Custom Kitchen Cabinets Houston Deals

When looking to buy from custom kitchen cabinets Houston stores, there are important general things to note. First, you may be surprised to learn there is no such thing as an all-wood cabinet. The only solid wood used is to make face frames, drawer faces and….sometimes doors. Solid wood tends to warp. This is a special concern in the kitchen where the moisture level changes frequently. Open the dishwasher door or boiling water steam can play havoc on cabinets. All wood kitchen cabinets mean the box carcus is a 5 or 7 ply plywood. Plywood is made by layering thin layers of wood each new layer is laid with the grain going in the opposite direction then the one next to it. They are glued together and pressed. The very outer layer will have a layer of paper-thin veneer of the wood species, (maple, cherry, oak, maple etc.), chosen for the cabinet. The wood plys by themselves are ugly unusable wood. These plys will remain stable forever in small sized parts such as in the construction of a cabinet box.

Using the term “all wood” to include plywood is the worst kind of uneducated snobbery designed to force consumers into “upgrading” unnecessarily. Particle board isn’t any less “all wood” than plywood is! It’s just smaller particles, (thus the origination of the name), VS very thin sheets of veneers. In a flood situation, plywood is NOT any more resistant to moisture damage than particle board is. Some grades of plywood delaminate quite easily. It’s all about the grade of each product and the glues that hold it together. The furniture board particle board plywood isn’t the 16 PSI that those round “decorator tables” that you buy from WalMart are made of. That type of particle board DOES fall apart almost instantly when exposed to water.

Furniture board/industrial grade particle board like the ones from a Kraftmaid kitchen cabinet as well as those from other major manufacturers, is made from much better glues and uses much higher pressures to set it. It’s so much more “all wood” than plywood is that it is a LOT heavier than plywood! It wears just as well as plywood boxes if the proper construction techniques are used for each type of material. There really isn’t a detectible difference to the end product at all once it’s installed.

By the way, if you want a matching interior, veneer actually installs and lays much better over MDF than plywood. And, veneer is “real wood” too!

“Upgrading” to plywood is money pulled out of your pocket and put into the pocket of the manufacturer and showroom. I NEVER suggest plywood to any of my customers. I always suggest putting that money into organizational conveniences that will make a difference how you live! That IS money worth spending!

Particle board sides are more stable then plywood. Particle board box construction will save you about 30% off the cost of an all wood kitchen. Particle board typically contain wood chips, other wood by-products, and synthetic additives to make them especially strong and warp resistant. Medium-density fiberboard, (MDF), has gained a following for its ability to be formed into door and drawer heads and other decorative features. One big negative is MDF is quite heavy.

To buy from custom kitchen cabinets Houston stores and still get the wood look, I recommend buying particle board construction boxes and skinning the exposed ends with real wood. All cabinet manufacturers make a wood skin already pre-cut to size for uppers and lowers. A quality box will have the face frame extend past the sides a quarter inch. We call this the ear. You glue and staple the 3/16″ wood skin to the side and behind this ear. Now you can tell everyone you have an all-wood kitchen and no one can tell. Take the money saved and buy some nice options like crown or under cabinet moldings. Finally a good solid box will have all the parts held together with hot melt glue. Staples are often found along with the glue but an all stapled box will come apart in short order. Look inside the cabinet doors.