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Guide to Assessing the Quality of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets
- How to assess kitchen or bath cabinet quality
- Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Boxes: framed cabinets and frameless cabinet construction
- Guide to Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Shelves
- Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet or Counter Drawers
- Types & Choices of Drawer Slides
- Guide to Types of Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts
- Guide to Types of Cabinet Hinges
- Questions & answers abouthow to evaluate the quality of kitchen or bathroom cabinets, hinges, hardware, shelving
- References
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Kitchen & bath cabinet quality, hinges, hardware evaluatin: this article provides a guide for evaluating the quality of kitchen or bathroom cabinets. We examine the types of cabinet boxes (framed and frameless), types of cabinet shelf material, types of cabinet drawers and drawer slides, the most visible cabinet components: cabinet doors and drawer fronts (frame and panel cabinet doors, high-pressure plastic laminate cabinet doors and drawer fronts, painted wood cabinet doors or drawer fronts, thermofoil (RTF) doors), and the basic types of cabinet hinges.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Guide to Assessing the Quality of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets
 Also see CABINETS & COUNTERTOPS This article describes common defects found at installed cabinets and countertops. This article series discusses current best design practices for kitchens and bathrooms, including layout, clearances, work space, and accessible kitchen and bathroom layout, clearances, turning space, grab bars, controls, etc. We include advice on choosing and installing kitchen countertops, cabinets, and kitchen or bathroom flooring, sinks, and other plumbing fixtures and fixture controls such as faucets. A list of kitchen and bath product manufactures and sources is included.
Our page top photo illustrates a good quality solid birch cabinet. At left we illustrate oak cabinets built on a particlboard case and finished by the owner. Purchased un-finished these cabinets were low cost to buy and install.
As explained in Chapter 6 of Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction:
Assessing a cabinet’s quality is not always easy due to the
large number of components involved and the fact that
much of the material and joinery is concealed. One good
indication of overall durability is certification by the
Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, which has a
rigorous testing and certification program that measures
such things as structural integrity, shelf strength, hardware
durability, and quality of finishes.
Also, many manufacturers offer two or three grades of
quality. Comparing the specifications of each line can provide
a good idea of what the upgrades are and whether the
added expense is worthwhile. The main components to
evaluate are covered below.
Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Boxes
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The cabinet box, or carcase, makes up the body
of the cabinet and gives it structural integrity. Typically,
the only visible parts are end panels, portions of the interior,
and the front edges in frameless cabinets or faceframes
in framed cabinets (Figure 6-43). - Framed cabinets. These are the traditional style of
construction with a frame of 3/4-inch-thick solid wood
rails and stiles fastened to the front of the box. Hinges
attach to these face-frames, which are usually partly or
fully visible with the doors closed.
- Frameless cabinets. Also called 32-mm cabinets or
Euro cabinets, these have no face-frames in front. The
doors attach directly to the inside face of the cabinet
sides with cup hinges. Doors and drawers are usually
full overlay, concealing the front edges of the boxes.
However, some frameless cabinets now offer more
traditional wooden doors that leave a narrow band of
the cabinet fronts exposed. The front edge is typically
finished in vinyl, melamine, or wood veneer. High-end
cabinets may have solid wood banding.
[Click any image or table to see an enlarged version with additional detail, commentary & source citation.] |
With either type of cabinet, the price is driven by the
materials, hardware, and assembly techniques. The cheapest
cabinets typically use 1/2 - to 5/8-inch particleboard with
a vinyl or melamine face. Better quality cabinets use
medium-density fiberboard (MDF), and the best generally
use 1/2- to 5/8-inch plywood. The facings on better cabinets
are usually high-pressure laminate or real wood veneer.
With some cabinet lines, it is possible to order plywood
sides only where needed, for example, on the sink base and
wherever there is an exposed end panel, which might be
subject to wetting or the occasional dent or nick.
Backs and floors if cabinets range from flimsy 1/8- or 1/4 -inch hardboard
to thicker particleboard, MDF, or plywood (in order
of stiffness). The finish inside the cabinet is typically vinyl
or melamine. Cabinet bottoms should be rigid enough not
to flex under the weight of pots and pans.
Finally, look for securely installed corner blocks or
stretchers across the top of the cabinet to hold it square
during shipping and installation Some high-end cabinets
have a full-size top panel to reinforce the top of the box.
Guide to Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet Shelves
Shelves in cabinets range from 1/2 -inch particleboard, which
will bow under the weight of dishes, to 3/4 -inch plywood.
Plywood is the strongest shelving material, followed by
MDF, then particleboard.
In base cabinets, look for full depth
shelves or roll-out shelving. Wall cabinet shelves
should be adjustable and have solid clips, preferably metal.
In general, shelves are designed to support a uniform load
of 15 pounds per square foot (psf) for kitchens, 25 psf for
closets, and 40 psf for bookshelves. If loads are likely to
exceed these, upgrade to a stronger shelf (see Table 5-11,
page 186).
