|
How to buy stock and custom wood cabinets
Cabinets &
Environmental
and health questions
Pay attention to the environmental side of
home cabinets. Do not contribute to forest destruction buying
cabinets made of wood originated in forests with non
sustainable management. Prefer cabinets made of
environmentally friendly materials: cabinets made of
FSC-certified
wood are a good option.
Take into account the materials used in the cabinets
construction. Wood, sawdust, bamboo or straw are good
alternatives to pressed wood materials
(particleboard, MDF…), often involving formaldehyde-based resins
that are hazardous and a cause of cancer and respiratory
disorders.
See, for details: Certified FSC Wood
and Cabinets and
Environment
Look for top and reputable manufacturers
Reputable manufacturers will back their
cabinets - either custom or stock - with solid warranties, and are a guarantee of quality.
Look also for manufacturers offering cabinets based on
environmental practices.
See, on this issue:
Cabinet Manufacturers
The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association Seal
Cabinets with the
Kitchen Cabinet
Manufacturers Association (KCMA)
seal offer an extended guarantee of
quality.
The KCMA
has established a set of quality standards and tests covering the several levels of the cabinet's construction: hinges, doors,
corner bracing, finishing details, etc. If a manufacturer wants
the KCMA certification, it has to subject their cabinets to the
KCMA tests…
KCMA
also provide the Environmental Stewardship Program certification
and the correspondent seal, attesting a sound environmental
management and forest sustainable practices.
See, for more information:
Cabinet
Manufacturers
Examine Cabinet Construction and Quality
Be careful when checking stock cabinet
quality and their eventual flaws. A good starting point when
checking quality, is the drawers. See how they extend and how
they are constructed. Study the details of inner surfaces, the fitting
of the pieces, how well drawers glide and the quality of the
runners. If they are of poor quality, beware.
The cabinet doors
are other good element for studying the quality of cabinets. The
edges, the hinges, the way they fit and act are major hallmarks
of quality or non-quality.
Pay also special attention to the finishings.
Finish layers are particularly important – and should be
thick and shouldn't dull or yellow with age.
Professional support for custom cabinets
Some of the bigger manufacturers and stores –
the Home Depot,
IKEA or Lowe’s...
- offer representatives that may visit your home, confirm measurements and discuss options and
configurations for stock, semi-custom and custom cabinet models.
They use computer-generated solutions to
design the cabinets, and installers to verify the plans before
the cabinet construction. The final installation is also insured by
their professionals
Professional advising
You may look for a professional cabinet
design. A good one will offer ideas, and help you find design solutions
either for custom or stock cabinets.
There are many aspects that may reflect your personal style
and preferences, or that depends on your house characteristics
or the way the kitchen opens into the adjacent rooms, but there are
also many arrangements and solutions that may be suggested by
professionals.
Cabinet warranty
Ask for cabinet warranties: the number of
years the warranty covers and the parts of the cabinets the
warranty applies to.
Five years limited warranty on cabinets are
very common.
But there are also some manufacturers offering a wider
warranty: 10 years or even 25 years or a limited lifetime
warranty.
Sometimes, the warranty varies with the
product lines. The same manufacturer offer different warranties
for different products with different qualities.
Anyway,
the most important is not just the number of years. It’s also
the parts of the cabinets covered by the warranty.
Back to top Custom and Stock Wood Cabinets
Return to
Energy-Savings Home Page
|