3 Features To Look For When Buying Kitchen Cabinets
Many kitchen remodeling projects call for the replacement of existing cabinets. New cabinets can improve both the aesthetic and function of your kitchen space. Choosing the right cabinets can also help enhance the overall value of your home.
You must take the time to carefully evaluate your options when buying new cabinets. Look for the following three features to ensure you are investing in cabinets that will be an asset in your kitchen for years to come.
1. All Plywood Construction
Often, kitchen cabinets are constructed using plywood. The door, the sides, and the back of the cabinets are all made from plywood. Sometimes cabinets will be constructed with a plywood door, but a particleboard box.
An all-plywood design allows cabinets to maintain their durability over time. The strength of the plywood helps cabinets support the weight of your countertops and dishes. Plywood will also repel moisture, while particleboard can absorb moisture and start to crumble over time.
Be sure that you buy cabinets with an all-plywood construction for your remodeled kitchen.
2. Soft-Close Hinges
Quality hinges are essential when it comes to investing in kitchen cabinets. It can be beneficial to ensure your new cabinets are equipped with soft-close hinges. These unique hinges feature a damper that helps slow the motion of a cabinet door as it closes.
It's virtually impossible to slam a cabinet door fitted with soft-close hinges. By preventing slamming, soft-close hinges can extend the life of your kitchen cabinets.
Cabinet doors with glass inserts are less likely to break when equipped with soft-close hinges. These hinges also minimize the force applied to the cabinets over time, allowing cabinetry to remain firmly attached to your kitchen walls.
3. Melamine Interior
When you open the door of a quality kitchen cabinet, you will see a smooth and non-porous surface. This is the result of the plywood interior of the cabinet being coated with melamine.
Melamine is fire-resistant, waterproof, durable, and capable of repelling stains. These features allow you to easily clean the shelves and walls of a cabinet with a melamine interior.
A melamine surface is also strong enough to stand up to household cleaners and detergents, so you won't have to worry about damaging your cabinets during cleaning.
Melamine coatings come in a wide range of colors. Experts suggest selecting a light color so that it's easier to see the items contained within your kitchen cabinets.