The Basics About Kitchen Cabinets

By Author: Vikram Kumar
Total Articles: 9740
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If you are considering refreshing the look of your kitchen by adding some new kitchen cabinets, it might help to know the basics about these pieces of furniture. You can either have the replacement pieces custom built, or you can purchase pieces that are already assembled and have them installed in your home. Custom built cabinetry is beautiful but very expensive to have done, whereas cabinets that are pre-made can be just as beautiful and financially much cheaper to buy.

Kitchen cabinets can vary widely from the type of wood used to the colors and finishes as well as the height, number of drawers and doors, countertop, and several other factors. You can find cabinets that are more modern in styling as well as cabinets that have a Victorian look.

All of this type of cabinetry is constructed in basically the same fashion. To qualify as cabinetry the piece of furniture will have six sides and five of those sides will be enclosed with one side having an opening. These main bodies are called the carcasses of the piece.

The main body is usually crafted from plywood or from particle board. Particle board is ...
... quite frequently used when building the flat shelves in cabinetry. The problem with this application is the shelves often tend to sag a bit when they are crafted from particle board. The carcass of cabinetry like this must be strong and stiff to prevent sagging or bending. Using ¾” plywood will give you pieces that are 73% stronger and stiffer than if you used 5/8” plywood. ¾” plywood is only 20 % thicker than the 5/8” plywood but it makes that big a difference in the strength of your furniture. Not all particle board has the same strength and stiffness. The strength of the particle board is determined by the material that is used to adhere the pieces together. Some are much better at staying together and therefore create a stronger and stiffer product. All carcasses are either held together with nails or screws. Most carpenters will glue the pieces together first and will then also use nails and screws. This application of glue just gives them a stronger piece.

The doors and frames of the carcass are built out of many different materials. Manufacturers may use particle board ( they apply laminates to this to give it a better appearance), plywood, fiberboard that has a medium density, solid pieces of hardwood (pine and ash can be used but are generally not chosen because of the hardwood being more durable), or plywood that has a hardwood veneer. A veneer is when they use a really thin piece of one wood and glue it to another wood to create a desired look.

The faces on the kitchen cabinets are actually small strips of wood that the doors attach to. They are finishing pieces. They are almost always constructed from a hardwood. This is mainly because of the attractive look the hardwood provides. The fronts of the drawers are sometimes also referred to as faces.

Resource Box

Kitchen Cabinets for Less is an online web site that has many kitchen cabinets to choose from. If you are looking for great looking Kitchen Cabinets at a reasonable price, check them out today.