Kitchen Cabinets -- Everything hinges on the cabinets

June 29, 2005

The cabinets are generally the most expensive component of the kitchen. They set the tone and style. The start date of a kitchen remodel depends largely on when the cabinets will be shipped and delivered. And, as Steve, our designer, continually reminds us, they are the item that is least likely to be upgraded or changed at some point in the future. For this reason, he argues, the cabinets are not a place where we should skimp.

On the other hand, we’ve been told that all cabinets are plywood (or some other material) boxes covered by face frames, drawers and doors. And to my eye, the lower end brands carried by Home Depot and Lowe’s (Kraftmaid, Thomasville, Diamond etc.) seem to rival the more expensive brands in terms of styles and colors. They even offer similar hardware and geegaws (fully extending drawers, soft/self-closing drawers, etc.).

I’m sure the higher quality brands are constructed better, but what really sold us is that the finishes are supposed to be much more durable on the higher quality brands. The cabinets we have now are probably about 15 years old. They function fine mechanically, but the finish is awful. No amount of orange oil can restore them. They are particularly worn in the area near the stove

We went shopping with Steve today and think we may have picked out our cabinets. We’re getting a bid for Columbia cabinets. We chose a fairly simple French Country style (see picture above for style and color) in an alder wood (cheaper than cherry) that we felt would be more versatile and would work with our somewhat rustic furniture and accessories better than the Arts and Crafts/Shaker/Prairie style that we really like. The island will be a painted cream colored cabinet in the same style.

Even though we are going a step up from what we were considering, Steve probably felt like he was slumming it today. But our budget just doesn’t have room for Wood-Mode, Crystal, or Fieldstone kitchen cabinets.