Cabinet Buying Small and Big Budgets

Expert Cabinet Buying Advice

This week we felt that a note on making specific cabinet purchases should be in order with the last push to remodel your home before the holidays arrive. Enjoy.

This year people in Orange County, California, along with people from all across the country, will be remodeling their kitchens and/or bathrooms and looking for the perfect cabinets to compliment their rooms. The cabinets in your kitchen will have the greatest overall affect on the room visually. The choices in cabinet buying are overwhelming. Along with prices, cabinets come in a huge variety of sizes, materials, shapes, styles and colors. They also range from inexpensive ‘assemble your own cabinets’ to the extremely expensive high-end cabinets and custom made cabinets. Before you begin shopping for cabinets, ask many questions, research and have some idea of what you are looking for. A good place to start for remodeling ideas is www.orangecountycabinets.net.

Custom Cabinets

• Specifically made for the kitchen and/or bathroom where they are being installed

• Designed and built to your specifications from scratch

• Custom cabinets are more expensive as you are paying for the experience, time, personal attention and workmanship of a custom cabinet maker

• Finishes are perfect and spectacular

• Waiting period while they are being designed and build

Stock Cabinets
Standard sizes and manufactured before they are ordered – shipped to distributors, dealers or kept as inventory until they are sold

Less expensive than custom cabinets

Quick delivery time

Upgrades and standard modifications at additional costs

Frameless Cabinets
Unframed or frameless cabinets do not have any stiles or outer frames. The door, with only a thin reveal between them, covers the entire cabinet box. Not only do you have easy access to the contents inside the cabinet, they look very solid and modern. Frameless are often used with European style cabinets.

Face-Frame Cabinets The most common cabinets used in homes are face-frame. They have a hardwood frame on the outside of the cabinet. This frame covers the unfinished particleboard or plywood sides. It also makes the cabinet more rigid so they have a strong foundation for attaching the hinges. They need no top panel on base cabinets because the face-frame is strong so thin plywood backs are all that is necessary.

Design Styles
Here are a few of the many design styles available:

Traditional – These cabinets are very elegant, formal, with a warm finish and usually rich in decorative detail such as ornate Victorian accents or raised panels. Trim and moldings put on in layers add to the overall look. Traditional cabinets come in an assortment of woods and finishes. Some of the classic combination finishes are:

Exquisite formal setting – dark cherry/wine

English country – honey pine

Prairie style – brown oak or painted

Contemporary – These cabinets, when exquisitely crafted from lovely hardwoods, can fit almost any decorating style. Contemporary cabinets also: Sleek, uncluttered look, clean lines, unadorned

Plain panel doors

Hidden or unnoticeable hardware

Look wonderful with stainless steel sinks, glass shelves, sculptural metal accents


Country – Usually features distressed-color or light stain finish. Country cabinets feature plain cabinets and doors.

Carefully look at all options when purchasing new kitchen and/or bathroom cabinets. Your finished kitchen will be a reflection of you so having it turn out just the way you imagined is important. New cabinets also give you a chance to change things you did not like about your old cabinets and add new elements that you have always wanted.

As both kitchen and bathroom remodels are huge undertakings, hire a designer. They can:

Save you time because they have access to great sources and can recognize your needs

Save you money by preventing mistakes that are costly

Help you realize and define your own style

Enjoy your cabinet shopping and make the kitchen and bathroom of your dreams come true.