Buying Kitchen Cabinets
Choosing new kitchen cabinets is an excellent way to spruce up your kitchen. The challenge comes in the selection process, which can be a little overwhelming. Today, you have a beautiful selection of woods to include oak, birch, maple, walnut, cherry, mahogany, pine, and much more. Remember two things when choosing new cabinets. First, you want to choose a style and type of wood that you like, something you can grow with and second, choose kitchen cabinets that will add value to the home.
In most cases, kitchen cabinets are designed around four primary centres. First, you have the cleanup area, which would be the area around the kitchen sink. You want enough space so you can stack the clean dishes. A good rule of thumb is allowing a minimum of 12 inches between the sink and the closet corner. Second, kitchen cabinets are designed around the cooking area of the kitchen. For this, you also want a minimum of 12 inches on one side of the stove and then between 15 and 24 inches on the other side. Third is the storage area of the kitchen, which would be the area around or near the refrigerator. This should have between 15 and 18 inches on one side, often used for baking pans. Finally, the prep area should have 42 to 84 inches of cabinet space for storing glasses, plates, bowls, etc.
The interesting thing about kitchen cabinets is that they are designed with a specific layout known as the work triangle. For this, you have an imaginary line that is in the shape of a triangle. This line connects the sink, oven, and refrigerator. The goal here with this concept is that for the highest level of efficiency and comfort, the legs of the work triangle should measure between 23 and 26 feet. For the kitchen cabinets fitting into this area, you would have your choice of pre-manufactured or modular and custom, which are built specific to order.
If you go with wall kitchen cabinets, the most common type, these would be 12 inches deep with the exception of those built over a refrigerator, which are usually deeper. As far as height, unless you have the cabinets, custom built, you would choose between 12, 15, 18, 30, and 36 inch. Wall kitchen cabinets are broken down into three base options that include the standard base, which includes a drawer with a door and shelving below, a drawer base with three to four drawers stacked on top of each other, and then the sink base, which has a door below and a false drawer front.
Obviously, when it comes to kitchen cabinets, you can follow the standard rules or have the cabinets built to spec. The variations are massive, which is the exciting part of buying new kitchen cabinets. With endless possibilities, you can create your own special look and enjoy incredible convenience. Just remember when choosing your style, that one size never fits all. In other words, plan carefully so you end up with the type of cabinets you want. Many of the standard kitchen cabinets on the market today offer better style than those from a few years back but even so, you often end up with cookie-cutter cabinets that are like everyone else on the block.
Although you will pay a little more for customized cabinets, generally, the price is not much different. With good planning, you can enjoy kitchen cabinets that look great but also offer functionality. The key is to talk to several builders and contractors to get different prices. You will be amazed at how affordable many customized cabinets are. Just remember when making your choice that when and if you ever put your house on the market, the kitchen is the one room in the house that sells. Therefore, while you want to make your decision based on your preference and needs, consider the future.