Choosing Cabinets And Countertops: To-Dos And Not-To-Dos

Choosing Cabinets And Countertops: To-Dos And Not-To-Dos

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February 7, 2017

Choosing cabinets and countertops can be intimidating if you don’t understand all your options.

That’s what the Edge showroom and Builder Supply Outlet are here for.

For now, we wanted to get you started by giving you some helpful tips for better understanding kitchen cabinets and countertops.

The array of cabinets and countertops can be mind-boggling, as there are so many styles and even sub-styles.

Here is some helpful information to help you plan your update.

KITCHEN CABINETS

Custom?  Semi-custom?  Frames?  Frameless?  Stock?

So many choices!

Let’s do a little digging to see if we can help you make some choices.

Framed Cabinets:  Perfectly suited for traditional kitchen styles.  They have a 1 1/2 inch frame, or “face,” at the front of the cabinet box.  The face is where the doors are hinged.

Frameless Cabinets:   Perfectly suited for contemporary designs.  They have a hidden frame, as well as offer greater accessibility to the contents of the cabinet.  In a frameless cabinet, the door is hinged on the inside of the box.  This makes the hinges almost unnoticeable.

Check out all our Edge kitchen cabinet and other brands by clicking here.  

We feature Shiloh, Aspect, Eclipse, WayPoint, MidContinent, Bertch, Fabuwood and Prior Creek cabinetry.    

After you decide if you’re going with a frame or frameless design, you must establish how you want your cabinets constructed.

Let’s look at some options…

Stock Cabinets:   These are the cabinets you find in big box stores.  Yes they’re cheap.  And there’s good reason — they are typically poor quality and include several measurement challenges.  They typically don’t fit well and fall apart with minimal usage.  Most people don’t want to hear this but it’s reality in the world of cabinetry.

Semi-custom Cabinets:  These cabinets come in a general style and only offer customization of the most basic finishes/sizes.  Semi-custom cabinets are considered a compromise in price and flexibility.  Still they present challenges as far as durability and sizing.

Custom Cabinets:  These cabinets are by far the best choice and the only ones that payoff in the long run in terms of retained beauty and durability.  They are customized and built from the ground up to meet your exact color, quality, and durability specifications.

Check out all our Edge kitchen cabinet and other brands by clicking here.  

We feature Shiloh, Aspect, Eclipse, WayPoint, MidContinent, Bertch, Fabuwood and Prior Creek cabinetry.    

Here are some other major considerations when choosing kitchen cabinets…

Drawer Slides:  Drawers supported by side-mounted slides are far stronger than ones with a single, bottom-mounted slide.

Hinges:  Your hinges need to be durable and adjustable.  Adaptable hinges allows you to perfectly align the frame and door (or overall box in the case of frameless cabinets).

Floating Panels:  Your cabinet’s panels (exposed sides and doors panels) must be floating (not glued) in a deep groove set in the cabinet’s frame.  The lack of adhesive allows the panels to expand and contract with temperature changes — thereby avoiding cracks or frame damage.  This is a must.

Check out all our Edge kitchen cabinet and other brands by clicking here.  

We feature Shiloh, Aspect, Eclipse, WayPoint, MidContinent, Bertch, Fabuwood and Prior Creek cabinetry.    

Ok now it’s time to discuss wood.

As a rule, try to avoid exotic or heavily design-oriented cabinets; unless this is your thing of course.  For typical homeowners, a mix of functionality and good looks is the best choice.

Now let’s touch on wood types at a very high level…

Maple:  Great choice for traditional and contemporary designs.

Cherry:  Mixes well with other woods and it’s very durable.

Oak:  Very durable and looks great in both dark or light finishes.

Pine:  Features a long, continuous grain — very rugged look.

Some people opt for high-pressure laminate and Thermofoil but we don’t recommend them.  Quality and durability must be at the forefront of your decision.

This just scratched the surface – which is why you need to schedule with an Edge kitchen/bath designer to help you design your kitchen cabinets correctly.  With the information you just learned, you’re already far ahead of most!  Great job!

To schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with one of our Edge showroom Kitchen/Bath Designers. please click here.

Ok let’s move on.

COUNTERTOPS

It seems that when the topic of countertops comes up, people always think granite.

There are many choices here and we recommend that you really think through them before purchasing.

Let’s go through the more popular choices…

Granite:  This type of natural stone countertop is durable and gorgeous.  So far it hasn’t gone out of style, but it’s become pretty common, so consider all your choices.  Good quality granite cannot be beat for countertops!

Marble:  Another great choice for beautiful, high-end countertops.  One caveat — marble is highly susceptible to stains, scratching and etching.

Quartz:  Cambria, Q Quartz and Silestone brands are our recommendation if you go Quartz.  Quartz is manufactured — not a natural stone.  It’s the typical alternative to marble and granite.  While quartz is still pricey, it doesn’t require sealing or constant maintenance.  It’s also very durable and becoming very popular.

Laminate:  There’s huge amount of attractive laminate options.  They look like many of the higher end countertops but are lacking in quality and long term durability.

Butcher Block:  Great value but not the best looking countertops — not scratch-resistant — and require ongoing maintenance.

Solid Surface:  They look fine but not the highest of quality.  The worst part is that they scratch super easy.  Not the ideal choice for countertops used for cooking.

Stainless Steel:  This is a great option for the serious cook.  It’s pretty much indestructible.  At the same time, smears and scratches are pretty hard to avoid.  Stainless steel shows all dirt or grime.  Still a great choice for serious cooks!

Check out all our Edge kitchen cabinet, countertop and other brands by clicking here.  

We feature Cambria, Q Quartz and Silestone countertops.    

Again, we’ve just started the journey here.  Schedule time to meet with an Edge kitchen/bath designer to help you design your kitchen cabinets correctly.

To schedule a FREE CONSULTATION with one of our Edge showroom Kitchen/Bath Designers. please click here.