Kitchen Cabinet Materials That Contractors Love

Solid cabinetry is one of the essential components of a functional and beautiful kitchen. Ask any local cabinet maker and you’ll learn that some cabinet materials are favored more than others. 

Quality, durability, and versatility play a huge part in how craftsmen choose the best materials for kitchen cabinets. And if you’re wondering which materials to purchase for your kitchen construction or remodeling project, we’ve got you covered. Here are some cabinet materials that contractors love. 

Original Hardwood. Known for its durability and classic appeal, solid hardwood exudes luxury. Some of the most commonly used hardwoods for kitchen cabinets includes cherry, oak, maple, walnut, and birch. These high-end wood materials are typically available in semi-custom and custom kitchen cabinetry options. Each type of wood has its different color variations and natural textures — which you can custom cut and finish to get the aesthetics that you want (e.g. Rustic, contemporary). 

Natural Softwood. If you want your kitchen to have a farm- or country-style appeal, softwood cabinet materials are the way to go. Popular choices are pine, cedar, and spruce — which are lighter or paler in color compared with traditional hardwoods. Keep in mind that their softer surface makes them more vulnerable to dents and moisture. 

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Made of pressurized fibers from recycled wood, MDF board is a good choice if you’re looking for a cabinet material that can withstand peeling and cracking. Most often MDF is used as an inside cabinet material, where natural first cut wood doors are used to finish the cabinet. Because MDF is easy to paint over, it gives property owners that much-needed versatility when it comes to aesthetics. 

Cabinet-grade Plywood. Many local cabinet makers prefer plywood because it’s economical and highly resistant to moisture. Compared to MDF, it also has greater stability, thanks to its composition: each layer or board is glued sandwich-style using a special adhesive. 

Stainless steel. Giving a more modern or commercial appeal to your kitchen, stainless steel is a material that comes in ready-to-assemble or semi-custom options. They’re mostly used in commercial settings because of their high resistance to moisture. The downside is that it won't give you the certain warm, homey aesthetic appeal that wood materials evoke. 

What Are The Different Cabinet Quality Grades

There are various options if you’re looking for the best materials for kitchen cabinets. But apart from picking which type of material you’ll use for your dream kitchen; you should also decide which quality grade you will utilize. 

The four main categories are Ready-to-assemble (RTA), stock, semi-custom, and custom.

RTA cabinets, as the name implies, are designed for DIY kitchen improvement projects. Available in a variety of styles and sizes, these can be assembled and installed even without the help of professionals. 

Stock cabinets, on the other hand, are already constructed from modular units and arrive at your home pre-sized. Compared to RTAs, they’re available in a wider variety. However, keep in mind that sizes are already fixed, so you can’t alter them to fit into your available space without some carpentry skills. 

If you’re looking for more variety and something that can be modified, semi-custom kitchen cabinets are for you. Semi-customs don’t just allow size adjustments once the order has been placed but are often better made by skilled cabinet makers. 

Custom made kitchen cabinets are the superior choice among the four categories but also the priciest. Custom cabinet makers will customize your cabinets including your preferred material, style, finishing, plus, accessories. 

It is hard to find local kitchen cabinet makers today. Many of the custom cabinet makers in New Jersey got gobbled up by larger cabinet manufacturers. The best place to buy kitchen cabinets today are through a kitchen designer that has those relationships already established.

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Custom Made Kitchen Cabinets Make the Difference

 

Style and layout are crucial factors in any kitchen. But to truly achieve a functional kitchen that fits your demands and preferences, investing in custom made kitchen cabinets is highly recommended. Compared with their mass-produced counterparts, these storage solutions are designed and built according to your specifications and other set parameters.

We’re giving you the best ways how these cabinets can make the difference and help you achieve your dream kitchen.

They allow you to maximize your space. One of the best things about customized kitchen cabinets is that they’re built to fit the space you have. No matter what size or shape your kitchen is — and no matter how much storage space you’d need for all your kitchen stuff — cabinet makers can deliver a final output that can help you maximize every space you have.

