Buying New Cabinets: Things to Consider | Cabinets Buying Guides & Tips

Cabinets Buying Guides & Tips

With many cabinet options available in the market today, buying for your bath or kitchen can be a challenging experience. Aside from the aesthetics, many factors may not be evident that’ll influence the price and performance of the cabinets. 

Therefore, understanding these determinants will provide you with a winning advantage in selecting cabinets. Generally, there are three components to a cabinet’s structure. These are the drawers, shelves, and boxes. And each part can be made in various ways.

This post can help you understand the basics of shopping cabinets. It includes the finish, construction, quality, style, size, and budget. Take a read!

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Decorating Style

Look in stores and magazines to figure out what kind of style you like. Custom and semi-custom provide more options, whereas stock cabinets arrive in limited forms. Pick a decorating style that complements the design of your home.

Plus, it’s essential to consider the interior designs of the other rooms. Moreover, you can pick from laminate finishes, painted or stained, or natural wood finishes in different woods and colors. Also, don’t forget about the cabinet door styles.

There are a lot of styles to choose from when cabinet shopping, from acrylic cabinets, laminate cabinets, thermofoil cabinets, stainless steel cabinets, and wood cabinets.

Budget

In a bathroom or kitchen remodeling project, cabinets constitute at least fifty percent of the total cost. With that said, it’s essential to set your budget first before the actual remodeling project. However, do not let your budget frighten you off.

Just keep in mind that the cabinets you choose will set the mood for your new bathroom or kitchen. Plus, it plays a massive role in revamping your space.

Measurement

Eventually, you’d want a professional to look at your space. However, you must measure or assess your area first and decide where you want to place the new cabinets. With these measurements, you can provide more exact information to the salesperson at the kitchen store or home center. Plus, he or she can suggest ideas for your remodeling project.

Quality

If you have resided in the home for a short period, you can choose traditional cabinets. However, if it will be your dream bath or kitchen space, then you must look or search for high-quality construction.

Cabinets must have closed backs, reinforced corners, drawer fronts, door fronts, and solid frames. The doors and drawers of the cabinets will be closed and opened many times in a day. Thus, it must operate quietly and smoothly. Take note that the wood finish must be smooth.

Custom, Semi-Custom, Or Stock

Custom cabinets are the high-end types in every cabinetry. They’re made in either on-site in any finish and style. Or a workroom to the specifications of the designer. On the other hand, semi-custom cabinets are made in the factory in standard sizes, with plenty of styles, design, and storage options.

Stock cabinets are the affordable option among the three. They’re made in standard sizes and shapes. However, stock cabinets have a limited number of styles and sizes.

Frame Versus Frameless

When buying new cabinets, there are primarily two kinds of construction to keep in mind. These are frameless cabinets or framed cabinetry. Whatever you choose, both cabinet construction offers many design options and has its own set of unique features or advantages.

With regards to framed cabinets, the doors are fastened or attached to the frame, giving the cabinet sturdiness and strength. Framed cabinetry secure the door hinges to the frame shelves and face, and are sometimes adjustable.

On the other hand, frameless cabinetry doesn’t have a face frame mounted to the facade of the cabinet. When they’re installed, you will only see the drawer fronts and the flat door, offering a simple, sleek aesthetic that can complement many decors all throughout the house.

Additionally, in frameless construction, cabinets don’t have a center stile going down in the center of the cabinet doors. Thus, it can be uncomplicated to access the things inside. Plus, it provides more storage space.

The frameless cabinets’ shelves are usually adjustable. The drawers are larger than the framed cabinets due to the space saved without a face frame mounted to the front.

Takeaway

Cabinets are the bread and butter that make either your kitchen or bath a complete failure or functional. Plus, they consume the most amount of aesthetic space. Therefore, you will need to choose something that you’ll love looking at for a very long period.

However, cabinet shopping doesn’t come easy for anyone. Since there are many options available in the market, you may get overwhelmed. Ultimately, cabinets must last for a long time. Thus, it is best to make yourself knowledgeable about cabinets to aid you in making the correct choice.