New Cabinet Tip

The single most important thing to consider before investing in kitchen cabinets, says Robert Battles, supervisor of the kitchen and bath department at The Home Depot in Orange County, is to check out your floor.

Leaking sinks can make a kitchen floor spongy, especially where there are floors laid over floors in old houses, he says. So look at the floor and the stability of the joists before you even come into the store. Replacing joists can be a very expensive task.

Here are more things to consider when choosing cabinets.

1. Woods and finishes: Maple is one of the hardest woods and is very durable; cherry has beautiful grain, but is softer. Stainless-steel cabinets, which are expensive, are mostly used as accent pieces in a kitchen with wood or laminate cabinets, says Lena Simms, a Certified Kitchen Designer.

You can narrow the choices of wood finishes by observing other finishes in the kitchen and adjoining rooms, says Paul Radoy, design services manager at cabinetmaker Merillat. Cabinet finishes need to be compatible or contrasting.