Cabinets are Cabinets, Right?
Well, simply put, no. With so many choices of brands and features available, it is difficult to know if you are getting a good value and whether you are making a sound decision. If you are looking for cabinets that will stand the test of time and function well into the future, this cabinet buying guide is for you.
Let us help you narrow down the choices. Quality cabinets will have certain aspects in common and here is what Cabinet Headquarters looks for:
All Wood Cabinet Construction
This is a big one! Most kitchen and bath cabinet lines offer cheap particle board cabinet cases as their standard construction, which in our opinion is a true sign of low quality! The two most common cabinet case materials are particle board and plywood, with plywood being the material of choice.
Plywood cabinets are strong, they support a lot of weight, have real wood ends where visible, and do not absorb moisture as easily as particle board.
Particleboard (AKA, furniture board) – is less expensive in most cases, brittle, generally has contact paper on the visible ends (think Ready-To-Assemble furniture), and not the choice for someone looking for a long-term investment. These cabinets rarely make the journey from the manufacturer to the cabinet shop without damage.
We here at Cabinet Headquarters have negotiated heavily with all our cabinet vendors to bring you plywood cabinetry for the same price as cheaper particle board cabinet cases. In fact, we refuse to sell particle board cabinets in order to protect our long-term reputation.
Full Extension Drawer Guides with Soft Close – quality cabinetry will have full extension ball- bearing drawer guides. These guides pull out fully for full access to the drawer’s contents, use ball-bearings for a smooth roll out and have soft close to avoid drawers that slam shut.
Many low-quality cabinets staple and glue each drawer corner. These joints eventually fail and fall apart. You have probably been in older kitchens where a drawer face is missing. That is usually because someone has accidently pulled the drawer front off the drawer itself.
For a quality corner joint, insist on dovetailed drawer corners. The shape of the dovetail corner joint is a sign of better quality construction and the smart investor’s choice.
There are a lot of small shops selling cabinetry that they market as custom cabinetry. It may be true that they are custom cabinets, but that does not mean that they are quality. These small shops do not have the production facilities to produce baked on high quality finishes. In fact, many cabinet professionals refer to these cabinets as “homemade cabinets” instead of custom cabinets.
Larger cabinet manufacturers utilize the latest equipment for producing their finishes, which includes baked on and hardened finishes. These finishes are stronger and last longer. If you want a cabinet line that looks good over time, homemade cabinets are likely not the way to go.
All our cabinets, from entry level to custom lines, tick all the boxes above for quality. This means that you can rest assured that anything you pick in our showroom is a quality cabinet choice. Even with higher quality cabinetry, our pricing is often less than the other design centers and big box stores who offer mainly particle board cabinetry. Couple that with our highly trained design team and we are confident that you will get the best value, best design, and best advice here at Cabinet Headquarters.
