Choosing a decent kitchen cabinet isn’t child’s play, and nobody knows that better than Paul DeFeis, senior managing partner at Trade Mark Design & Build, based in Hawthorne New Jersey. With over 15 years’ experience in residential design, he is well-equipped to advise people about what to look for in a cabinet. Here, he spills all:
A lot more is going on than meets the eye when people choose kitchen cabinets. They think they’re comparing apples to apples, but that’s not the case. To make this point even clearer, I like to use the fast food outlet vs restaurant hamburger analogy.
Both are hamburgers but they are made from very different ingredients, which result in a very different end product. For example, quality ingredients go into the restaurant hamburger, top choice and so on. A fast food hamburger has less quality ingredients and the end result is a poor quality product.
Okay, in the end they’re both hamburgers. But the reason we use that analogy at Trade Mark Design & Build is because people to understand it’s still a hamburger - but with very different ingredients in each – and a very different taste. The same applies to cabinetry.
Different Grades of Wood
It starts with the wood type. There is Grade A wood, not Grade A wood. There are differences in plywood structure as far as how many layers there are, how many pounds of pressure were put on it, and what type of adhesives were put on it. All translates into what the end product will be.
Some homeowners, however, will have a difficult time distinguishing between the fast food hamburger cabinet and the restaurant hamburger cabinet. Some indicators are listed below. So ask the following questions when choosing a kitchen cabinet:
- Is it domestic or foreign plywood? Usually domestic is better.
- Are the fronts made from solid wood or are they veneers?
- What type of hardwood does the cabinet manufacturer use?
- What is the warranty? Believe it or not, warranties are usually a good indicator of how thorough the product has been made. The cheaper lines have one year or no warranty at all, whereas the higher quality lines often carry a lifetime guarantee.
- What type of finish is on the cabinet?
- What is the drawer box construction made from – and how is it made?
Homeowners should not stint on cabinet quality. You may think you’re saving money but in the long-term you are actually doing yourself – and your home – a disservice. Look at what the purpose you are investing in kitchen cabinets is. Are you doing over your kitchen short- term to turn your house over, or is it long-term for you enjoyment over several years, say five, seven or more? Then you will realize how good quality can benefit both your lifestyle and your wallet.
We usually ask people, if you buy cheap silverware, how many times have you replaced it? But you probably still have the quality set that was on your wedding registry. It’s a good way way to see how things can last over time. Unfortunately, however, people have a hard time understanding that, or justifying that sort of cost compared to a cheaper model. But later on it comes back to bite them.
