Choosing new cabinets can be a significant expense when remodeling and can take up to 40% of your kitchen remodeling budget. They set the design style for your kitchen and you will have them for years. No pressure, right?
With such money and design demands, the current trend is rather conservative. Timeless and the most popular are white kitchen cabinets. The main trend goes for simpler, streamlined cabinet styles. Flat panel handleless kitchen cabinets and kitchen cabinets with integrated handles are getting more popular than traditional shaker-style cabinets.
Use this buying guide to help you choose. However, please remember that beauty is in the eye of the beholder
Shopping Tips: What’s in Store for You
A little research beforehand can save you time and money. Check the manufacturer’s or retailer’s website, visit a few kitchen studios or showrooms, and hire a kitchen designer. Knowing where to look can help you distinguish a quality closet from a sophisticated hypocrite. Trust your taste. Plus, your kitchen should complement the rest of your home, so choose what you like.
Consider Your Budget
There are three types of cabinets: Stock, semi-custom, and custom. (See the head-to-head comparison below.) “In-stock” cabinets are sometimes sold pre-assembled at home centers, but IKEA, BauBasic, and other stores sell versions that require assembly. increase. “In-stock” cabinets are usually limited in colors and styles. Semi-custom cabinets offer more style options and configurations, allowing for more precise customization to fit your kitchen. Custom cabinets are the most expensive option, but can include many additional features of your choice and, of course, exact specifications.
Pick a Style
What would be your kitchen style? Elle Décor is differencing 50 kitchen styles: from Country chic and Rustic Fashion to Contemporary Sleek and Modern Eclectic kitchens. Try to consider the architecture of the house – your kitchen will become a significant part of the house; therefore, it should organically accomplish the overall interior design. Also, consider your lifestyle: do you need your kitchen mainly for food preparation or guest entertaining? How big is your family? What kind of food do you usually cook? How much storage do you need? All these factors will influence your kitchen layout which eventually will influence the style.
Inspect the Construction
In the former times, dovetail wooden drawers were the best option, but now most of the good quality kitchen manufacturers upgraded their production and used metal drawer boxes. Blum is the best manufacturer of cabinet drawers. Although most of the metal drawers come from Blum or Gras, they are not equal. Some cabinet manufacturers, in order to save money, use more affordable options which hold only the minimum weight. Always check the specification of the drawer box because this feature will either make you love your kitchen for a lifetime or give you headaches. The minimum weight should be 60 lb. Everything above this weight is good quality.
Focus on Features
They can cost 20% or more, but they come with useful features like pull-out bins and built-in charging stations. A lift cabinet that goes up and down provides easy access to stand mixers and food processors, and at the same time allows you to keep those appliances hidden and the kitchen clean when they are not in use. Lazy Susans and Kidney-shaped corner swivel shelves will allow better access and more convenient storage. Wall cabinets with lift-up doors can be upgraded with a Servo drive automatic electrical push-to-open feature – besides the “cool” factor, this feature also allows handleless access to the cabinet when both hands are busy.
Kitchen Cabinets for Every Budget
Cabinets can vary greatly in price. Here’s an overview of the three types of cabinets you’ll find in stores across a wide range of price points. Keep in mind that a typical kitchen has 25-30 feet of cabinets.
Budget Cabinets
Often called stock, these are cheap off-the-shelf cabinets. Some come fully assembled, while others require on-site assembly. Many use frameless designs where the door has no rim or no “exposure” around the door.
Pros:
It saves you money if you’re not picky about style options or demanding the perfect fit. Some brands offer better drawer construction, solid wood doors, and other once-expensive features. We have found several basic models that perform well.
Cons:
Style and fitment options, sizes, and accessories are limited. It takes over an hour to assemble each set of base and wall cabinets.
Cost:
Starting at $130 per foot.
Mid-Level Cabinets
These semi-custom models are suitable for most kitchens. Most of the cabinets will be used in the standard sizes but there is a possibility to customize a few boxes to make this kitchen “truly yours” They often use fully extendable full metal drawer box. Large selection of door fronts is available.
Pros:
There are many bespoke custom options available for mid-level models, including sizes, materials, finishes, elaborate crown moldings and other trims, and accessories such as range hood covers. This makes it the cheapest option overall.
Cons:
As with basic cabinets, features and quality vary widely. The lead time for the custom items and door fronts might be the same or even greater than for custom kitchens.
Cost:
Starting at $200 per foot.
Premium Cabinet
Custom cabinets provide you with the best quality cabinets and at the same time a personal customized selection of materials, door fronts, cabinet styles, hardware, and so on. Although this option would be the most expensive, this would definitely benefit you more in the long run. Always choose a large reliable company with a solid reputation and expensive machinery. The kitchen, your “contractor’s friend” cut on the job site from the plywood sheet out of HomeDepot, cannot be considered a “premium custom kitchen”
Pros:
Custom kitchen cabinets will be built according to your special order and your design with the selected features fit to your lifestyle, cooking habits, storage preferences and design aesthetic.
Cons:
The cost of the custom cabinets is usually higher than semi-custom or “in-stock” options. The production lead time might be also longer, therefore plan your kitchen in advance.
Cost:
From $500 per foot.
