If you are planning to upgrade the value of your house by doing a remodeling or renovation of your kitchen, then investing in a good looking and high-quality kitchen cabinet is essential. However, it is vital to take note that not all good looking kitchen cabinets are of high quality.
It is also good to remember that the price does not even mean anything in terms of overall quality. There are a lot of factors that, as a homeowner, you should know about kitchen cabinets. Here are some of those factors.
Materials
To see if your chosen kitchen cabinets rta is of high quality, you should take a look at the materials it is made from. Usually, most of the high-quality kitchen cabinets that you can see in the market are made with Grade A plywood. Kitchen cabinets that are made of medium-density fiberboards and particle boards are not as durable as those that are made with Grade A plywood.
If you don’t know what plywood is, it is practically a type of wooden board that is created by gluing wood veneers together. Wood veneers are sheets of thin wood that are measured 3mm in thickness. It is well known to carry weight and is durable for cabinet use.
Soft Close Hinges
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One of the most critical and vulnerable aspects of kitchen cabinets is its hinges. To use a cabinet is to open and close it multiple times a day for storage purposes. With low-quality hinges, you can almost assure that sooner or later, the hinges will be loose or broken enough not to shut the door of your cabinet. The worst-case scenario would be it will be destroyed and will fall off, leaving your kitchen cabinet without a door.
If you are allowed to choose the type of hinges yourself, opt for a 6-way adjustable with a soft close feature for you to close the door more softly. Also, this type of hinge can be adjusted based on the seasonal changes that could expand or contract the door of your kitchen cabinet.
I-beams
I-beams are used to strengthen the upper section of your kitchen cabinets to ensure that they don’t break or collapse. This feature provides your kitchen cabinet the strength needed to keep the shape of your kitchen cabinet square both in delivery and installation. Adding this feature, however, can add a little bit of price to your kitchen cabinets.
However, if you are thinking of opting for alternatives, you can choose either triangular corner gussets and braces. The problem of these alternatives, however, is that they are usually stapled on the sides of your kitchen cabinets. Because of this, they don’t provide much strength as I-beams do. Also, they tend to get weaker over time. With constant exposure to moisture, braces and triangular corner gussets tend to warp or bend.
Slides
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The drawers that are installed in your kitchen cabinets tend to be the most overused. With constant pulling and pushing, and enduring long time exposure to varying weights, low-quality kitchen cabinets will not last a year or two.
To avoid this from happening, use slides that can support a lot of weight, as well as soft-close undermount steel guides to make the sliding much more comfortable and smoother. It also has a perk, which makes the slides noise-free even after years of use.
Cabinet Certification
To assure yourself that the kitchen cabinet that you are buying is safe and high quality, make sure that it is at least KMCA certified and CARB 2 compliant.
Kitchen cabinets that are KMCA certified means that they passed multiple durability tests that see if they can withstand at least sixty pounds of weight and more and swings that numbers twenty-five thousand. This is to make sure that the storage compartment of the kitchen cabinet can store heavy items, and the hinges and glides can endure an endless amount of swings.
Face Frames
The front of the cabinet should be composed of a solid hardwood frame that comes with durable door hinges and high-quality drawer glides. It is worth noting that kitchen cabinets can go without a frame, and the glides and hinges are directly stapled to the box sides.
However, this method of constructing kitchen cabinets is costly and comes with low durability and low strength to withstand long term usage. They also are different in appearance as well as the frame is quite apparent when you look at the kitchen cabinet from the front. It is highly recommended to choose a kitchen cabinet that has a frame as it can add to the kitchen cabinet’s overall quality and aesthetic.
Takeaway
One of the essential aspects of your beloved kitchen is your kitchen cabinets. They are also one of the most used as well, and so it is justified to choose a high-quality kitchen cabinet, albeit the price. Not only is it useful in your kitchen, but it could also add more efficiency to how you utilize your kitchen.
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