Choosing cabinets for your new kitchen can be a bit overwhelming - stock vs. custom-made, wood vs. stainless steel, natural finishes vs. painted finishes - the list of choices seems endless! Narrow down your preferences one at a time, and you'll soon find that choosing the perfect cabinets is as easy as pie!
- Budget. Whenever you start any construction or remodeling project, your first step should be to decide what you want to spend. In kitchen projects, especially, costs can quickly spiral out of control with one upgrade here, another there, and just one more over here! After you have decided what your overall budget is, cut that amount in half. This should be your cabinet budget. It sounds excessive, given that you may also need to purchase appliances, flooring and countertops, but cabinets are typically the biggest financial investment in a kitchen.
- Type of construction. Once you've decided on budget, this question becomes much easier. There are three types of cabinet construction - stock, semi-custom and custom-made cabinets. Stock cabinets are the ones that you will find at your local home improvement store. They are manufactured in a limited number of widths, with a limited number of options and materials. Because they are not made to fit exactly in your kitchen, you may need to use filler strips to disguise spaces between your cabinets and walls. However, stock cabinets do have many advantages. Even though you have limited choices, they are made in the most popular finishes, sizes and materials. So, although you may not be able to get a one-of-a-kind look, you can still possibly find exactly what you want. Stock cabinets are the least expensive option of the three types of cabinet construction. However, this doesn't mean that they are cheaply made. The quality of stock cabinets can be every bit as good as custom cabinetry.
Semi-custom cabinets are manufactured after you place an order with a cabinet supplier. Since they are made to order, you will have more options than with stock cabinets. You may be able to choose from drawers with slide-outs, pantries, and odd-size cabinets, as well as a wider array of materials and finishes. However, they are not custom-made, so your options are not limitless. Semi-custom cabinets are more expensive than stock cabinets.
Custom-made cabinets are the creme de la creme of kitchen cabinets. They are made by either a custom cabinetry manufacturer or a local custom wood shop. Because they are made exactly according to your specifications, you can choose from nearly any material or finish possible. You can also design cabinets which will maximize the space in your kitchen. If you want cabinetry that looks more like furniture than kitchen cupboards, a custom cabinetmaker can do that, too. Of course, the price for all of these choices is quite steep - custom cabinets are by far the most expensive option....
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Author: Tonya Sandersfeld