A Guide to the Most Popular Kitchen Cabinet Materials

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Choosing the best kitchen cabinet for your home doesn’t have to be too time-consuming as most people might think. While it’s not wrong to give emphasis on your budget when planning a kitchen remodeling project, it’s also equally important for you to consider the quality of the cabinets that you’re going to purchase. The most important factor for you to consider in this aspect is the cabinet material.

Though kitchen cabinets are generally constructed from wooden materials, it doesn’t mean that they all exhibit the same qualities. If you’re planning to avail the service of a kitchen remodeling or refacing company pretty soon, you must be aware of the most popular materials for kitchen cabinet today:

Hardwood

Using hardwood for cabinets has been a commonplace ever since the dawn of the kitchen cabinet industry. An excellent material due to its beautiful color, texture, as well as natural grain pattern.

Hardwood also has low-maintenance features and can be easily refinished which helps conceal dents, scratches, and watermarks. A perfect fit for kitchen cabinets indeed.

Here are several varieties of hardwood kitchen cabinets to choose from:

• Maple – This hardwood material is imbued with smooth texture combined with uniform gray patterns. Colors of maple may range from bright white to light pink or reddish-brown.
• Cherry – A solid-looking material that still possesses ideal color hues such as light pink and dark brown.
• Oak – Might contain some traces of mineral streaks in its surface and are quite famous for its varied gray patterns which are distinctive with maple.
• Birch – Has a durable surface with gray patterns that may vary from curly to wavy.

Wood Veneer

A cheaper option than hardwood material, wood veneers differs a lot to other kitchen cabinet materials in terms of its manufacturing process. Wood veneers are also made by hardwood, though they are peeled into a thin layer before being glued and pressed to MDF to create flat panels. Wood veneers are often used as cabinet sides and flat center panels, a suitable purpose for its stability and lightweight qualities.

Plywood

Plywood is a stable and rigid material. It was specially designed to resist potential damages that might come from dents, blow-outs, sagging, and dings. It can as well withstand more moisture and has a lesser chance of eventual warping and shrinking.

MDF

Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an example of an engineered wood product formed by breaking down soft and hardwood residues and turn it into wood fiber. Most MDF is cheaper and denser than plywood, making it an alternative choice in case you don’t prefer plywood for your kitchen cabinets. If you live in a place where there’s usually a sudden change in temperature, this is definitely the best choice for you. MDF is good at adapting to any temperature changes and it also sports a smooth surface.