Test Backsplash Buying Guide

Bring your kitchen to life with new cabinetry. In addition to offering storage, cabinets can enhance your kitchen's décor while improving your kitchen's functionality. While cabinets add value to your home, they can account for more than one third of a kitchen remodel making your cabinetry choice an important decision. At first, picking out your cabinets might seem intimidating considering the large selection of styles, types, materials, and accessories from which to choose. This buying guide has been written with you in mind. Blending your personal style alongside your storage needs is possible. Read on to discover the many choices that are available to you.

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Before You Buy

Because cabinetry is such an integral part of any kitchen, you will want to take some basic steps now. These steps will make the buying process easier to ensure you get exactly what you need and want.

Determine your budget. If your budget is small, don't despair. Cabinets have quite a range in prices allowing those with limited budgets an opportunity to buy.
Investigate the cabinet styles and designs available to help you decide which kinds you like.
Come visit our kitchen planners in-store. They have tools at their disposal to design, plan, and visualize your kitchen with realistic 3D software.
And most importantly, don't forget that cabinets can be built to meet your requirements. There are options available for specialty cabinets that can be designed to fit your specific situation.

To Customize or Not to Customize

In the world of cabinetry, you have three possibilities: in-stock, semi-custom, or custom. With the more customization that goes into your cabinets, you will see the price increase. If you're unsure about these options, see a kitchen associate. They can help you decide which cabinets best suit your needs.

In-stock cabinets are for customers who want to grab their cabinets right off the shelf and get going. These stock cabinets come in standardized sizes, shapes, and colours. Since the cabinet dimensions are not based on your kitchen, space-wasting fillers may be required to make the cabinets fit. Typically, these cabinets have a good, durable finish and are very affordable for remodelers on a budget.
For those who are flexible, semi-custom cabinetry may be the way to go. These cabinets offer more features than stock cabinetry with less lead time than custom. You are able to choose from certain styles and sizes, making your decision a bit easier.
Lastly, there are the most specialized of the cabinets, custom. Custom cabinetry can be built from scratch to match any colour, to fit any size, and to complement any style your heart desires. Due to their level of customization, these cabinets are the most expensive and have extended lead times depending on the supplier.

Door Materials

Whether you prefer the timeless, classic look of wood or you prefer the simplicity of laminate, you will get cabinet doors that are great looking and durable. There are three main door materials from which to choose: PVC (polyvinyl chloride), wooden frame with veneer panels, or solid wood.

With PVC doors, you can be sure to get a sturdy, attractive finish. Lower maintenance than wooden doors, your cabinets may have a sleek surface that resembles a painted finish. Most PVC doors aren't painted, but rather the door is MDF (medium density fibreboard) covered in PVC plastic. PVC doesn't yellow, scratch easily, or warp; however, the colour will change if exposed to excessive heat or certain environmental conditions such as tobacco smoke.
Veneer panels are another option that will give the look of wood at a more affordable price. Less likely to warp than solid wood doors, there are fewer stain options available than in solid wood. Also, it is worth mentioning that veneer wood absorbs more stain than solid wood and will show more colour variation than solid wood doors.
Your final option is solid wood. There are many styles and stains available, and refinishing is possible. If exposed to temperature changes, the wood can warp as it expands and contracts. After this process, painted doors may appear cracked even though the wood really hasn't cracked. Exposure to UV rays and light, as well as aging, may alter your cabinet's colour.

Choose Your Wood Species

There are 5 commonly used wood species in the construction of cabinet doors: maple, birch, cherry, oak, and hickory. Each type of wood features naturally occurring variations that give your cabinets that one of a kind look.

Maple

Strong and tough, maple has a consistent grain to create a smooth, clean appearance. In this medium to hard wood, you will notice small, dark spots alongside fine lines and wavy or curly graining. Due to its lightness in colour, maple can be finished to look like more expensive woods like cherry.

Birch

Mostly a light coloured wood, the shades of birch vary from light yellow to cream; however, birch from the centre of the tree can appear reddish brown. The end result is a unique colour variation in the cabinet doors. This fine grained wood features a curly or wavy pattern and has a smooth, even textured surface that make it perfect for painting and staining. Lastly, birch is strong, resilient, and has a high resistance to abrasion.

Cherry

Well known for its distinctive reddish-brown colour, cherry will mellow and deepen as it matures. Mineral streaks and pin knots are common characteristics that work well alongside cherry's curly graining. Since cherry is a top of the line hardwood, it commands an expensive price.

Oak

Available in both white and red varieties, oak is strong with distinct graining. The grain varies from straight to a sweeping arch pattern, and it can include fine lines, pin stripes, and broad, leafy grains. When it comes to staining, oak looks best in standard finishing colours.

