Kitchen Cabinet Doors
I pulled out the Pledge the other day, and when I got to my kitchen cabinets, I was horrified. Leaning, bubbled up doors were looking at me. After several years of having small children pulling on the doors to reach the stuff on the cabinets, as well as liquid spills running down the sink when that was their assigned chore, and my doors were a little less than desirable.
I knew there was no way I was going to take the hinges off, refinish the doors, and then hang them back up. Remodeling my entire kitchen was out of the budget. I had heard of simply re-facing with new doors. So, my quest for new kitchen cabinet doors began.
There are a few things I found out when shopping. First of all, and this seems obvious, but MEASURE YOUR CABINETS. Just because your doors look the same, you can not assume they are all the same size by eyeballing the doors. Write your measurements down and take them everywhere you go, just in case you run into a cabinet shop in an unexpected location.
The next thing I learned from the friendly sales guy was to pick quality finishes. Whether you are picking out a maple, oak or cherry door, the quality of the grain is higher when it matches from piece to piece. Spend a little time looking at different grades of wood to get that ?feel?. I knew nothing about doors when I started shopping!
Since I was replacing doors after a fairly short life (less than ten years), durability was important to me going in. I learned that solid wood is more expensive, but more durable. Laminate and thermo foil are less expensive, but don?t wear as well. I wasn?t aware, however, that some cabinet doors have a better warranty than others. Research the benefits of each type in door and figure out if you would rather have the durability or save on cost.
How hard it was to maintain the cabinets to me was important. Laminate wipes off the easiest, but it does not withstand rough treatment. If you have little one who are tempted to hang on the doors no matter how many times you say no, go with something sturdier. If it?s an emergency cosmetic fix, go for laminate if it?s a budget issue.
Solid wood cabinet doors are either dovetailed or stapled. Dovetailed joints are the sturdiest, especially when fitted with mortised corners. Stapled drawers are more common, however. Make sure that the gliders are self closing, and rated for 75 pounds.
I know not everyone is re-facing cabinet doors because of kid-destruction. Kitchen cabinets make the kitchen. Pick the ones that will look beautiful, add some great new hardware to them, and throw out a few new towels. Your kitchen will look great and feel brand new, at a fraction of the cost.
