Now you know what you should be looking for when buying kitchen cabinets or placing custom-made orders.
Wondering what makes a kitchen cabinet good?
Searching for the characteristics of a high-quality cabinet for the kitchen?
Looking for what features to discuss when placing an order for a custom-made kitchen cabinet?
Then this is the blog post you should read!
7 features that good kitchen cabinets have
A good quality cabinet in the kitchen should easily last you between 20 to 30 years.
However, that is not always the case.
Lots of people end up facing problems like crooked doors, bending drawers, scratched walls, and loose joints soon after buying/installing.
You can avoid this by investing in good quality cabinets.
Not only will you get a piece of elegant furniture that will last you for decades, but you can also save on installation and maintenance costs.
Here are the features you should watch for.
Made of plywood
Plywood and particleboard are the two most popular materials used to make cabinet boxes.
Now, particleboard is less expensive than ply.
However, it is more vulnerable to moisture damage, being warped or crushed under weight, and suffering blowouts at joints that are hard to repair.
On the other hand, ply has more staying power with screws, fasteners and glue.
Its tolerance for moisture is higher – which is important as you can expect some moisture in a kitchen setting, especially near the sink.
It also is able to carry weight and resist damage from blowouts and dents better.
This is why a kitchen cabinet that has full plywood sides and backs is the best alternative for you.
You can look through our interior design portfolio to catch some examples of good cabinet design work.
Full-height back panels
The type of construction used for the back panel of a cabinet can impact its strength and how easy it is to install.
For the strongest and most durable cabinet construction, we recommend a full-plywood back panel that is at least 3/8 inches thick.
This attaches the cabinet directly to the wall (and you cannot see the wall inside the cabinet; you see the back panel).
Alternative (less expensive) methods use thin panels, metal hang rails and brackets, rails, or picture-frame construction.
However, these options may not be as reliable and may result in cabinets falling over.
To ensure the stability and precision of your kitchen cabinets, it is best to opt for plywood back construction.
Fully-made custom kitchen cabinets
Fully-assembled custom kitchen cabinets are completely finished by a custom furniture maker in Bangladesh, and then sent to you.
Ready to assemble cabinets will be sent to you as a collection of parts (frame, drawers, doors, screws, etc) that you will need to assemble by yourself, DIY.
They are less expensive, but installing them by yourself can take some time.
Plus, they are not as strong or durable as finished cabinets.
Readymade cabinets are bought from a shop, fully-made and finished.
While they are no doubt strong and durable, they are made according to the plans of the manufacturer and may not match your expectations completely.
Custom-made cabinets on the other hand are made especially for you.
You will sit with a custom kitchen cabinet maker (like Lavish’s custom furniture team), and discuss your requirements and design preferences with them.
Based on your specifications, the maker will make your cabinets especially for you, exactly fulfilling your requirements.
Looking for other services? Look through our interior design services page for options.
Soft-close hinges
You may not even notice the hinge of your kitchen cabinet – but believe us, the hinge (the joint that attaches the doors to the main frame of the cabinet) is very important.
Poor quality hinges will bend easily, leading to sagging doors which will reduce the overall quality of the cabinet.
We’ve been interior designers in Bangladesh for a long time, and when we get called to redesign or remodel a kitchen, cabinets with sagging doors are very often a culprit in making the kitchen look bad.
The kind of hinge that’s the best for kitchen cabinets are soft-close, steel, 6-way adjustable hinges.
Let’s see why that is:
- For quality and durability, a cabinet hinge should be made of hardened steel and plated with nickel.
- It should also include a soft close mechanism, which stops doors from slamming shut.
- Plus, the hinge should be adjustable in six different ways: in and out, up and down, and left and right.
- This allows the hinges to be fine-tuned as the doors expand and contract due to seasonal changes.
Looking for other kitchen design tips? Here are some mistakes to avoid in kitchen interior design.
Undermount, soft-close drawer glides
You open cabinet drawers so many times…have you noticed that over time, drawers make more and more noise as they open, they become rough and so on?
That’s because the glide – the path/channel through which they slide – degrades.
For optimal functionality, it is best to use undermount steel drawer glides that feature a soft-close mechanism.
These glides should be able to fully extend, allowing for full access to the entire drawer.
To ensure smooth operation and increased durability, the glides should be equipped with ball bearings and steel guides.
The glides should also be mounted beneath the drawer box and rated to support reasonably heavy loads.
If the glides are adjustable and have a soft-close dampening system, they will make little noise when opening and closing the drawer.
Dovetail drawer boxes
If you are experiencing problems with drawers that are bending, it may be time to consider upgrading to higher quality drawer boxes.
Low-quality construction methods, such as using staples or notched butt joints, do not provide the same level of strength as dovetail joints, in which the sides of the drawer box are milled with interlocking teeth.
To ensure the longevity of your drawers, it is best to opt for a construction method that utilises dovetail joints.
Face frames
There are two main types of cabinet construction: framed and frameless.
A framed cabinet features a solid hardwood frame attached to the front of the cabinet box, with door hinges and drawer glides attached to the frame.
In contrast, a frameless cabinet has doors that are attached directly to the sides of the cabinet box.
These two methods of construction have distinct differences in terms of appearance, strength, stability, and installation costs.
Frameless cabinets are typically more expensive to install compared to framed cabinets.
Framed cabinets also tend to be more durable than faceless ones.
Characteristics to look/ask for in kitchen cabinets – key takeaways
To summarise, a kitchen cabinet that’s long-lasting, durable, damage-resistant and elegant should be:
- Made of plywood
- Use soft-close hinges
- Have full height back panels, undermount soft-close drawer glides, dovetail drawer boxes, and…
- Be face-framed.
We advise going for custom-made cabinets as that gives you the chance to have the cabinet made exactly according to your specifications.
Looking to get cabinets made for your own kitchen?
Get in touch with our custom furniture team today!