Hickory

This strong, hard, and heavy wood ranges in colour from almost black to reddish brown to light cream. It features close grains that flow alongside mineral streaks and burls. With the even texture of hickory, finishing is a breeze.

Maple

Strong and tough, maple has a consistent grain to create a smooth, clean appearance. In this medium to hard wood, you will notice small, dark spots alongside fine lines and wavy or curly graining. Due to its lightness in colour, maple can be finished to look like more expensive woods like cherry.See more

Birch

Mostly a light coloured wood, the shades of birch vary from light yellow to cream; however, birch from the centre of the tree can appear reddish brown. The end result is a unique colour variation in the cabinet doors. This fine grained wood features a curly or wavy pattern and has a smooth, even textured surface that make it perfect for painting and staining. Lastly, birch is strong, resilient, and has a high resistance to abrasion.See more

Cherry

Well known for its distinctive reddish-brown colour, cherry will mellow and deepen as it matures. Mineral streaks and pin knots are common characteristics that work well alongside cherry's curly graining. Since cherry is a top of the line hardwood, it commands an expensive price.See more

Oak

Available in both white and red varieties, oak is strong with distinct graining. The grain varies from straight to a sweeping arch pattern, and it can include fine lines, pin stripes, and broad, leafy grains. When it comes to staining, oak looks best in standard finishing colours.See more

Hickory

This strong, hard, and heavy wood ranges in colour from almost black to reddish brown to light cream. It features close grains that flow alongside mineral streaks and burls. With the even texture of hickory, finishing is a breeze.See more

Construction

There are many construction styles in cabinets today. We have broken them down into two main types: framed and frameless.

Framed

For a more traditional look, choose framed cabinetry. It is designed with 1/2" of door overlay in mind, and leaves 2" of the cabinet frame visible. This frame is masked with 1" x 2" hardwood to add extra strength. This will ensure the attached hinges stay firmly in place.

Since the hardwood makes the face frame sturdier, these cabinets don't always include a top panel or a full back. They will always include the essential base though. One of the drawbacks to choosing framed cabinetry is that the frame can get in the way narrowing the opening size for drawers and doors.

Frameless

Also known as European style, frameless cabinets offer a more contemporary feeling. They have a full overlay to conceal the cabinet frame around each door to create a seamless appearance. With frameless, there are finished panels on each side that are edged with a narrow laminate strip.

This strip includes approximately 32 predrilled holes to allow for simple fastening of hinges, shelf pins, slides, and additional hardware. One of the best features of frameless is that there is no frame obstructing your storage space, so you can access your drawers and doors easily.

Framed: For a more traditional look, choose framed cabinetry. It is designed with 1/2" of door overlay in mind, and leaves 2" of the cabinet frame visible. This frame is masked with 1" x 2" hardwood to add extra strength. This will ensure the attached hinges stay firmly in place.

Since the hardwood makes the face frame sturdier, these cabinets don't always include a top panel or a full back. They will always include the essential base though. One of the drawbacks to choosing framed cabinetry is that the frame can get in the way narrowing the opening size for drawers and doors.See more
Frameless: Also known as European style, frameless cabinets offer a more contemporary feeling. They have a full overlay to conceal the cabinet frame around each door to create a seamless appearance. With frameless, there are finished panels on each side that are edged with a narrow laminate strip.

This strip includes approximately 32 predrilled holes to allow for simple fastening of hinges, shelf pins, slides, and additional hardware. One of the best features of frameless is that there is no frame obstructing your storage space, so you can access your drawers and doors easily.See more

Finishing Touches

Personalize and improve upon your cabinets design with functional accessories. There are three kinds of fittings you can use to give your cabinets the perfect finishing touches: moulding, hardware, and cabinet solutions.

By installing decorative mouldings, you can make sure your cabinets look complete. With base, crown, and edge mouldings, your cabinetry will have beautiful, architectural details. And, if you install moulding at the tops of your cabinets, you can ensure dust does not settle there.

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Cabinet hardware is an essential accessory that ranges from pulls, knobs, hinges, and more. Stylish yet functional, it is available in a variety of designs to suit any taste.

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The broad term cabinet solutions can be used to describe any product that enhances your kitchen experience. Smart stop mechanisms control door and drawer closing so they glide gently back in place. Kitchen clutter is managed through storage trays, racks, and garbage cans that roll in and out of the cupboard for easy access. Organization is added to your kitchen through accessories such as cutlery dividers, rollout trays, and cabinet spice racks. With all of these options available, your kitchen can be as functional and as organized as you would like.

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