As you do your Houston kitchen remodeling and have cabinets made, having an understanding of the different components will come in handy.

Houston Kitchen Remodeling Components

Doors

Many doors, which the cabinet dealer advertises as solid wood may not be. If it were solid wood then it is vulnerable to warpage. This can be avoided one of 2 ways. The center panel could be that dreaded particle board with a real wood veneer outer layer or the center panel could be made up of one inch wide pieces of solid wood all glued together with alternating wood patterns. The outside pieces of the door are called stiles (sides) and rails (tops and bottoms) will always be solid wood stock. To further avoid warpage, shrinkage and expansion of the panel, A floating center panel will also be used. The panel floats inside the groove of the stiles and rails. If it were glued to the door frame, the panel would expand under high moisture times and blow the stiles and rails apart. So the center panel sits in its door frame and floats according to humidity levels. Space balls are wedged into this groove for easy movement.

There are 2 types of cabinet door construction. Mitered, meaning joining the door frame with 45 degree angles and cope and stick meaning the stiles (sides) extend top to bottom and the rails (tops and bottoms) die into the stiles. with cope and stick you see exposed end grain at the top and bottom. Cope and stick are held together with a decorative profile edge which mate each other. Cope and stick probably is a bit stronger then a mitered door and usually costs a little bit more.

Drawers

The drawers will likely be made of solid wood or particle board with a melamine vinyl coating. The solid wood is usually maple and will be held together with a dovetail joint. A particle board drawer box will usually be a simple lap joint or butt joint held with staples and or glue. Particle board boxes will usually be half inch thick while solid maple drawer boxes are usually 5/8th thick. Solid drawers also usually come with upgraded heavy duty undermount drawer guides as opposed to side mounted and these days usually have soft close feature as standard. Side or undermount drawer guides should have tabs that poke into holes in the back of the cabinet box. If the drawer guides are only stapled into the back of the box then you can be assured that box is of the cheapest construction

Door Styles

Besides the wood species, you’ll want to consider different door shapes and styles. Among cabinets made by manufacturers like Merillat kitchen cabinets, etc, hundreds of door styles in an endless array of finishes may be offered by one, while another may offer a very small selection. Search for shapes and materials that contribute to, rather than detract from, your overall style preference.

Your options for cabinet door style in a Houston kitchen remodeling include:
Laminate doors come in all kinds of colors, patterns, and textures. Its durable, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. But it can be hard to repair if it chips because its made of layers and pressed under heat…kinda like sheets of kraft paper (like that used in grocery bags), a decorative paper, and a plastic coating. The layers are all pressed together under high heat.

The kraft paper leaves a brown edge that can be covered and dressed up with a stainless steel, brass, or wood trim which is pretty much the 60s way. This brown edge is a tell-tale sign it’s laminate. . Solid-color laminate offers a slightly more expensive alternative that uses plastic sheets of the same color throughout so that no dark edges show.

Wood veneer is made from peeling strips of wood off a tree like you pull paper towels off a roll. As a result, its much thinner than solid wood and is typically applied to plywood or particleboard to give it strength. It has two main advantages over solid wood: It can cost less and its grain can be more consistent. It also is less affected by humidity and temperature than solid wood. This is what you really get when a cabinet dealer advertises solid all wood. It is the truth but only a half truth.

Wood veneer for your Houston kitchen remodeling also makes an attractive option for wood kitchen cabinets interiors visible through glass doors but otherwise melamine is just fine for cabinet box interiors.