Types of Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinet or Counter Drawers
It is important to have solidly built drawers,
since they get a lot of use and abuse. High-quality drawers
typically have solid hardwood or poplar sides and backs,
with minimum 1/4 -inch plywood bottoms glued into dados.
In the best cabinets, drawer sides are dovetailed or dowelled
to the front and back and the drawer front is a separate
piece screwed to the box.
Respectable drawers are also
built with sides of 1/2 -inch or thicker plywood or melamine
stock dowelled together. In lower-end cabinets, drawer sides
are often particleboard or MDF wrapped in vinyl and nailed
or stapled and glued together, with a particleboard or hardboard
bottom. Also many lower-quality cabinets use the
drawer front as the front of the drawer box, a weaker detail.
Types & Choices of Drawer Slides
All drawer slides, even with the same
rating, are not alike. Look for heavy-duty epoxy-coated
components with ball-bearing rollers that operate smoothly
and quietly. At a minimum, use three-quarter extension
drawer slides rated to carry 75 pounds.
Consider upgrading
to full-extension slides rated for 100 pounds, particularly
for any large, deep drawers. Under mount slides have the
advantage of helping to support the drawer while remaining
out of sight. Side-mounted slides that wrap around the
drawer bottom also provide good support.
Guide to Types of Cabinet Doors and Drawer Fronts
 Doors and drawer fronts
are the most visible part of a kitchen and take a lot of abuse.
Many cabinet manufacturers buy doors and drawer fronts
from large specialty door manufacturers, so they may not reflect
the overall quality of the cabinets.
When selecting a
material and finish, consider durability and ease-of-cleaning
as well as appearance. Frame-and-panel wood doors are
typically more expensive than laminate or thermofoil doors.
At left our photo illustrates an inexpensive stock cabinet system comprised of vinyl-clad cabinet facing and doors and particleboard carcases. These cabinets are quite heavy.
- Frame and panel cabinet doors or drawers have either a raised or flat
panel of solid wood or veneer. Veneered panels are
more stable but more difficult to repair if nicked or
scratched. Avoid frames with mitered corners, as they
may open with seasonal changes in humidity.
- High-pressure plastic laminate cabinet doors and drawer fronts are more durable than
melamine (low-pressure laminate). Melamine is fine,
however, for the backs of doors.
- Painted wood cabinet doors or drawer fronts may show small gaps (over time)
at joints due to seasonal movement of the wood. Also
the center panel in a frame-and-panel door may show a
paint line if the panel shrinks during the heating season.
- Thermofoil (RTF) doors can provide a frame-and panel
look with the convenience of a durable PVC
plastic facing. It is best to use matching RTF moldings
as well, since colors may change over time.
Frameless cabinets typically have full overlay doors,
while framed cabinets may have doors that are inset, rabbeted,
or overlaid partially or fully (Figure 6-44). Rabbeted
or partial-overlay doors are the easiest to fit and adjust
since they have considerable play.
Inset doors provide an
attractive furniture like appearance, but they are also a
common cause of callbacks, since the slightest movement
in cabinets or hinges can cause the doors or drawers to rub.
Full-overlay doors also need careful adjustment, since they
have only about an 1/8-inch gap to the next door. Fortunately,
most are hung with easy-to-adjust cup hinges.
Guide to Types of Cabinet Hinges
Good quality hinges are sturdy, smooth to operate,
and easy to adjust. Undersized or poor quality hinges,
on the other hand, can lead to sagging or rubbing doors
and are a common problem with low-end cabinets.
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- Cup hinges. Originally designed for full-overlay
doors on frameless cabinets, concealed cup hinges
(photo at left) are now available for most types of doors and
cabinets (Figure 6-45). Most can be adjusted in
three directions, which makes it easy to align the
doors and compensate for minor irregularities in
the cabinets.
Plus, many cup hinges have a
convenient “snap-on” feature that allows removal of
the door without tools.
Swing angles range from 95 to
175 degrees, with typical doors opening from 105 to
110 degrees. Special hinges are available for nearly
every door configuration and self-closing types
eliminate the need for magnetic or mechanical
catches.
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- Barrel and knife hinges. These are partially concealed when closed and are usually adjustable in two directions by loosening the hinge-mounting screws. They are common on lower-end cabinets.
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Cabinet Hardware Manufacturers List
Accuride International
www.accuride.com
Ball-bearing drawer slides
Amerock Corp.
www.amerock.com
Comprehensive catalog of cabinet hinges, pulls, slides,
and accessories
Grass America
www.grassusa.com
Cup hinges, slides, shelf supports, and storage accessories
Hafele America
www.hafeleamericas.com
Cup hinges, ball-bearing slides, pulls, and
KD connectors
Mepla Inc.
www.mepla-alfit.com
Cup hinges, ball-bearing slides, drawer systems, shelf
supports, and KD connectors
Hettich America
www.hettichamerica.com
Cup hinges, ball-bearing drawer slides, shelf supports,
and KD connectors
-- Adapted with permission from Best Practices Guide to Residential Construction.
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