Kitchen Cabinets Overview
Written by Elizabeth Wood
Editor In Chief, United Home Improvement

Kitchen cabinets are one of the most predominant features catching your eye in a beautiful kitchen. They establish the atmosphere and décor. Depending on your personal taste, there are two basic styles of cabinets to choose from, contemporary frameless (European Style) and traditional face-framed. Frameless cabinets tend to look more modern as opposed to the classic appeal of face-framed cabinets. Both styles come in a variety of door, wood and finish options. You also have the option of selecting a stainless steal appeal.

The price of cabinets can vary immensely based on whether you want your cabinets to be stock, semi-costumed or fully-costumed. Stock cabinets are usually the most affordable and are the easiest to find. Semi-custom cabinets contain qualities from both stock and custom. Custom cabinets are more expensive and rare. Costume options include roll out and tilt out drawers, self closing drawers, costume storage cabinets, costume finishes, and unique cabinet hardware.

Cabinets come in an array of materials. Roughly they can be grouped into five main categories which include laminates, melamine, lacquered board, PVC and wood. Melamine (made from decorative paper) is one of the most popular choices for kitchen cabinets because it is very affordable and gives a great appearance. Solid wood cabinets, on the other hand, offer the highest quality, but tend to be very expensive. If you are looking for a wooden cabinet to fit your budget, pine is the most affordable.

Another more affordable option uses veneered plywood and standard veneer. These materials are ideal for kitchen cabinet re-facing projects or adding finishing touches to your kitchen refinishing work. These wood veneers and plywood come in a variety of wood species, grades, and sizes.

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