Shopping for new kitchen cabinets can be an overwhelming experience. With so many finishes, styles and materials available, it’s not easy to narrow your choices. You’ve probably scoured the internet looking for cabinet advice from the experts. Unfortunately, what one expert loves another hates, which doesn’t help you make your decision.
The truth is, there are no hard-and-fast rules about cabinets, but there are a few myths circulating in cyberspace. Before you open your wallet, make sure you’re not unduly influenced by these five cabinet myths.
1. Custom Cabinets Are Always Better
Custom cabinets are an excellent choice if you have a large budget, want a style or material that isn’t available in stock cabinet selections or need a cabinet to fill a tiny or unusually shaped space. In the past, stock cabinets might not have been quite as durable or stylish as custom cabinets, but things have changed. Today, manufacturers offer an array of styles, finishes, and sizes that look great and hold up to a lot of wear and tear.
If you want 20-inch-deep cabinets instead of 24-inch ones, or if you have other unique requirements, you may need to go with custom cabinets. If you don’t have very specific needs, however, stock cabinets are a good value and can look great! Stock cabinets can be delivered to your home as early as a week after you order them. Delivery times for custom cabinets can range up to four months or longer depending on the type and number of cabinets you order.
2. Particle Board is Always Bad
Particle board is the least expensive cabinet materials, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good choice for your kitchen, particularly if you’re concerned about kitchen renovation costs.
Particle board is made by binding wood chips, wood shavings and sawdust together with resin. Particle boards come in different grades and densities – better quality “Furniture Board” is a good material for making cabinet bodies.
The result is a durable product that can be covered with laminate or wood veneer to create attractive, durable cabinets. Unlike real wood, particle board doesn’t warp due to temperature fluctuations, and since it’s made from wood chips and sawdust, it’s an environmentally friendly choice. Look for formaldehyde-free materials.
3. Cabinet Replacement Costs More Than Refacing Cabinets
Refacing your cabinets may not be the bargain it seems. In fact, refacing your cabinets and replacing the doors can sometimes cost the same or more as replacing your cabinets, depending on the type of cabinets you choose. Since doors are the most important part of your cabinets, they can account for up to 70 percent of the cost of refacing. Although refacing might extend the life of your cabinets a little longer, you’ll eventually have to replace them, which will cost you again.
4. Inset Doors Are Higher Quality
More expensive means better, right? Not necessarily. Although inset doors may cost double the price of overlay doors, they don’t offer a significant increase in quality or function. In fact, due to their design, inset doors decrease the amount of storage available in your cabinets. As your kitchen remodeling contractor can confirm, the quality of your cabinets and doors depends on the construction techniques and materials used, not the style of your doors.
5. White Cabinets Are Timeless
Are you looking for attractive cabinets that will still be in style if you sell your home 10 or 20 years from now? Although plenty of people will try to convince you that white cabinets are timeless, unless they’re time travelers, they just don’t know what the future will hold.
If the style of your cabinets is considered dated 10 years from now, homebuyers won’t care about the color, even if it’s white. They’ll just want to rip out those cabinets and replace them with the new version of “timeless.” If you like the look of white cabinets, choose them. If not, live in the present and pick the material or finish that makes you happy today.
Ready to begin your kitchen remodeling project? Call us and find out how we can help you create your dream kitchen.
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