Welcome to NAIL IT with Tom and Sandy. As we always are, Tom and I are happy and enthusiastic and maybe a little wound-up to give you the inside scoop, what’s up, what’s down and what’s hot on cabinets this month.
[kab-uh-nit]. Noun – a piece of furniture with shelves, drawers, etc., for holding or displaying items:
- a curio cabinet; a file cabinet, a wall cupboard used for storage, as of kitchen utensils or toilet articles:
a kitchen cabinet; a medicine cabinet, a piece of furniture containing a radio or television set. Adjective – pertaining to a political cabinet
Sandy: What should we discuss today Tom, Noun Cabinet or Adjective Cabinet?
Tom: Since we both love the construction industry I say let’s stick with the Noun Cabinet. Hey Sandy, ask me anything about cabinets!
Sandy: Really – anything?
Tom: Yeah, ask me, come on ask me!!!
Sandy: OK Mr. Reilly, Give me all you have on cabinets.
Tom: We all have cabinets in our homes, offices, apartments, garages and every place of business has some sort of cabinet. Some are good, some are great, and some are just over the top.
Sandy: The difference in those categories of good, great and over the top must have something to do with the construction materials. I have seen a lot of different cabinets. Tom, what is the real measure of a cabinet, surely it just isn’t the doors is it?
Tom: Correct. The basic cabinet is a box. Base, or lower cabinets are typically 2 feet deep and upper cabinets typically 1 foot deep. There are four materials used commonly in the construction of the cabinet boxes.
Sandy: I am sure they are all wood products. I am aware of particle board and plywood with some solid wood thrown in. What is the fourth?
Tom: There are two types of particle board. Each are made with wood chips and glues. Regular particle board is one the other is MDF board, Medium Density Fiberboard. This is made under pressure and is a dense and structurally sounder product.
Sandy: So, the boxes are always made from one of these four products. How would you grade them from good to ‘over the top’ as you put it?
Tom: I would start with Particle board, then MDF, moving to plywood and over the top would be a solid wood cabinet.
Sandy: I have seen solid wood on cabinets, but the whole box? That would be over the top. Those products sound more like furniture.
Tom: Well yes and no. Often upper cabinets might be fitted with clear glass in the door frames. Since you can see inside, those cabinets are the ones you might see solid wood boxes.
Sandy: Tom, can cabinets also be a veneer of wood on any of the other products as well?
Tom: True. We can talk about that when we get to finishes. Going back to the box construction, they can be either face frame, or frameless. This has to do with how the cabinet fronts are made. The face frame is typically solid wood, and door hinges are mounted to this frame. With Frameless cabinets the hinges and doors are mounted to the sides of the box.
Sandy: That would be more of the Euro style where the doors and drawer fronts cover the entire box, as opposed to the face frame cabinet where the styles and rails are partially exposed.
Tom: The doors and drawer fronts can be flush with the frame as well. This inset style has a very slick look to it, and gives more texture to a cabinet system.
Sandy: I have seen that style and it is a fantastic look. Ultra-modern! I have seen kitchens where wood grain is all lined up, boy oh boy is that neat.
Tom: Yes they are. That style tends to be a higher end cabinet. There are other styles that look great as well. The face front or partial overlay are fairly standard and comprise most of what we see these days.
Sandy: The door and drawer front choices are what makes the look. And there are so many to choose from, hundreds I would guess.
Tom: Oh yeah. When we understand our client’s aesthetic goals we can help narrow down the choices to a less formidable array of choices.
Sandy: Can I go back to finishes now?
Sandy: Solid wood isn’t the only frame I have seen. Particle board, MDF, and plywood is often clad with a veneer of either wood, plastic laminate, or in some areas I have seen a photographed finish applied to one of the manufactured wood products.
Tom: Yes, I have seen that as well. That is often referred to as a Melamine finish. The thin plastic like film is adhered to one of the manufactured wood products to protect that product as well as lining the cabinet box making it easier to clean and maintain.
Tom: Melamine is also a great finish for cabinets that are used for storage in garages and sheds. With those applications, I highly recommend using plywood for the cabinet frames. Why? Because plywood tends to be stronger and more durable than the other manufactured wood products.
Sandy: We talk about wood cabinets that can be finished with a stain making them lighter or darker depending on the chosen color scheme. Would you recommend painting cabinets or stain if wood is being used.
Tom: That depends on the client’s aesthetic goals. Paint can add a colorful solution to staining wood. It certainly opens up different possibilities. Personally I like wood and would probably opt for a stain if the wood grain is really cool, like a rosewood or fine maple type of grain.
Sandy: Tom, now days with all of the Get Stylish cabinets that homeowners desire, I would think that even high-quality cabinets can be ordered if there is a tight timeline because of the dramatically improved cabinet materials, form and function and then if folks have the time they can order of course the wonderful custom cabinets.
Tom: Homeowners now days have what seems like thousands of cabinet styles, configurations from wall to base cabinets, door styles, finishes, even solid wood shelves, hinges and drawer slides are extremely popular now days.
Sandy: Tom, based on that statement I would say there are unlimited possibilities for mixing and matching kitchen cabinets or vanity cabinets so the homeowner can get the configuration they desire. We have several fabulous cabinet contractors in town and whether homeowners are working on high-end homes or a small condo or anything in between, our cabinet Van Gogh’s as I call them have a solution that will fit any budget, lifestyle and give the homeowner great value for their money.
Tom: To end our cabinet column, I want to let our readers know there are many things to take into consideration when planning your cabinets. First consider placement of the cabinets. Open floor plans have become a common trend, and the placement of your cabinets will is important.
Sandy: I would say next order of importance would be the consideration of the materials for the cabinet design.
Tom: Yes Sandy you are right and then the next order of importance would be to consider cabinet doors. Door style is an important component of kitchen cabinet design as it commonly defines the style of a kitchen. Modern cabinets have a more streamlined design featuring straight, clean lines without extra ornamentation and then there are the traditional cabinets often with raised panel doors.
Sandy: And then I love cabinet hardware. Hardware is such an opportunity for a homeowner to express their personal design style. It is an inexpensive and easy way to change the look of your cabinets. I would love to change my cabinet hardware like I change shoes! How cool would that be?
Tom: Whatever details a homeowner decides to go with when choosing their kitchen cabinet design, it will make a big impact in your home. My recommendation is to take some time to check out all the different combinations.
Sandy: Tom, I hope our column has informed homeowners that the range of kitchen cabinet design ideas is endless, but the truth is that kitchen cabinet styles generally falls into one category and that is the one which suit the design tastes of the homeowner.
As always thanks to our readers for stopping by and reading NAIL IT with Tom and Sandy.” You’re in good company and we love sharing our column with you. Always love hearing from the community.
Tom Reilly, Architect, Contractor, Renovations (928) 445-8506 www.renovationsaz.com
Sandy Griffis, Executive Director, Yavapai County Contractors Association. (928) 778-0040.
ycca@cableone.net
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