Home / Garden Outdoor

 Print  /  Bookmark  /  Email

Photo courtesy of Dura Supreme

No longer just for the kitchen, cabinetry is now used throughout the home, in family rooms, home offices, media rooms and more. And from the construction to the finish, when choosing cabinetry, it's important  to understand the options.

Cabinet categories

Cabinetry is available in three categories -- stock or basic, semi-custom and custom -- and each has different features.

Stock/Basic cabinets are considered the economy-grade option. Usually purchased "off the shelf" of a home-improvement store or kitchen design center, the advantage of stock cabinetry is its affordable cost; the downside is limited choices.

Semi-custom cabinets are currently the largest cabinetry market because they offer a good balance of price, quality and choice, notes Karen Wistrom, vice president of marketing with Dura Supreme, a national cabinet manufacturer. Semi-custom options include a wide range of wood species and finishes, and specialty cabinets, upgrades and accessories are usually available.

Custom cabinets are "every expensive, but by the time you're done with all the add-ons you like on a semi-custom, the price difference isn't as great as people think," says Stacey Haddon of The Base Image in Orlando. Custom cabinets are the best choice for homeowners seeking a specific style.

Doors & drawers

The way your doors and drawers are fitted to the cabinet can affect the cost as well as the overall look of the design. Options for doors and drawers include:

Full inset is reserved for custom work and often used in reproducing period-style cabinetry. Full-inset doors and drawers require precise measurement and carpentry skill because they are flush with the front of the cabinetry.

Partial overlay, also referred to as traditional overlay, means the door and drawer fronts rest on the surface of face-frame cabinetry and some of the frame still shows.

Full overlay is the same method as partial overlay, but with a greater overlap. Full overlay gives a clean look since no face frames are visible.

Photos courtesy of Medallion Cabinetry

Material matters

What you can't see in cabinetry may be the most important element -- the base material.  Two types of engineered wood are used in base cabinetry construction: wood composites and plywood.

Functional cabinetry isn't just for the kitchen -- these unique fireside pull-outs easily conceal books, media and other items. Photo courtesy of Kraftmaid

Wood composites are fairly strong, but can warp and swell when exposed to water. Plywood offers the durability of solid wood; however, it can be considered an upgrade.

Other important construction elements include reinforcements (the best option is wood corner braces), drawer construction (look for solid wood sides with doweled or dovetail corners) and drawer-guide hardware (metal ball-bearing guides that carry at least 75 pounds have the smoothest tracking).

Final finish

Finishes, which can include paint, stain, glazes or a combination of these elements, create the biggest impact when it comes to appearance. "Glazing is a big trend right now," says Devang Chitalia, sales director at Margaret Woodcraft in Clermont. "Dark colors are popular, such as dark browns, reds, mahogany and cherry. Many high-end homes are going with a rustic, distressed look."

Though the options seem endless, the positive aspect is that you can make your cabinetry as unique as the room it's in and as functional as you need it to be!

The "Jewelry" of Cabinetry

You can make a big impact on a small budget by upgrading, changing or adding cabinetry hardware. Here are some hot hardware trends:

		Mixing knobs and pulls in the same room, but in a similar finish and style; available at J. Sharone's, Orlando, (407) 293-0072. Photo courtesy of Baldwin Hardware
		Polished nickel or chrome art- deco style knobs; available at Sink Outlet of Central Florida, Longwood, (407) 831-7465. Photo courtesy of Atlas Hardware
		Crystal or glass knobs, including colored crystal; available at  Architectural Elegance, Altamonte Springs, (407) 682-3800. Photo courtesy of Baldwin Hardware
		Oversized pulls and knobs to fit today's oversized cabinetry; available at Architectural Elegance, Altamonte Springs, (407) 682-3800. Photo courtesy of Atlas Hardware

Sources: Atlas Hardware, Baldwin Hardware, Rejuvenation

Editorial Resources

Architectural Elegance, 704 West State Road 436, Suite 116, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, (407) 682-3800, www.architecturalelegance.com.Armstrong Cabinets, (800) 527-5903, www.armstrong.com. Atlas Hardware, 326 Mira Loma Ave., Glendale, CA 91204, (818) 240-3500, www.atlashomewares.com. Baldwin Hardware, (800) 566-1986, www.baldwinhardware.com. The Base Image, 1832 Division St., Orlando, FL 32805, (407) 432-3393, www.thebaseimage.com. Dura Supreme Inc., 300 Dura Drive, Howard Lake, MN 55349, (888) 711-3872, www.durasupreme.com. J. Sharone's Inc. 4550 W. Colonial Drive, Orlando, FL 32808, (407) 293-0072, www.jsharones.com. Kraftmaid, www.kraftmaid.com. Margaret Woodcraft, 906 Jan Mar Court, Suite C, Clermont, FL 34711, (352) 394-5551, www.margaretwoodcraft.com. Medallion Cabinetry, One Medallion Way, Waconia, MN 55387, (952) 442-5171, www.medallioncabinetry.com. Sink Outlet of Central Florida, 410 North St. # 152, Longwood, FL 32750, (407) 831-7465, www.sinkoutletcfl.com.

---

Print  /  Bookmark  /  Email