Kitchen Cabinets, Kitchen Cabinet Doors - Installation, Refacing, and Repair

» Metal Cabinets

Doesn't it seem like every fancy appliance they make these days is now made of stainless steel? Refrigerators, toasters, coffee makers, microwaves and dishwashers all made of steel are a must nowadays to give your kitchen that modern and updated look. So why not take it a step further and add metal kitchen cabinets instead of the standard wood cabinets? You may think that having that much metal in one room may be overkill, and you may be right. However, there are certain major advantages to metal as well as ways to make sure your kitchen doesn't look too industrial. You don't necessarily want your house guests thinking they are walking into commercial cooking center, right?

How to Use Metal Cabinets to Make a Unique Kitchen

There are many customizations you can make to not overdo the industrial look of your kitchen. One idea is to combine the metal with plastic hardware (handles, hinges, etc) for contrast. By using plastic you can pick colors that match your paint, dishes, or any other features you have. Another hardware option is to choose pieces that are of a different color or style of metal than the cabinet door. You can also customize the actual doors by ordering them with holes to fill with glass or other decorative pieces. Lastly, you can order your cabinets with different finishes and metal accents. By using copper, brass or brushed nickel, you can achieve a more customized look. In addition, by adding texture to the finish, you make it easier to conceal those fingerprints left by people who don't wash their hands!...Read Full Article

» Protect Your Investment: How to Take Care of your New Cabinets

So you finally completed your cabinet project and things are finally getting back to order. You’ve got all the dishes, glasses, linens, clothes, etc. to put back where they belong and you are ready to be finished. However, before putting all of your items back, we’ve put together a comprehensive cabinet care guide to make sure that you’ll be able to enjoy your cabinets for years to come. You’ve likely spent a good deal of money getting them to look just right so why take chances? Put the extra time in to protect your investment and you'll be glad you did.

Cabinet Cleaning Guide

When cleaning your cabinets there are some very important things to keep in mind to make sure you don’t cause damage. The first thing is to make sure you have the right cleaning solution. We recommend using products such as Spic and Span Pine Cleaner, Guardsman, Fantastik or Murphy’s Wood Cleaner. It is important to make sure that any cleaner you use is a mild detergent and does not contain ammonia or bleach as this will cause damage. This is especially true when cleaning the glass components of cabinets. If you need to clean the glass, make sure the glass cleaner does not seep into the wood. You may even need to remove the glass panels to clean them so that no harmful chemicals touch the cabinet surfaces. Further, when shining up the finish on your cabinets, make sure you don’t use a product that contains silicone as this will cause wax build up which hurts the finish and is also difficult to remove. To improve shine, we recommend products like Pledge or Lemon Wood Plus....Read Full Article

