Revamping Your Kitchen Cabinets
Posted: Thursday, July 27, 2006
by Annie Endwhistle
Ane Kitchen Cabinets
The kitchen cabinet the centerpiece of any cutting-edge kitchen design. This applies to revamped kitchens just as much as brand new set ups. Proper cabinet planning and installation is a tricky business and it is often wise to involve experts from the start of your planning process. A fully clued-up pro can help with the practicalities of cabinet placement, will ensure you use the available space in the best way, and will be able to tell you exactly how many units will be needed to meet your requirements. The other bonus that comes with professional help is the better prices they can get for top of the range hardware.
Not all kitchen cabinets are made in the same way. Some manufacturers will work directly with the customer to build custom or semi-custom cabinetry made from customer specified material. But not all kitchen cabinetry can be customized so some cabinets are only sold from stock at places like a home center or wholesaler. The biggest request for semi-customization is the cabinet doors. Many times, a builder will allow the customer to pick from a few popular stains such as cherry, blond or maple. This is especially true if the new kitchen cabinetry is going into a model style home in a new development. The reason for this limited choice is the contractor has already purchased the back of the cabinetry in bulk from a wholesaler and the deal also included custom ordering only from a narrow selection of cabinet doors from that wholesaler.
If your choices are not restricted in any way you will have lots of materials to choose from which can include the whole cabinet or just the door fronts. Some choices could include:
- Metal
- Decorative laminate
- Walnut
- Alder
- Poplar
- Ash
- Pine
- Oak
- Birch
- Maple
- Hickory
When you pick out kitchen cabinets on your own or even with an expert, ask if the kitchen cabinet brands are approved by the KCMA (Kitchen Cabinets Manufacturing Association), and have the KCMA seal on the inside of the cabinet. Only kitchen cabinet manufacturers from the United States and Canada that have passed rigorous testing on each and every brand that is manufactured by an approved company can display this seal. You can tell the manufacturer by the code on the seal. Below are kitchen cabinet manufacturers and their codes currently approved by KCMA:
- American Woodmark Corporation, Code X.
- MasterBrand Cabinets, Code MBCI.
- Continental Cabinets, Inc., Code CC.
- De Pere Cabinets, Inc., Code PJB.
- MasterBrand/HomeCrest Cabinetry, Code HA.
- Kitchen Kompact, Inc., Code I.
- Republic/Legacy Cabinets Inc., Code LE.
- Prestige Acquisition Corp., Code PI.
- Republic Industries, Inc., Code RI.
- Rosebud Manufacturing Co., Code RK.
- Armstrong Cabinet Products, Code H.
- Eurocraft, Code EUC.
- Texwood Industries, LP, Code QJ.
- KraftMaid Cabinetry, Inc., Code GA.
You can get plenty more kitchen cabinet ideas in the big kitchen sections of your local department stores. But why not save time by starting at anekitchencabinets.com
Copyright 2006 Annie Endwhistle. All rights reserved.
Annie Endwhistle's new website Ane Kitchen Cabinets makes it easy for visitors to check their options, find example design, and get help locally. If you are planning to upgrade your kitchen, don't miss out on Annie's helpful site:
http://www.anekitchencabinets.com/
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