They provide endless possibilities, aesthetics-wise. Apart from helping you create a kitchen that works best for your needs, custom made cabinets also give you the liberty to choose the colors and other style elements you want. Seeking an industrial appeal? How about a grand French Country style look? Because cabinets are a highly visible component of the kitchen, designing them to your liking can help you achieve the overall look you want for your kitchen.

They make your kitchen more personal. Do you have a special affinity for specialty wood work, crown molding and embellishments? Do you want to make a certain storage space more functional to accommodate your baking equipment or smaller kitchen appliances? If there’s any detail or unique modification you want to add, custom cabinet makers can turn your ideas into a reality.

They offer a higher quality of craftsmanship. Cabinetry professionals allot time and effort to create custom kitchen cabinet design that will surely satisfy their clients. And this is why tailored-fit cabinets generally have a higher level of craftsmanship than what you typically see in showrooms.

They are built to last. In consonance with having a higher quality of craftsmanship, painted kitchen cabinets are very in these days. A custom cabinet maker can utilize specialty hard woods and materials you just can’t find in the big box stores. Consider it as sort of an investment to a work of art that can last a lifetime.

Speaking of having the freedom to choose your cabinet materials, customized cabinets also allow you to uphold your commitment to living a more sustainable life. If you want a more eco-friendly kitchen design, we recommend hiring a kitchen designer in Hunterdon County NJ we love for your dream kitchen, and she will work closely with the cabinet maker that can help you get access to materials, like renewable, reclaimed woods that have a low carbon footprint.

Compared with stock cabinetry, custom kitchen cabinets give you the opportunity to truly showcase your personality. And because kitchens are a focal point of the majority of homes in the country, it’s also a great way to make a statement — something that can make your residential space more unique and special.

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Custom Kitchen Cabinet Ideas for The Younger Homeowner

At 25 years old, my daughter and her husband bought their first home knowing there was going to be a little remodeling required in the years to come. The kitchen was one of those areas that needed to be redesigned to their liking. It is not uncommon for younger homeowners to invest in their starter home knowing they were destined to more up within ten years or so.

After taking some measurements of the wall space and appliances currently in their kitchen, they visited Lowes and Home Depot to check out some kitchen cabinetry. What they discovered was that standard sizes of kitchen cabinetry sold in those big box stores was not going to work for their current kitchen arrangement. But they did get a feel for the current trends and got some ideas of what they liked and didn’t like.

Here are a few of the latest trends in kitchen cabinetry:

1. Open shelving 

They liked the idea of some open shelving. A combination of closed under the counter kitchen cabinets plus 4-6 open shelves strategically placed is not an uncommon arrangement. There are plenty of advantages to having open kitchen shelving. Open shelving allows this couple to display wine glasses, pitchers and plates. They got some nice wedding shower gifts and thought they might as well show these off. The convenience of open kitchen shelves was also very appealing.

Most of the younger homeowners we have met tend to be minimalists and seek out kitchen cabinet styles that are sleek, clean, and without the finer woodwork found in more traditional kitchens.

2. Playful colors 

Customizing the color and surface pattern of your cabinets is an effective way to brighten up a kitchen design for younger couples. You can work with a local kitchen cabinet maker to create the sleek kitchen cabinets that appeal to younger homeowners. Older homeowners often choose neutral colors such as grey, yellow, and various forms of green. The younger homeowners tend to be more courageous with splashes of yellows and read. If you want a light atmosphere in your kitchen, then we recommend a combination of colors that include a few bursts of color. 

3. Honey Oak Kitchen Cabinets

Oak wood has been the staple for kitchen cabinetry for all generations. We has seen a departure to use hickory and pine during the 1990’s but most local kitchen cabinet makers have returned to using oak in recent years. Not all oak cabinets are the same. You can choose a modern simplistic look or a more traditional rustic kitchen look by using lighter color stains and clear urethanes. The great advantage of oak wood for kitchen cabinet design is its durability and availability. The material lasts a long time and is slower to show signs of wear and tear. It is also quite beautiful. If well designed, your oak wood kitchen cabinets can make your kitchen radiate with elegance. 