Base Cabinet: Usually found under the countertops and sits on the floor
Bead Board: Wood paneling that contains parallel grooves (typically vertical) to give the cabinet added style and texture.
Beaded Door: Beaded styling on the cabinet door. Typically is found in the recessed panel of the door.
Carcass: Another word for the box of the cabinet
Concealed Hinge: A hinge that is attached to the inside of the cabinet door so that it is out of site
Custom Cabinetry: This offers the most options for style and design. With custom cabinets you'll multiple choices for wood type, shape, size, glaze, finish, hardware, frame style and more. This is the most expensive option when it comes to cabinetry.
Dado: A groove cut into a piece of wood that allows another piece to slide into it for a tighter fit
Dove Tail: A highly effective way to join two pieces of wood at a right angle without requiring screws. The male end of the board has multiple pins cut into it while the female board has a series of tails. The two are then joined together in an interlocking fashion.
Drawer Face: The front panel of the drawer box where the handle is attached
Engineered Wood: Not natural wood. This is wood that is enhanced for better structural purposes. It is also environmentally friendly since oftentimes it is created from the leftovers from other types of wood. Examples of engineered wood include particle board, fiberboard (MDF).
Exposed Hinge: A hinge that is showing on the outer edge when the cabinet door is closed
Face Frame: This is the outer frame that is attached to the front side of the top, bottom and side of the cabinet box. This improves the overall stability of the box.
Finish: The final layer applied to the surface to lock in color and provide protection. The protection helps sustain the cabinet's overall beauty and protects from sun damage and other normal wear
Flake Bard: Another way to say particle board because of the flakey nature of the wood in particle board
Flat Panel: Consists of a door or drawer where the center portion of the panel is indented or recessed. The recessed look can have multiple styles and shapes
Framed Cabinets: One of the two standard cabinet design styles. This style incorporates a frame around the front side of the cabinet box. This is the most common design and is also the most sturdy.
Frameless Cabinets: Also referred to as European style cabinets. With Frameless cabinets, there are no obstructions on the front side of the cabinet box allowing for greater room for storage. These usually require full overlay cabinet doors so as to cover the edges of the cabinet box.
Full Inset: Doors and drawers that are designed to fit within the inside edge lines of the faced frame opening. The outer edges of the doors and drawers will be flush with the face frame edges.
Full Overlay: This is a door type that covers the majority of the front of the cabinet box. Most common in frameless cabinets.
Furniture Board: Another way to say particle board
Glaze: Used to coat the cabinets to provide another level of unique style. Glazes come in a variety of colors and finish types used to change the overall appearance of the wood material. Glazes are designed to enhance the wood's natural properties.
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard): This is an acronym for Medium Density Fiberboard which is a manufactured wood product created from tiny wood particles and a bonding agent such as glue or resin. Since it is made with tiny wood particles, it is easier to shape as opposed to particle board which is made of larger wood particles. MDF commonly serves as the core material of the cabinet and is covered with laminate, thermofoil or melamine.
Melamine: A popular plastic material that is easily cleaned and is used to cover the door and drawer surfaces. It is adhered to the core of the cabinet which typically consists of particle board, or MDF.
Mullion Doors: Cabinet doors with a glass panel in the center panel of the door. The glass comes in a wide array of styles and colors to make the cabinet more unique...learn more
Overlay: A term to describe the amount of face frame covered by the front of a drawer or door
Partial Overlay: Doors and drawers cover only a portion of the overall frame. Good option to highlight the outer frame of the cabinet box since it will be visible when the doors and drawers are fully closed.
Particle Board: A manufactured wood product composed of small pieces of wood bonded together with glue or resin. This is the least costly solution for the core of a cabinet and is of the lowest quality when compared to plywood or MDF.
Rail: Horizontal pieces of the face frame
Recessed Door: The central panel of a cabinet door that is indented or recessed to offer a unique style and design
Reveal: This is the exposed portion of overlay on the front cabinet frame when the door or drawer is closed.
Semi-Custom Cabinets: Semi-custom cabinets are one step below custom cabinets when it comes to price and the number of options available. They are factory made versus being made by a specific woodworker. Given advances in cabinet manufacturing technology, many still offer a wide variety of options when it comes to selecting your cabinet style, size, shape, etc.
Soffit: This is the area between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling. It usually protrudes out over the cabinets. Many people like to convert it into a shelf above the cabinets for added storage.
Solid Wood: Solid wood is different from particle board or MDF in that it is made up of multiple solid wood boards that are glued or bonded together. They are must more structurally sound and typically more expensive...learn more
Species of Wood: This refers to the many types of wood options you have. Species are differentiated by wood grain, density, color and more...see our wood species chart
Stile: Vertical pieces of the face frame
Stock Cabinets: Stock cabinets are the most affordable type of cabinets. They are usually found in places like Home Depot and Lowe's and are pre-made so you won't have as many choices in terms of size, design etc. Stock cabinets are usually made of wood veneer or a laminate material that is adhered to MDF or particle board.
Substrate: Refers to the material that laminate, thermofoil or melamine is applied to. It is usually made of particle board, plywood or MDF.
Thermofoil: This is another cabinet material made from heat fusing thin layers of PVC to a substrate. Thermofoil is easy to clean, durable and smoother than paint...learn more
Toe Kick: This is defined as the lower most piece of the base cabinet that is sunk in enough to allow someone's feet to go under if they were standing in front of the cabinet.
Veneer: Veneer consists of strips of wood that are adhered to a substrate such as particle board or MDF. The benefit of using wood veneer is that you are able to choose from the highest quality cuts of wood since you are not relying on its ability to provide support for the overall cabinet. Instead, it is just the outer layer used to add style and beauty to the cabinet...learn more
V-Groove: A type of vertical design in many cabinet doors. It is typically beaded or grooved and popular in bathroom medicine cabinets.
Vinyl Laminate: This material is used on the interior of many cabinets and is designed to be easy to clean and durable. Since it is a thin material it is easily applied to to various cabinet components and surfaces.
Wall Cabinets: Simply put, these are cabinets that are mounted to the wall.
Wood Grain: The pattern made in the wood that is influenced by the species of tree and its age...see our wood species chart

» Metal Cabinets

» Protect Your Investment: How to Take Care of your New Cabinets

Thermofoil Cabinets