Cabinets

Cabinets come in a wide variety of shapes, finishes, and styles. Quality and durability are about what you see and what you don’t. All cabinets are boxes made of either medium-density fiberboard (MDF,) particleboard, or plywood. MDF and particleboard are mode of ground wood pressed with glue into sheets. The ground wood is larger in particleboard than in MDF, making it somewhat stronger. Plywood is made of thing sheets of wood glued together so that the grain in one layer is perpendicular to the grain in the next, making it the strongest of the three choices. It’s also the most water resistant.

MDF is often covered with a smooth, white or wood-grained resin called melamine. It’s a cheap, cleanable finish, but not as durable as similar-looking laminates. MDF, plywood, and particleboard can be veneered, and once they are, it’s hard to tell them apart. There are both framed and frameless cabinets. Both are equally as durable. Frameless cabinets are easier to build, costing less. Hardware on frameless cabinets allow you to adjust the position of the doors, making it easier to align the tops.