Cabinet Construction

Here's another one; all-plywood construction.

Some people insist on having all plywood construction in their cabinets.

My question is; why?

There still seems to be a perception that if cabinets are not all plywood they're "particle board."

It just ain't so. These days, furniture, including cabinets, is commonly made of what they call Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) or, "Furniture Board." It's very different from particle board.

And why do furniture manufacturers make furniture out of MDF? Because it's more stable than plywood or even than solid wood. It holds its shape and doesn't warp.

And no, it doesn't fall apart when it gets wet. In fact, most cabinet manufacturers coat the sides and edges of MDF panels with moisture resistant vinyl laminate that stands up to water quite well, and the material is bound so tightly that you can soak it in water and it will still hold its shape. It's true.

Think about it; if the shelves in your cabinets are made of wood or plywood, you have to cover them with shelf paper to make them more water resistant, right? Anyone who has cabinets with a vinyl interior can tell you, the insides of their cabinets are very easy to maintain and shelf paper is not necessary. That's vinyl coating on a MDF shelf.

But plywood construction is stronger, right?

No.

Cabinets made of MDF will typically carry the same warranty as cabinets made of wood or plywood.

So why do plywood cabinets typically cost more? Well, plywood still costs more than MDF, and for some applications it is a preferable material, but in cabinet construction there is no real benefit to plywood construction.

Another consideration is the "green" aspect. MDF is often made from recycled wood, so it saves trees, and many manufacturers do not use formaldehyde, as they did in the old days.

Having said all that, there is a caveat, and I'm a stickler on this; if ANY parts of your cabinets, like the doors, frames, and molding, are made of wood, make sure that any surface of your cabinets THAT YOU CAN SEE is made of wood. In other words, the sides or any decorative panels that are used in your kitchen or bath design.

This is for cosmetic reasons. Over time and with exposure to light, wood changes color. It "seasons" or ages, usually turning darker, whereas an exposed vinyl-clad cabinet side will not. Have you ever gone into somebody's kitchen and noticed that the sides of the cabinets are not the same color as the frames and doors? Maybe not, but I certainly have, and this is usually the reason why.

So what do you do? Cabinet manufacturers often offer an "upgrade" to plywood construction, but instead of upgrading all of the cabinets to plywood construction unnecessarily, only upgrade the cabinets whose sides will be exposed in the kitchen design; the ones on the ends. OR, have your designer order wood veneer panels, or "skins" to be applied to the exposed cabinet ends. This way everything seasons together and your cabinets all stay the same color.

With that in mind, if I were me, rather than spend my money on plywood or "all-wood" cabinet construction, I would save my kitchen remodel dollars for some of those cool storage and convenience options and maybe some extra molding that would really make my room pop.

Yes, You Do!

Here's something I hear a lot when I meet new people socially, and I heard it again last night.

"You're a kichen designer? Well, I don't want you to come to my house!"

Actually, you probably do.

Just about everyone who hasn't remodeled their kitchen or bath in the last three-five years would like to do SOMETHING different to it but, short of investing in a remodel, have no idea what they can or should do.

Like everything else, if you're too close to a situation it might be easy to overlook the obvious. That's where a second set of objective eyes might come in handy, especially if those eyes are connected to somebody who knows a thing or two about kitchens and how they're put together.

Sure, you could update the appliances, that's a good thing, especially if they're five years old or older, but that's a lot of money and you might not be ready for that.

You could replace the countertops. If you have laminate countertops that have been there for a while they might be aging and showing signs of wear without your even really noticing it. A new color, pattern, or shape might be just the thing to freshen up the room, and it's not too terribly expensive--or disruptive.

Sometimes you can even get away with putting a coat of paint on the old cabinets, but be careful. I usually don't recommend this because, well, people don't always make the best choice of colors.
If you want to paint your cabinets, as a rule of thumb, stick with a light neutral color, and stick with one color. Painting the frames one color and the doors another, or adding some sort of decorative accent or detail to the doors might seem like a good idea, but it usually isn't.

And remember, painting your cabinets and doing it right is no small project. Think sanding! And keep in mind the finish you want to end up with. It has to be protective and very durable.

If you're at odds with your kitchen and you don't exactly know why, here's my suggestion.

Reorganize the stuff in the cabinets.

The problem might just be that your dishes, flatware, cooking utensils, and dry goods are just not in the best place for optimum use of the kitchen.

First, take all the stuff out of the cabinets and stack it neatly and in an organized way on the table or other sensible place. My sister stacked it all in the middle of he floor, but whatever works for you.

Now, think it through. When you're cooking, what items do you use the most and what would be the best place for them? When you're loading or unloading the dishwasher, where would be the best place to store the dishes without having to hike across the room? Could some of the most-used items be stored in a lower cabinet so the kids don't have to call you every time they want something?

One day, take the time to think about how you use your kitchen. Is everything where it should be? Organize your kitchen for yourself and your lifestyle, not necessarily how your mother did it.

