The Top 4 Kitchen Cabinet Options to Consider

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It helps to understand basic kitchen cabinetry industry standards to better understand what is possible for your kitchen remodel and design considerations. Below is a quick primer on the top 4 considerations.
Kitchen Cabinets – Types and Sizes—the Basics

Kitchen cabinets vary in many ways, but also have general standards and types that are used throughout the industry.

The main types of kitchen cabinetry are walls, talls, and base cabinets. Each are usually available in standard depths, such as base cabinets at 24 1/2” deep. Wall cabinets are typical at 12” deep, and usually vary in height at 30”, 33”, 36” and 42”. In some cases these nominal sizes can be adjusted in depth, for instance, deeper wall cabinets at 13” handle larger plates, or height, and these variances can be found in custom cabinetry.

As for talls, heights vary to accommodate varying ceiling heights, needs, and your own ability to access those tops shelves. These choices are typically dependent upon design choices such as hitting the ceiling or soffit, or providing space on top of the cabinetry for the placement of decorative items or to allow for an additional choice of ambient lighting.

Widths and depths of talls also come in various sizes and options, such as drawers or pull outs to better sort items. Full doors with shelving inside also work well to accommodate storage of larger cookware, serving dishes, linens, or bulk items.
Hardware for the Kitchen Cabinet

Knowing what you are getting in kitchen hardware is very helpful in making choices that will affect the enjoyment of your kitchen. A popular and very functional option is heavy duty, full extension glides. This hardware choice provides excellent long term stability and wear, and allows the full box of a drawer to be exposed and accessible when fully extended, in contrast to many standard hardware options. Adding a soft close feature eliminates slamming and gracefully pulls the drawer back into the cabinetry box when the motion of shutting the drawer has begun. Many manufacturers now include these as standard options, but it is possible to retrofit existing cabinetry to accommodate these improved functions.

Older kitchen cabinets are not likely to have these preferred hardware setups, but in a kitchen remodel, the old set up can be switched out with new drawers and hardware. This is a particularly nice option for your cabinetry when considering a kitchen remodel. One thoughtful remodeling option that helps reduce cost and helps the remodel to be completed in a more-timely manner is to consider reusing your existing cabinetry while completely replacing doors and refacing the frames. Kitchen Solvers is a nationwide franchise that offers these types of services and is an industry leader flexible enough to handle most remodeling situations.

Other options for base kitchen cabinets and tall cabinetry include insert kits that are installed and provide mechanical and movable shelving options to maximize every inch of space, and are usually very specific to the type of storage desired.

Roll out inserts replace shelves, are helpful with storage and organization, but can be an annoyance if not properly closed and can add extra wear and tear on the doors in front of them.
Trims

Basic kitchen cabinetry trims include crown, or top molding, and are generally available in a variety of heights ranging from 1 ½” to 5 ¼”, some able to accept additional decoration on the crown molding. This is an excellent choice for a fully detailed kitchen cabinetry design, and provides additional shielding of specialty lights above the kitchen cabinets if so desired.

Light rail trims are installed at the bottom edge of a wall cabinet and come in a variety of sizes—some sized to shield under cabinet lighting, and some to just add detail to the bottom edge of the cabinetry, which softens the harsher unfinished edge. Adjustments in spacing between the cabinetry top and the lower edge of any additional trim should allow for a standard 18” difference of placement between walls and base cabinets.

Other kitchen cabinetry trim packages can include a door style end panel on walls, bases or talls that emphasize the beauty of the design.
Must have Specialty Kitchen Cabinets

Must have kitchen cabinets vary based on your own cooking style, but many favorites include pull out garbage cabinets, recycling cabinets, narrow and divided cookie sheet cabinets, cabinets that specifically are built to accommodate spices and oils, and bread cabinets. Check out additional inserts available such as cutlery divider areas, knife blocks, and pull out chopping blocks located close to garbage areas.

Understanding these cabinetry basics will help you determine what it is that you want to achieve in your own kitchen remodel, and help you look for the best partners to help you achieve your goals in your upcoming kitchen remodel.

And be sure to research Kitchen Remodeling Costs: Get a Return on your Investment if you are thinking about doing a kitchen remodeling project involving your kitchen cabinets.

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