You can avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed when it comes time to select new kitchen cabinets by using these essential tips.
It does not matter how small or big a renovation is. When it comes to picking out your kitchen cabinets, you can feel overwhelmed. However, there are some essential tips that you can use that will help guide you when it comes time to make your selection.
1. Think about If you Need or Want to Customize
semi-custom or stock cabinets
Many people believe that because they have a weird wall size, they need to have custom cabinets. However, they may not know that custom cabinetry is quite expensive, has a long lead time, and the same look can be gotten by using semi-custom or stock cabinets.
Stock cabinets are often purchased in a predetermined style. Even though they are the least expensive to purchase, you must think about the material quality, as most times these cabinets are not made of solid wood.
Semi-custom cabinets are made to fit the needed sizes, but only in predetermined increments, such as getting a 20-inch cabinet instead of a 20 ½ inch cabinet. It is pretty common to use a spacer to fill unused space.
2. Picking a Cabinet/Door Combo that Works Functionally and Aesthetically for You.
There are many kitchens that you will find wall and base cabinets equipped with doors instead of drawers or open shelving. There are times when upper cabinets are used more for a display, while the base cabinets tend to hold most of the heavier storage like pans and pots and other dishes that may not look great on the shelf.
A modern feature for many base cabinets is now stopping the use of a swinging door, and the pull-out drawer option is used. It is more modern as most modern kitchens remove the upper cabinets entirely and go with an open, clean space that only uses base cabinets with a backsplash.
Related:
With the Modern styles In Kitchen Cabinets – Remodeling Can Be Fun!
3. Framing or Not
Another important choice is to determine if you want frameless or framed cabinets. A traditional look would use framed cabinets where the door will be attached to the front frame, and the hinges can be seen.
However, if you want to hide the hinges, then frameless is best. The natural choice between framed or frameless can affect the type of hardware, hinge, and cabinet door you can pick from.
4. Think About Added Costs for Extra Features
While many kitchens work fine with basic swinging doors, specialized drawer or door accessories can increase the cleanliness and functionality like a pull-out trash can or countertop compartments that hide small appliances.
As stated before, drawers in the base cabinets allow your pots and pans to be reached easier. Just keep in mind that the price can go up by 20% or higher because of the installation and hardware costs for specialized features.
5. Remember the Lighting
Whether you are updating your kitchen or designing a brand new one, lighting will play a significant role in your kitchen looks. One popular feature is integrated lighting.
Integrated lighting with cabinetry will vary from fixtures that will turn on when you open a drawer, which is great for those midnight snack sessions, or the more basic under the cabinet LEF lights that can be found at hardware stores be installed easily.