A simple rearrangement of certain items just might make your kitchen seem much more efficient and, therefore, less stressful. You might not even hate it anymore at all!

Brett Spottke talks about this in his e-book "Kitchen Remodeling Help." You might want to give it a read. Download it at http://www.aguidetoikeakitchens.com/.

Where Do I Start?

I hear it all of the time; "I want to redo my kitchen, but I don't even know where to start."

Hey, it's a big deal, and apprehension is to be expected. In my experience, the homeowner's biggest fear regarding a major remodel is not that something will go wrong; I can tell you, when dealing with a project with so many details, so many different suppliers, and so many different trades, it's quite likely that, in spite of everyone's best efforts, yes, something can go wrong.

But that's okay. It might seem like a disaster when we're in the middle of a project that is, by definition, stressful, but the appliance delivery being a day or two late, being short a door knobs or drawer pull, or the countertop fabrication being delayed, these are mere setbacks that will make for great dinnertable stories for your guests next Thanksgiving. These things can be worked through.

No, the biggest fear is that, when it's all said and done, and the homeowner has put so much time, effort, and money into the finished product...they won't like it.

Do your homework. I advise my clients buy magazines and start putting together a Planning File. I have a great list of magazines for just this purpose at www.squidoo.com/virtualmasterpieces. Check it out. They're some of my favorites.

These magazines are full of great lifestyle photos featuring the latest fashion and design trends around today and can help you turn the abstract "new kitchen" into real ideas.

Look through as many as you can and tear out the pages of things that you like. Anything that appeals to you or catches your eye. Then put that page in the Planning File. This kind of thing is invaluable to your designer.

It doesn't have to be a picture of how you want your room to look, that seldom works out anyway, but your file can be a collection of certain elements of certain rooms that appeal to you for one reason or another.

Your designer wants to understand who you are, how you use the room in question, and how the room should look and feel when the project is completed, and this is exactly the type of thing that can help them do that.

Everybody Must Get Stone

That seems to be the trend. Probably 80% of my clients start out thinking granite countertops for their new kitchen. It's all about granite these days.

Don't get me wrong; I love granite. Nothing else has the classic look of real, natural granite, and the durability of a properly installed granite surface is second to none.

But, like anything else, every countertop or surface material has its benefits and advantages, as well as its drawbacks.

Granite, for example; it's a natural "product." What this means, firstly, is that no two pieces are alike. I always advise my clients to go to the fabricator and select their specific slab(s). To select a granite countertop based on an in-store sample is a mistake. The countertop will not look like the sample. The overall color and effect will be similar, but the graining, veining, and color variations can have a significant impact on the overall look of the stone.

Also, being a natural material, granite is porous. It has tiny holes in it that will absorb spills and other nasty things, which can lead to bacteria growth if the surface is not well sealed.

And the durability? That in itself can be percieved as a drawback. Make sure you like the color. It will be with you for a long time. As a rule, I advise my clients to avoid trends and stick with the basics; neutral colors are much less likely to make the room appear dated in five years or so.
Green may be all the rage today, but how many of us will be prepared to replace the granite countertops when green goes out of style?

My suggestion? If you love granite, go with granite. It's not a mistake by any means, but do your homework. Look at magazines, watch HGTV, and see what you can do without tying yourself to a specific color unless you are completely comfortable with it.

And be completely comfortable with the material you select.

Any questions? You can always contact me at www.myspace.com/virtualmasterpieces.

Above Finished Floor

I had occasion recently to see the results of a planning mistake that is all too common. And, no, unfortunately for the homeowner, this is not a project that I was involved in planning.
When we're talking about the measurements of a kitchen, one of the important things to take into account, besides, obviously, the length of the walls, is the height of the ceiling in the room and how it relates to the top alignments of the cabinets.
There are lots of things to look out for, like an eight-foot ceiling is not really 96" high, but in this instance, what was overlookd was that all vertical measurements must be calculated ABOVE THE FINISHED FLOOR.
The scenario went like this; the homeowner installed the base cabinets, set the appliances in place, installed the countertop, then installed wood flooring.
It wasn't until a couple years later, when the homeowner went to repair the dishwasher that they realized the dishwasher would not come out.
Why?
Because the bottom of the dishwasher, and of the cabinets, were at the level of the subfloor, not of the wood flooring. The addition of the wood flooring reduced the height of the opening between the bottom of the dishwasher and the bottom of the countertop by about three-quarters of an inch. It may not sound like much, but it was enough to prevent the dishwasher from coming out!
The solution? The homeowner had to remove the countertops in order to remove the dishwasher.
How to prevent this?
I usually recommend to my clients that they install the flooring FIRST, before the cabinets. That way everyting starts at teh level of the FINISHED floor and all vertical measurements originate there, at what will actually be the "bottom" of the room.
"But," some will say, "that means I'm spending money on flooring materials taht will be unseen, underneath my cabinets." True enough, I suppose, but in my experience, by the time you calculate the cutting around the base cabinets, the difference is negligible.
Besides, this is one more area where you can avoid problems later on by not trying to cut corners.

