I had a cookbook holder, but I stopped using it because it was very unwieldy. I really like this idea. The holder attaches under the kitchen cabinet and swings out when needed. The front ledge holds the pages back and also is magnetic, so you can attach other recipes to it. When you are done, the cookbook holder folds back under the cabinet.

At Umbra Cooknook Cookbook Holder

On top of this, there are a number of terms and descriptions used to classify cabinets styles and manufacturing techniques.

Listed below are some of the more common terms used when buying cabinets, and it is hoped that this list will be added to in the near future.

Overlay: The term overlay refers to how the door covers the frame of the cabinet. There are basically two different types of overlays.

Standard-overlay means you see the frame around the door and full-overlay means that the door covers the frame. In essence the door is larger on a full overlay cabinet.

Thermal-Foil: Thermal-foil is a vinyl that is applied over a MDF (medium density fiberboard) door using a heat process. It is used for white or off-white doors. It is very easy to clean and is durable.

MDF Door: MDF doors are made of medium density fiberboard, which can be routed into a raised panel design. They can be thermal-foiled, stained or painted in a solid color.

The advantage of choosing [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)

The humidity and temperature outside have an effect on your solid wooden kitchen doors, but the biggest influence comes from the changes in temperature and humidity in the kitchen.

Veneer can also give a more uniform look to the fronts (if this is what you want) as the pieces of wood used are cut from a larger piece in thin strips to cover all the doors.

Wood itself is available in all kinds of colors, but it can also be glossed, painted, colour washed or waxed to give it the finish you prefer. Look at the pictures on this site and on the Internet for more ideas and examples.

Cabinet Woods

Pine: Has a casual, rustic look, some graining, color variation and knotholes. It is the softest of cabinet woods, so hinges may need to be tightened periodically as they tend to pull out of the wood after use.

Oak: Has a casual look, a lot of graining and an even color tone when stained. It [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)

Each has its advantages and disadvantages and it is worth spending some time researching the numerous options.

Wood doors are covered in the next section due the the large number of combinations of styles and colors available.

Laminate

Laminate cabinet doors can have endless possibilities in color, texture and shine.

You can go for a soft look with creamy colours and a matt finish, or, if you want to make a real statement, choose Italian-style with glossy fronts and bold colors.

A great advantage of laminate cabinets is that they are virtually maintenance-free. Wood is a natural product and prone to changes in temperature and humidity and needs a lot of care, but laminate only needs to be wiped clean occasionally.

Laminate doors suffer from a lot less wear and tear than laminate countertops and should stay looking good for a long time.

Glass

Large expanses of wood or laminate in a kitchen can look good sometimes but if you want to break up the monotony, glass doors can be [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)

Keep in mind that, whichever material you choose to use for your cabinets, durability and low maintenance have to be the key to your choice.

As most of the cabinet carcasses nowadays are made of particleboard or chipboard, the only thing you have to worry about is the finish of the cabinet doors.

First of all it is important to choose which material you want to use. In this section, the different finishes and their possibilities will be explained.

Door Styles

There are a number of door styles, such as the following:

Raised panel doors are available in a square, roman arch or cathedral arch style. The drawer fronts are offered flat or also with a raised panel. Styles range from simple to beveled, or grooved with added details. The arch or [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)

All have their own advantages and disadvantages.

There are the three basic classifications of cabinet manufacturing: Stock, Semi-Custom & Custom, and this can be further subdivided into Framed and Frameless.

Pricing will vary depending on your layout, the manufacturer, wood, finish, door style and the interior accessories you select.

Stock

Lowest price range

Limited selection of door styles, woods and stain colors. Solid woods and veneers are both used. Wood selection is usually oak, hickory, maple, cherry and MDF doors in white or off-white thermal-foils (see ‘Kitchen Cabinet Terminology’ below).

Usually offers three different grades of construction. Standard consists of particleboard sides and a 4-sided drawer box that is dadoed, stapled and glued. Mid-range upgrades the drawer box to wood with dovetailed joints and usually thicker shelves in the wall cabinets. Best offers all this plus plywood sides instead of particleboard. Hinges used are concealed, drawer glides are an epoxy side-mount. The finish is machine sprayed and sanded (finish quality will vary between various stock lines)

Cabinets are pre-made in standard sizes [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)

Framed cabinets are available as a standard-overlay or as a full-overlay (see ‘Kitchen Cabinet Terminology’ below).

Frameless cabinets have no front frame, the door attaches directly to the box itself.

The advantage to frameless cabinets is you end up with a little more interior space and larger drawer boxes.

The disadvantage is that they have zero tolerance if any adjustments need to be made.

Framed cabinets are more forgiving and much easier to install.

Now you’ve chosen the design of your kitchen cabinets and worktops, the next thing is to choose the materials and the colors of your walls.

The most common materials for the kitchen walls are paint, wallpaper and tiles.

Paint

Paint is the cheapest and fastest way to transform the feeling of your kitchen, however, you need to have good surfaces to paint on (i.e. no holes or cracks which will show through the paint).

If your walls aren’t smooth enough, then you can line the walls with lining paper first (a special kind of wallpaper), and paint on top of that. There are also many decorative and faux paint finishes that look good in the kitchen (and which you can do yourself). Talk to your designer about this.

Wallpaper

Regular wallpaper is a more expensive option than paint but it can give just a little more character as it comes in a large variety of patterns as well as colors. When you use wallpapers and paints for your kitchen walls make sure these are specially made for the kitchen as these will be more resistant to humidity and will be easy to clean.

//

(click here to continue reading ››)

There are so many choices where cabinets are concerned, such as the door materials, style, color, frames, etc., and so much variation in price that the whole area can be confusing at times.

Hopefully, this section should give you a good place to start.

You may also want to consider the option of having your cabinets refaced. You will be surprised at the results you can achieve by doing this, and also how inexpensive it is, especially if you can find a good deal with a reputable company.

Definitely check it out first, get some quotes and see if makes sense for you. There are plenty of good cabinet refacing advice sites out there.

Cabinet Manufacturing Classifications

The first decision when selecting cabinets is whether to go for stock cabinets, semi-custom, custom units or frameless cabinets. All have their own advantages and disadvantages.

There are the three basic classifications of cabinet manufacturing: Stock, Semi-Custom & Custom, and this can be further subdivided into Framed and Frameless. Pricing will vary depending on your layout, the manufacturer, wood, finish, door style and the interior accessories you select.

Stock

Lowest price range.

Limited selection of door styles, woods [...]

(click here to continue reading ››)