Choosing the Best Kitchen Cabinet Materials
Unlocking Excellence: Your Guide to Choosing the Best Kitchen Cabinet Materials
As a professional kitchen remodeler, we often get asked which materials are best. When selecting material for your home’s kitchen cabinets, there are generally two popular material groups to choose from: manufactured wood products and solid woods. Manufactured wood products most commonly used in kitchen cabinets are generally particleboard, MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) and plywood. Solid woods are available in a variety of different woods such as cherry, oak and walnut.
Types of Manufactured Wood Product
Particleboard is manufactured with wood chips, shavings and sawdust. The materials are combined with resin and high pressure is applied to make a board. While it is generally a very low cost material, it is also weak compared to other manufactured wood products and real wood. Particle board has the propensity to absorb water quickly. Particle board will therefore discolor and expand when exposed to moist environments unless it is well sealed.
MDF is manufactured in a similar manner to particle board. The difference is that MDF is made by breaking wood down into fibers. MDF is stronger than particle board but not as strong as plywood or real wood. Just like particleboard, MDF is also prone to absorbing water easily without proper sealing.
Plywood is fabricated from plies of wood veneer that are bonded together. Plywood alternates the wood grain direction with each layer. The alternating of the grain gives plywood strength and durability. Plywood does not split with nails or screws. Since plywood uses actual sheets of wood, it also shares in the beauty of solid wood.
Solid Woods
Solid wood is the classic material. Most everyone would agree that solid wood is beautiful. Solid wood is also very durable. Solid wood maintains its luster and beauty for many years with proper maintenance. When wood is sustainably sourced, environmental concerns such as forestry depletion are addressed.
The Best of Both Worlds
We manufacture all of our kitchen cabinets with a combination of plywood and solid wood. This produces a pairing of strength and beauty. Our cabinets handle the rigors of every day use and posses the allure that only real wood can bring. If you would like to learn more about having our custom and semi-custom kitchen cabinets in your kitchen, call us at (833) 806-2739 or fill out a quote request form.