Redesigning your kitchen is a serious undertaking. If you are a younger homeowner planning for a family, you may want your kitchen to be child friendly and easy to clean. But most younger couples like to entertain in their homes as well. The modern kitchen design photo gallery shows off some sleek cabinetry designs and open shelving is what many younger homeowners appreciate.

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Upgrading Your Kitchen Cabinets Will Rejuvenate Your Entire Home

Why do people instinctively gravitate to the kitchen when visiting friends and family?  As if it is baked into our DNA, most homeowners lead their guests into the kitchen, do you? Is your kitchen presentable? When renovating a home, the kitchen is often the key focus for most people.

Upgrading Cabinets Can Transform a Kitchen 

Great looking kitchen cabinets add value to a home. The actual styles of cabinetry vary greatly, and it is wise to not rush into these decisions. Ideally, consider hiring a kitchen design expert to help you create the atmosphere that takes full advantage of your kitchen’s personality and matches your lifestyle. This kitchen design photo galley breaks the styles down to three basic categories.

1. Modern Kitchen Designs
2. Traditional Kitchen Designs
3. Transitional Kitchen Designs

Within in each you will find several sub categories but for this post we will keep to these 3 basic categories.

There’s Quite a Few Ways To Determine Your Style 

Stripped to its essentials, your kitchen style should usually be bright and airy. However, there are many ways to achieve this, and your choices will dramatically impact the results.

Wood veneers used on cabinetry suggests a modern feel that is very trendy today. Smooth sleek lines, hidden hardware depict modern kitchen cabinetry for minimalists and aging hipsters. The more traditional style of natural wood grain, contoured woodwork and polished metal hardware are considered very classical. Be sure you buy the highest-quality custom made cabinetry. Most people are very savvy today and can recognize the cheap stuff with a glance. With either style, the right materials are essential and skilled installation to ensure a nice fit are important.

Lacquered cabinets offer a high-gloss and a very glossy finish but can be hard to clean and maintain. If you’re careful with cleaning and the lacquer is applied correctly, this finish can really lighten up a kitchen. White painted kitchen cabinets are still trending right now and we don’t see that “mister Clean” style ending any time soon.

Stainless steel is sleek and modern and is even being used successfully in traditional kitchen styles. Most contemporary designs use at least some stainless steel and professional decorators often recommend it as the central theme for high end effects.

Two new trends are natural materials for walls like bamboo and cork. Brick, stone, wood and various cloths weaves are being used for warm traditional looks. A custom kitchen design company  can help introduce you to unique designs, and cabinetry with modern styles create a cutting-edge feel to the room. Brass, copper and iron are also making a comeback for a slightly warmer look than steel.

Ideally, do your research and have some ideas to discuss with your professional interior designer before contacting them. There are so many options that matching them to your needs can be bewildering, but at least you can get a feel for what’s trending. Ultimately, they will be able to advise you regarding the best contractors to hire.

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Contrast Is the Hottest Trend in High-End Kitchen Remodels

In most parts of the country, housing markets are booming. Smart homeowners realize they can use the equity in their houses to improve the overall value of their residential investment. Of course, few renovations are more advantageous than a kitchen remodel. If you are planning to renovate your home’s nerve center, you should think about contrasting colors when planning your new kitchen design. Here are four reasons contrast is the hottest trend in high-end kitchen remodels.

1. Contrast Is Different

Not many things are more frustrating than spending $50,000 or more on a kitchen renovation only to realize your new space looks like the builder-grade project a friend or neighbor already has. Even if you choose expensive appliances, countertops and finishes, your kitchen may not stand out without something more. Contrasting the colors found in your cabinet’s finish and the colors in your countertops is an excellent way to avoid that just-built, mass-produced look that is common in many homes.