For more helpful information and tips that will help you avoid potentially costly mistakes, try http://www.akitchendesigne-book.com/

In-Stock Options

It was brought to my attention that, in my earlier post about cabinet options, I failed to mention the in-stock cabients that some home centers and other stores offer.

Quite so. My bad. For the budget-conscious remodeler, these cabinetry lines may offer a very viable alternative. But again, which product to use?

The in-stock products that I've seen are usually of two types. First, the stores offer fully-assembled unfinished oak or maple cabinets that the homeowner (these poducts are typically targeted toward the DIY, or do-it-yourself, consumer) would take home, install, stain, and finish.

The other type of cabinets you might see in a store's stock will be RTA (ready-to-assemble)cabinets. Don't be put off. There are advantages to the RTA product.

Firstly, you may find a wider selection of door styles in the RTA line. Some stores have what they call a multi-pack program, where the consumer selects the sizes and types of cabinets wanted or needed for their project, then selects the doors, which are packaged separately, to fit the selected cabinets.

While the store may offer one or two door styles or wood species in their fully assembled cabinet line, you may find three, four, or more door styles available in the RTA product. You may find a wider selection and a door style that better suits your taste by looking at the RTA cabinets.

Additionally, the RTA product will offer a wider selection of in-stock cabinet sizes since the boxes are smaller. The fully-assembled unfinished cabinets are, well, fully assembled cabinets and take up more room on the store's shelves, so the store carries fewer sizes.

But what about the quality?

Let's talk about the finish. You would take the unfinished cabinets home, install them, apply a stain to the doors and frames, then apply a finish coat like polyurethane. Okay. What about the RTA? RTA cabinet doors are made by cabinet manufacturers who have access to the same types of technology and equipment used by cabinet manufacturers whose products you would order, and the warranty will reflect that. Yes, don't forget the warranty. RTA cabinet manufacturers will typically offer a warrantly on the hardware (hinges and drawer glides) as well as on the door finish.

Warranty on the unfinished cabinets? It depends on where you buy them. Better ask the store.

But, yes, I know; you have to assemble the RTA cabinets. True, but it's really not that bad, and when you consider that you have to stain and finish the unfinished cabinets, hey, it might even be a wash. The assembly instructions are usually pretty easy to understand if you read through them first, and once you've done one or two it gets even easier.

If you still have doubts, a good source of first-hand information about RTA cabinets and other great advice for planning a DIY kitchen project, check out;

www.aguidetoikeakitchens.com

The author has been through the process and offers a useful guide to avoiding potential pitfalls along the way.

A Question About Cabinets

As a kitchen and bath designer, one of the more common questions I'm asked by my clients is, "Are manufactured cabinets better, or are custom cabinets better?"

The answer is; "Yes."

Both products have their features, advantages, and benefits, and which one you should use for your specific project depends on your specific needs.

One benefit of manufactured cabinets that immediately comes to mind is time, especially if you're working within a smaller budget. Many cabinet manufacturers have products that are available within two weeks, sometimes even a week or so, and if you've ever dealt with a kitchen remodel project you know that's pretty fast. This usually only applies, however, to the manufacturers' lower price point products; the more common cabinet sizes that are either kept in stock at a distribution center or are manufactured on a large scale. Higher-end custom or semi-custom cabinets can take much longer.

A busy custom cabinet maker will not usually be able to move quite that quickly. He will typically have to order doors, unless he makes his own, which also takes time, and gather the right materials before he can start work on your furniture.

There may be a cabinet maker in your area who is not so busy and might be able to get your project together more quickly, but let's face it, there is usually a very good reason why the busy guys are busy and the others are not.

It is also true that many cabinet manufacturers offer very fine semi-custom and even custom furniture, and as a large company, manufacturers have access to state-of-the-art equipment and technology that is usually cost prohibitive to the cabinet maker. The manufacturer's construction, finish, and warranty will reflect this, and it is definitely something to consider, especially for high-end projects.

At the same time, if you're working within a more conservative budget, the manufacturer might not offer the same storage and convenience options at a lower price point that they would at a higher price point. Your cabinet maker might have cost-saving ideas to incorporate some of these options into your budget. Also, if your room involves an unusual wall configuration or other unique requirement, the cabinet maker might be the better choice.

Material, style, budget, and options are just some of the many factors that should be considered when planning your new construction or kitchen remodel project, and it pays to do your homework in order to avoid costly mistakes.

If you're in the Macon, GA area, contact me at my web site: myspace.com/virtualmasterpieces, or, for in-depth planning ideas, there is a great planning guide available at:

http://www.akitchendesigne-book.com/

Good luck with your project!