What you need to know Before you purchase Cabinetry - Part 3

The Most Critical Factors In Quality

 In terms of function and durability, the two most critical quality factors are exterior finish and drawer action.

One of the major reasons why Americans remodel their kitchens results from “finish failure”. The mere acids from your hands can deteriorate a lacquer finish around a cabinet door pull, leaving a ”whitened” area. Household spills and residue grease from an inadequate ventilation system can also leave cabinet surfaces in a sticky state.

The best wood cabinet finishes use a multiple step process of sanding, sealing, hand-wipe staining, finish coating of conversion varnish, and baking in an oven. Because local cabinet shops usually lack the capital to invest in state-of-the-art finishing equipment, the finishes on their products are the most suspect. Indeed, it is the “shop-built” variety that is the most frequently removed quality grade in kitchen remodeling projects.

  

As for drawers, look for those with smooth sliding action and a positive closure. Make sure the “drawer box’ is sturdily built and well joined at the corners. Take the drawer out of cabinet and turn it over to see how it is constructed. Press your fingers against the bottom of the drawer body to see how much “flex’ there is.

  

Since drawers take the weight of heavy utensils and pots, and are subject to a great deal of everyday “slamming shut”, they need to be functionally sound. Like the exterior cabinet finish, they are among the first to show signs of wear and tear in a kitchen. Choose a cabinet quality with a good drawer system.

 How The Intangibility Factor Affects Your Satisfaction

 A set of beautiful cabinets is much more of an intangible product than a tangible one. Unlike a refrigerator, car, or sofa, it does not come off an assembly line as a finished product. Cabinetry must be installed in your home from a dizzying number of individual parts according to a detailed set of blueprints and specifications.

  

The human element will have a huge impact on your level of satisfaction. For example, a professional Designer can create a dramatic plan using a relatively inexpensive Production grade cabinet line. Then, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, that unique design can be given a ‘fit and finish’ that could make the Production grade cabinetry look like it is worth thousands more.

Conversely, Luxury grade cabinetry designed by relatively inexperienced personnel could become your worst nightmare. The only tangible result might be an inferior-looking project with a very poor return on your investment. The worst part is finding out too late when the cost of making a change is insurmountable.

When it comes to choosing cabinetry, your best insurance policy, regardless of the brand name or quality grade, is the selection of a professional kitchen firm with a qualified staff and the right services. Find someone with whom you feel comfortable, takes an ‘educational approach’ as a ‘working partner’ in the project, furnishes objective advice, has strong references, and offers proof of the value of his services. Without question, the quality of the people used at all stages of the project - measuring, designing, ordering, scheduling, and installing - will ultimately determine the degree of quality and value you receive from your cabinet investment.



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