After countertops one question that keeps bugging remodelers while redoing the kitchen is what type of cabinet they should choose. With so many new materials in the market, choosing a cabinet for your kitchen has become harder than ever.
Solid wood kitchen cabinets have emerged as the best option over a long time but with cheaper and equally the good option like veneer, MDF, particle boards, plywood and much more the question is why should anyone prefer solid wood cabinets?
Classy cabinetry can really define the look of your kitchen, so this decision must be a very well thought one. Since solid wood cabinets have been around for a long time and don’t seem to lose popularity, we decided to tell you why homeowners and designers have preferred them for such a long time.
Advantages Of Solid Wood
1. Durability
This may depend on the kind of wood chosen but mostly all types of wood have a long life. High end woods are even more durable than the cheaper options and they can sustain some wear and tear too!
2. Attractive
With all its natural graining and colors wood is absolutely stunning! The timeless, natural, and classical look that solid wood cabinets give to a kitchen are unmatchable. The warmth of wood and cozy feeling it brings to your kitchen makes it attractive for everyone. Different types of wood can offer a unique style in every kitchen.
3. Customizable
The problem often faced with the new materials is their lack of customization. With wood your contractor could make it any shape, size or design according to your kitchen. The different types of wood make the customization even more easy and they don’t even require intensive labor like other new materials which require certain technique and equipment.
4. Variety
There are many different types of wood available in the market with different prices depending on their longevity, appearance, and durability. It is this variety in wood that makes it a preferred material. Some common types of wood used for cabinets are:
- Maple, a light-colored wood with a grainy texture.
- Oak, naturally embellished with streaks and knots which further beautify after polish.
- Hickory, a very unique kind of wood, with well-defined grain and darker color to add more warmth to your kitchen.
- Cherry, known as one of the most durable kinds of wood but it is known to change color slowly upon exposure to light.
- Pine, a softwood which faces much more wear and tear as compared to other types, but it is still preferred because of its traditional outlook.
These are some of the common advantages of wood and the reason for it being an all time favorite. On the contrary, the shift towards other materials may be gradual but it is happening and not because suddenly the wood quality is deteriorating but because the newer materials provide all the same things at a lower price!
Cheaper Versions Of Wood
1. MDF
For example, MDF has recently gained a lot of popularity due to its budget friendly nature yet a similar strength of solid wood. MDF is an engineered wood made with wood fiber, resin, and wax. The fact that it is made with such fine particles means that it can provide a much smoother finish and if you plan on having a high gloss polish done or painted then these are the best choice!
Just like wood it offers easy customization and even ready-made doors which only need to be fixed and most importantly for bigger projects a large piece is available without any visibly showing joints. Lastly, they are obviously cheaper and still offer strength and even a longer life with the right maintenance.
2. Veneer
Another competitor of solid is veneer, it is made with two types of wood where a good quality hard wood is glued on top of the cheaper kind of wood used for the main body. So, the cabinet is still adding the classical woody look to your kitchen but at a much lower price! The surface can be sanded and repaired just like solid wood, but the problem is durability, with a cheaper wood at its base this type of cabinet is not going to last you long. There are complaints that veneer cabinets have warped over time so it may be a cheap alternative but it’s not the best one.
Other materials like plywood and particle boards have also eroded the market but the reason that solid wood cabinets are still preferred is simple; they may require a higher initial investment but after that, you don’t have to spend anything on them for a long time other than just routine maintenance. Other than this, they enhance the value of your property in case you decide to rent or sell your house.
This is why solid wood has always been our number one preference and we suggest that if you’re building your own home give yourself the gift of good cabinets and save yourself a lot of trouble in the future.