2. Paint Is In

Wooden cabinets will probably always have a place in kitchens. Nonetheless, too much wood can appear dark, heavy and dated. By combining painted kitchen cabinets with wooden furniture, you can give your space a more stylish vibe. Try installing painted lower cabinets and wooden upper cabinets or vice versa to achieve a magazine-ready look. If you are married to the idea of having only wooden cabinets, try painting an island or banquette to achieve the contrast you are looking for.

3.Stone Is Hard To Match

With the elegant appearance and resilient surface of polished stone, marble, granite and even manufactured stone countertops have a place in any renovated kitchen. When looking through stone countertop styles, though, you probably notice that most types are varied and colorful. Matching natural variations is often impossible. When you add some contrast to your kitchen, you don’t have to worry about whether your stone countertops and cabinets match. On the contrary, the more the surfaces don’t match, the more modern your new kitchen looks.

4. Buyers Love It

If you want to list your house for sale, you should consider the real estate competition in your neighborhood. When buyers walk through your house, you want them to be wowed when compared to similar homes. A custom designed kitchen in Princeton NJ that looks and feels customized, will help potential buyers do a double-take when they see your home. If you do it right, don’t be surprised if you receive multiple offers from interested buyers.

Remodeling your home with custom kitchen cabinets is one of the smartest investments you can make. By adding some contrast to your painted kitchen cabinets and the stone countertop style you select, you take advantage of the hottest trend in high-end kitchen remodels. Remember, with a bit of contrast, you can likely create the kitchen of your dreams.

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White Kitchen Cabinets Are Still Trendy

For homeowner’s looking to increase resale value, remodeling a kitchen makes sense. Still, swapping out old appliances, bad cabinets, and worn flooring requires a huge commitment. Unless you are planning to put your house on the market for sale immediately, you must live with the design choices you make. How are you to choose which cabinets to use? For virtually any space, white kitchen cabinets designed to fit your décor are still trendy. Here are a few reasons you can’t go wrong when you install white kitchen cabinetry.

Increase Visual Space

In many homes, kitchens seem dark and uninviting. When you look at most designer kitchen designs, by contrast, each room appears larger and brighter than they actually are. There is a reason designer kitchens look so great. In those rooms, white cabinets increase the perception of the visual space of the area. Since your eye doesn’t get caught up looking at dark wood or shadows, it focuses on other design elements in the room.

Promote Cleanliness

Whether you are a neat freak or not, you want your kitchen to look and feel clean. Since white is the color of cleanliness, white kitchen cabinets designed to fit help give your food preparation space a sanitary feel. Despite scrubbing, darker stained wood cabinets can often seem dull. Don’t let your guests think your kitchen is unclean. Instead, choose white cabinets to set a tidy tone for your home’s nerve center.

Complement Other Elements

If you’ve found the perfect slab of granite or the right refrigerator for your new kitchen, you may be concerned about cabinets clashing. That’s for good reason. If you choose too many bold elements for your new room, you risk getting a kitchen that looks busy and cluttered. When you opt for white cabinets, you can complement other design elements much better. Rather than having cabinets that contrast greatly with flooring, countertops, appliances, and other things, choose white and remove some of the clutter from your remodeled kitchen.

Invest in the Future

With a fresh coat of paint, white kitchen cabinets don’t show their age like other types of cabinets. Whether you plan to sell your house soon or own it forever, you can be certain your designer kitchen designs that include white cabinets will retain their designer, high-end look. Even better, if you decide to change design elements in the future, you will find that your white cabinets will be much more flexible with your new décor.

If you are considering remodeling your kitchen, you don’t have to be afraid of design commitments. By working with the right kitchen designer in Hamilton, NJ, invite the designer to suggest a few options of white kitchen cabinet designs. Two great minds work better than one.

