Selecting Wood Cabinetry

By Emily Nagel, AKBD
Kitchen and Bath Designer

When planning your kitchen or bath remodel, a main feature in terms of both "room real estate" and investment, is your cabinetry. Cabinetry affects the look of a room, often setting the overall tone in terms of style and color. Once the layout and traffic patterns of your room have been designed, the next step is to select your cabinets. This process includes decisions about: Frame and Door Styles, Wood Species, and Finishes. Finally, knowing how to care correctly for your new cabinetry is important to ensure a beautiful, lasting result.

Your Frame options are Frameless, Framed, and Inset. Frameless cabinetry, also known as European cabinetry, does not reveal any of its cabinet case when the doors/drawers are closed. It is a very clean appearance with hidden hinges, and works well with any décor. Because the spaces between door and drawer fronts are very narrow, you need knobs and pulls with Frameless cabinetry. Cabinet hardware is always a smart choice as it protects your cabinet finish from wet/dirty hands while adding personalization to your space. Best of all, the Frameless design creates larger drawers for optimized storage.

Framed cabinetry features wider spaces between door and drawer fronts, allowing the cabinet box frame to show when doors are closed. Hinges can be concealed or visible with this style of cabinetry. You may choose Standard size doors or Overlay doors. Overlay doors reveal less of the frame with doors closed than the Standard size. Knobs and pulls may be optional with this style of cabinet.

Inset cabinetry has door and drawer fronts that sit flush with the cabinetry frames. This is a beautiful style, which recalls Early American or rustic homes. Knobs and pulls are required, and barrel hinges are visible and add to the character. Inset cabinets tend to be a larger investment than Frameless or Framed styles.

Now it's time to select your Door Style. This is where you really begin to reveal the personality of your new kitchen or bath. Will you select a "solid" slab style door to create a clean, monolithic look? Or maybe a 5-piece panel-and-frame style reminiscent of Craftsman architecture? Or the raised center panel with mitered corners that makes you feel like you are in an old English castle? You may select upper cabinets with mullions and glass to provide a built-in, lighted display area. The profile of your door edges will also affect the look of your cabinetry.

Which Wood Species is right for your project? Most new construction in the 1980s and early 90s featured Red Oak cabinetry. Today there are many options, some that follow trends in custom furniture design. Popular hardwoods include Cherry, Alder, Maple, and Hickory. Cherry is a durable, sophisticated wood with a lovely, tight grain; unfinished it has a slightly reddish hue. Alder is used increasingly; it has a golden tone and subtle grain. Maple has a tight grain and a light cream color in its unfinished state. Hickory is a hardwood with an intriguing rustic grain; its natural color is light-medium brown. When Oak is used today, it is often "quarter-sawn" White Oak with a tighter grain than the 1990's style. "Soft" woods used for cabinetry include Hemlock, Fir, and Pine.

Feeling "knotty?" Many of the wood species have a "knotty" offering. Knotty Alder and Knotty Pine are two examples where wood is selected for its naturally-occurring knots and unusual highly-figured grains. These woods can be a wonderful choice to create a rustic or cabin/lodge sensibility. Exotic wood species such as Wenge ("when-gay") and Zebrawood are used as lovely veneers. "Veneer" means a thin slice of the actual wood applied with glue and pressure to a sturdy plywood base. Bamboo is desired by many homeowners because it is both beautiful and a renewable resource.

Cabinetry Finishes can highlight or substantially change the look of your chosen wood species. Finishes include Stain, Paint, Glazing, and Distressing. A "natural" Stain will simply enhance the grain of the wood. Colored stains such as "Nutmeg" or "Walnut" will change the wood color to a darker auburn or brown. Stain can also wash the wood in an entirely different color, for instance, white, pine-green, or "barn-door red." Paint is a multi-step process that imparts a thick, even coloration in your chosen hue. Glazing is a contrasting finish applied over stain or paint then wiped off, leaving high or low-lights in the detailing of the door style and imparting an antiqued look. Distressing, sometimes called Rusticating, adds immediate wear and tear, making your cabinets appear well-loved. Softer woods will distress more heavily than hardwoods. Distressing can include adding light hammer and knife marks, "worm holes," and sanding corners. Finally, all wood surfaces are sealed with an appropriate topcoat or varnish in your chosen sheen, imparting either a glossy or matte finish. Many quality cabinets are offered today with a catalized conversion varnish. This is a relatively new technique that is more durable than earlier formulas.

Care and Maintenance. Care for your cabinets as you would fine furniture in order to ensure their long-lasting beauty. Over time excess moisture and/or heat can deteriorate any finish. In the case of liquid spills, immediately dry cabinets with a clean cloth. Regular cleaning means wiping with a damp cloth, then drying with a dry cloth. Remove grease and general soil with a clean cloth dampened by a fresh solution of mild soap and water. Rinse with a clean, damp cloth and then dry thoroughly. Do not use soap pads, steel wool or cleaners with bleach, ammonia or abrasives as these agents may harm the finish. Do not use your dishcloths to clean/dry cabinets as they may contain detergent or grease residue. Do not wax or polish cabinet surfaces; wax build-up will leave a residue that is hard to remove. Do not use polishes that contain silicone. Do not hang damp dishtowels over the cabinet doors as the moisture can damage the finish. Try to keep cabinets out of direct sunlight or close curtains during the sunniest part of the day. Direct sunlight will cause wood to lighten or darken over time. Try to avoid exposing your cabinets to very hot and cold environments. Extremes in temperature and moisture can cause wood to expand and contract, eventually damaging the finish.

Fine wood cabinetry is a beautiful addition in any room. As you see, selecting the perfect cabinetry for your project is a series of smaller choices. Your experienced Kitchen and Bath Designer will guide you through the process so you can be happy with your new cabinetry for many years to come.