance of the entire kitchen space is the kitchen cabinet doors.
There are different types of cabinet doors available, such as:
- Center Panel Cabinet Doors: Raised Panel and Recessed Panel. Raised Panel is characteristically used for traditional kitchen cabinet designs while Recessed Panel is usually used in modern designs.
- Overlay Cabinet Doors: Full Overlay Cabinet Doors cover the entire cabinet door front.
- Inset Cabinet Doors: Beaded and Non-Beaded Cabinet Doors. The beaded insert provides a stylish detail that shows craftsmanship.
Kitchen Cabinets Styling Guide: What’s Your Style?
When designing your bespoke kitchen cabinetry, you must take into account three primary options for cabinetry style: the style of the cabinet doors, the cabinet finish, and the type of wood species used.
- Cabinet Door Styles
For each design preference, there are door styles available. These can range from traditional, transitional, modern, rustic, minimalist, industrial, among others. Dura Supreme offers several door styles that fall under three categories: flat panel, raised panel or slab (frameless); inset, full overlay or partial overlay; and beaded style, arched style or mullion style, and more.
- Wood Species
To select the perfect wood for your cabinet, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with various wood species. Wood is a natural product, and it has many unique characteristics that make it beautiful. Therefore, it is crucial to examine different cabinet wood samples and displays before making a final decision. Rustic hickory, for instance, has a knotty appearance with open or closed knots, burls, mineral streaks, and pitch pockets. Its color can range from creamy white to dark brown, depending on the finish. There are many wood types to choose from, including cherry, maple, oak, quarter-sawn red oak, knotty alder, hickory, rustic hickory, birch, beech, walnut, mahogany, ash, and alder.
- Cabinet Finish
To complete the cabinet look and ensure lasting durability, the final step is to choose a cabinet finish that can be stain, glaze, stain/glaze, paint, paint/accent, paint/glaze, weathered, patina, or others. Dura Supreme has vast finish options to choose from, and your designer can assist you in finding the perfect match for your preferred style. For instance, if you opt for a paint finish from Dura Supreme, you can select from white, classic white, linen white, antique white, pearl, silver mist, moonstone, zinc, cashmere, latte, storm grey, graphite, and black. Custom color options are also available if none of the standard colors appeals to you.
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