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Wood Cabinets That Won’t Break the Bank

For home improvement projects in the kitchen, updating cabinets can be as simple as switching out the doors and staining or repainting the cupboards, or as big a task as totally replacing all the kitchen cabinetry. The type and style of cabinets you choose mainly depends on the size of your kitchen, the appliances and your individual preferences for customization.

Know the Common Wood Materials

It is important to understand the various types of wood used to make cabinets and how much is composite material vs solid wood. Here are some of the composite materials used in cabinet making.

• Plywood. Many thin layers of wood glued together and the sturdiest option
• MDF. Sheets made from finer wood bits, a good middle option that resists warping and is budget friendly
• Particleboard. Made of compressed wood scraps and is the least-sturdiest choice

You will find many affordable cabinets combine composite material with real wood doors.

Pick Semi-Custom Cabinets Over Custom

Custom solid wood cabinets are the most expensive choice because they are built specifically to match the style and size of your kitchen. For bigger renovations, consider choosing cabinets that are semi-custom for a look that won’t break the bank and is unique to your kitchen. Semi-custom wood cabinets come in an extensive variety of styles and can be ordered in your particular choice of wood and dimensions. They also provide you the opportunity to select hardwood door fronts and drawers with a strong dovetail construction.

Think About Style

The door style you pick will define the appearance of your finished kitchen considerably. Many homes are built with standard doors that have either an arched panel design or rectangular panels. If you want a more contemporary look, consider choosing aluminum frame doors with frosted glass inserts. Many kitchen cabinets feature doors with a standard overlay, exposing the cabinet frame in the background because the door edges are not flush. Another strategy for updating your cabinets is consulting with a kitchen cabinets designer for ideas unique to your home. Most kitchen designers in central Jersey we have consulted with were very knowledgeable about wood types and finishes.

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Functional Kitchens Consider Use and Efficiency

It has been said that the home is where the heart is. If that is true, then the heart beats in the kitchen. This area is a common family gathering area, so it should be as functional and user friendly as possible. Functional kitchens are a top trend in 2016, and for good reason.

Ease of Use

As you move around your kitchen, you get used to it and develop your own flow. However, with a few adjustments, you can enhance that flow and be able to move around quicker and easier. Incorporating convenient space tools, such as hanging storage, or building additional drawers into the island in your kitchen can help you to access commonly used items with ease.

Visual Aesthetics

Creating functionality within your space does not have to cause an eyesore. Small additions can make a big difference, such as:

• Having your appliances and cabinets the same color, or within the same color palette
• Fittingappliances nestled amongst cabinetry with a covering similar to the cabinets (i.e., cover the dishwasher with a cabinet door)
• House appliances within the cabinets when not in use to decrease clutter

Create More Space

Functional kitchen cabinets can clearly be quite useful. Look for ways to incorporate cabinetry or expand upon the cabinetry that you have. If you have any false drawers or cupboards, install real ones if possible. If the cabinet is narrow, consider installing a carousel drawer to expand the space. This could be used for smaller appliances, utensils or spices. You can also consider adding more storage in your kitchen island design, if you are remodeling.

Energy Efficiency

Conserving energy not only helps to protect your pockets in the form of smaller bills, but also helps the environment, making energy efficient appliances a quality investment. There are a few different options that you can incorporate to enhance the energy efficiency of your home:

• Induction cooktops and other energy efficient appliances
• Motion-sensor lighting in commonly used drawers and cabinets
• LED lights and energy efficient light fixtures

Along with the above mentioned options, there are other things that you can do in the kitchen as well as around the house to increase your energy efficiency. For instance, simply unplugging appliances when not in use can save a large amount of energy and significantly decrease your bills.

These simple enhancements can truly make a difference in your personal space. Incorporating functional kitchen cabinets, a trendy kitchen island design, and energy efficiency is best handled by kitchen designers in Hamilton NJ or near you to get involved in the planning process. Your remodel will not only help you to stay trendy, but will also increase the utility of your kitchen.

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