Cabinet Material
Modest budget kitchen cabinets will have a lot of
particle board in them. Particle board (referred to as chipboard in the
United Kingdom) is covered with a thin wood veneer in exposed areas to
give it the appearance of real wood. When used in the kitchen it should
be well sealed because it is like a sponge_it will soak up any
available moisture and swell up.
Particle board is composed of chips of wood
combined with a resin bonding agent. The mixture is pressed into sheets
and then cut into the desired dimensions. The fact that the chips can
be discards from other processes or from wood not of high enough
quality accounts for its low price. The trade off for its low price is
moisture susceptibility as mentioned above, and the fact that it
doesn't hold screws well.
One step up in quality and price is plywood.
Plywood is very strong due to the fact that the grain of the layers
alternate direction. It is generally covered with a veneer also.
Plywood is much better than particle board at holding screws and has a
much higher resistance to moisture.
Solid wood is highly desirable for kitchen
cabinets. It is more expensive than plywood, of course, but doesn't
need to be covered with a veneer. The wood species vary from low end
such as pine to very high end such as oak, mohagany, walnut, and pecan.
Cabinet Hardware
Kitchen cabinet hardware is available in a
mind-boggling number of choices and price ranges. Styles range from
contemporary to antique. Drawer pulls, hinges (when visible), and items
such as towel hangers are usually matched.
The material they are made from varies. Brass is
always a popular choice. Other materials include steel, aluminum, and
even glass. Many drawer pulls are ceramic, either plain or with
graphics on them.
Many of these fall into the antique-looking
category. An inexpensive and yet time-tested finish for hardware is a
matte or hammered finish. This gives the cabinets an antique or rustic
look, especially when combined with knotty pine.
Cabinet Tops
Cabinet tops have a huge impact on the cost of the
cabinets. But the material can be expensive and cabinet tops have the
highest visual impact of any of the three cabinet components, so it
makes sense.
On the high end of the price range are the solid
stones such as granite and marble. These are very trendy today but both
the material and installation are expensive.
Corian, a Dupont product, is a great alternative
to solid stone. It looks like stone, but is in fact a plastic material.
Its benefits in the kitchen are the fact that it is non-porous, it's
easy to clean, and best of all, it's heat resistant. It is less
expensive than stone but still adds to the home's value.
Laminates, such as Formica, are the standard for
counter tops. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to work with, and easy
to maintain. Most prefab kitchen cabinets (contractor grade) come with
laminate counter tops. The laminate is simply glued to the plywood base
and is a great project for the DIY'er to tackle.
(cn-stonenet.com)