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Choosing Quality Cabinets

Insiders Tip: What To Look For When Choosing Quality Cabinets

When you add cabinets to your kitchen, bathroom or other areas of your home, you want them to last for years and possibly generations to come.

Choosing quality cabinets isn’t as easy as just picking what looks pretty or fits the best. Instead, it’s about things like the type of wood used and how much weight the drawers support.

While higher quality cabinets may cost more, they’re more cost-effective because they’ll far outlast their cheaper counterparts. Plus, it’s easy to have these cabinets custom built to match your every storage need.

Solid Wood Frames

Your door frames are going to deal with a lot of wear and tear. They hold the door front together and attach to the cabinet itself. Using solid wood means you won’t have to deal with the swelling that comes with using particle board. This is especially true when it comes to kitchen and bathroom cabinets where humidity may cause particle board to warp, ruining how easily your doors open and close.

Look to see if the frames are joined perfectly. If you’re working with a custom cabinet builder, ask how they connect the frame pieces. While screws are quick, they can cause the frame to wear down faster. Higher quality cabinets use joints, dowels and glue to make all the corners meet flush and stay together through constant use. Some even use custom mortise and tenon joints, which is a true sign of high-quality cabinets.

Solid Wood Door Fronts

When choosing quality cabinets, look for solid wood door fronts. Not only will this perfectly match the frame, but will extend the life of the door itself. Using particle board or other alternatives will cause the door to wear out much faster, especially if the door is near a sink. Plus, if you spill something on the wood, it’s easier to clean quickly without causing permanent damage.

Plywood Or Solid Wood Interiors

A common cost-saving measure in cheaper cabinets, especially pre-fabricated cabinets, is to use thin particle board for the interior panels. The shelves are typically a thicker particle board designed to withstand more weight. However, this material gives over time, leaving you with sags and dents within your cabinets.

If you want cabinets that support more weight for decades, look for plywood or solid wood interiors. While solid wood is the best option, you can save money and still get quality cabinets by opting for plywood interiors. These last well with normal use and still look great.

Supportive Drawers

How many times have you seen a drawer give under the weight of silverware or beauty supplies? Low-quality cabinets may only support 5-10 pounds before you have trouble opening them. The cheaper materials used for the interiors give easily and cause the drawer to warp when much weight is put inside it.

When choosing quality cabinets, look for plywood or solid wood interiors designed to support more weight. Some may even support 50 pounds or more. While you might not need that much support, it’s always best to have more support than you need. Plus, this makes them last longer and slide out smoother.

Smoothly Opening Doors And Drawers

Speaking of drawers that slide out easily, the best cabinets have doors and drawers that open with zero problems. While choosing quality cabinets won’t prevent an overstuffed drawer from getting stuck, the glides used on the drawers ensure they slide out with ease and don’t sag even when they’re filled. Without the right hardware, you’re going to be left trying to deal with sticky drawers or worse.

The same holds true with your doors. Not only does using solid wood make them stronger, but the hardware used to connect them should easily support the door itself without any wobbling. The hardware should also be strong enough to support baskets or hanging items weighing at least a few pounds or more without any trouble.

Warranties

Finally, when choosing quality cabinets, look for a warranty. For instance, at Edgewood Cabinetry, we provide a five-year warranty that protects against defects due to workmanship or the materials as long as it’s due to normal use. Quality cabinets are designed to stand the test of time and regular use. Without a warranty, this is showing you the maker doesn’t believe in the durability of the cabinet.

Ready to install quality cabinets in your home? Contact us today to learn more about our custom cabinetry services today.

Image: Randy Fath

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work directly with the builder

The Top 3 Benefits of Working Directly with a Custom Cabinet Manufacturer

If you are building a new kitchen or upgrading an existing one you will need to have new cabinets installed.

You can select to go through a contractor or designer who will work with the cabinet manufacturer on your behalf.  We believe it is better to work directly with the custom cabinet manufacturer however and want to provide you three reasons why.

More Likely to Get Exactly What You Envisioned

Imagine this scenario, you envision what you want your cabinets to look like and you communicate it to the contractor who then communicates it to the cabinet manufacturer.  Remember the game of ‘telephone’ you used to play as a child where one person would tell the next something and it would get passed down the line?  In the end it would come out a completely different word.  The same thing could potentially happen with your contractor.  Although the contractor has good intentions they may not completely understand or visualize what you are desiring and therefore may not communicate it properly to the cabinet manufacturer.  When the project is completed you may be disappointed with the results but at this point it is too late.  If you communicate directly with the cabinet manufacturer you are much more likely to be pleased with the final result.

Feedback is Possible During the Process

The custom cabinet manufacturer will have a consultation directly with you to find out what your specific needs are.  Any questions you have about the process are answered.  Information will be provided so you can make informed product decisions.  Measurements of the space will then be taken.  At this point you will meet again with the manufacturer where you will be presented the design options.  Based on your feedback the cabinet manufacturer will create a final design.  The cabinet manufacturer can provide you a visual design to show what your kitchen will look like when completed.  Details such as wall and floor colors and even pictures on the wall can be included so you can really envision what the final result would be.  The project will not start until you are completely satisfied with the design.  This means the final layout will be exactly what you approved and you know you will be happy.  There won’t be any unexpec ted surprises upon completion.

You Should be the Ultimate Decision Maker

By working directly with the the custom cabinet manufacturer you will be able to prioritize your design so your result fits in your budget.  The manufacturer can work with you to determine how many cabinets you need and what style you like.  In addition the wood species and finishes can be selected.  You will work directly with the manufacturer to determine which features are important to you.  Having a close relationship between the cabinet manufacturer and the customer is vital.  The customer should be the ultimate decision maker and will be if working directly with the cabinet manufacturer.

At Edgewood Cabinetry we prefer to work directly with the customer so we can ensure complete satisfaction with the final result.  Contact us for your cabinetry needs.

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