When shopping for kitchen cabinets, take time to ”test drive” products. Top-of-the-line wood cabinets have doors of solid wood or plywood. Hidden sides, backs, shelves and drawer parts can be particle board; it`s a good choice for humid kitchens.
For less money, you`ll find doors and frames of plywood, veneered particle board or wood-grain laminate. A wood-grain effect printed on hardboard means lesser quality.
Inspect the wood grain. On high-quality cabinets, the grain on the doors will match the grain on the frame.
Door and drawer edges should be smooth to the touch.
Drawer construction indicates overall quality. If you pull a drawer out about an inch and let go, it should close itself. Self-closing drawers are mounted on a pair of balanced metal slides with ball-bearing rollers. These are stronger and smoother than nylon slides or the roller mechanisms installed beneath drawers. It`s best to buy drawer slides rated to support 75 pounds or more per pair. When the drawer is fully extended, there should be no side-to- side wavering.
Next, remove a drawer. Drawers assembled with screws and dowels rather than glue and staples indicate quality. Another high-quality fastening method is dovetailing, or the interlocking of joints.
Quality drawer bottoms are made of a material as thick as the sides. Bottom panels in drawers should be glued into grooves in the drawer sides, not just stapled to butt them.
With the drawers out, peek inside the cabinet. Check for corner gussets or blocks in the stress points, such as corners just below the countertop.
Check knobs and door pulls to be sure the shank of the pull is long enough to accommodate your grasp.
Self-closing hinges can be partly visible or hidden. Be certain that hidden hinges are adjustable up and down, right and left, in and out, to keep doors aligned. The hinges should extend beyond 100 degrees to give unhindered access to the cabinet.
