Judging Quality

If you are looking to buy new cabinets for your home, you are about to make an investment into your home.  The cabinets should be built with a durability to last a lifetime.   Making sure you invest your money into a product that will stand up to use and time is important.   There are so many options out there when choosing cabinetry and furniture.  How can you know for sure you are getting quality, durable cabinetry and furniture?  It seems to look ok, but what is holding the drawers together and how long can you expect it to last?  What is the cabinet box made of?  Are the hinges and slides going to hold of for the type of use you are going to plan for the drawer?  These are questions you must think about before buying your cabinetry. 

Let’s first look at the cabinet box.  Most cabinet boxes are made with different types of plywood or particle board and in some cases can be made from solid wood lumber pieced together.   Typically the cheaper the cabinet you will find that the manufacture uses particle board, MDF (medium density fiberboard), and melamine.   With particle board cabinet boxes you will have a weak foundation and it will likely twist and warp.  You will find that with particle board you are more likely have water damage from moisture.  Once the cabinet starts to retain moisture the wood swells, will start to split and break, and you will have to replace the cabinet.  There are no easy fixes to particle board cabinetry.  Now a good option to choose would be hardwood plywood.   It comes is so many different species options.  In our cabinet making we’ve used plywood species all way the from birch plywood to black walnut.  The higher the grade of wood the more you will pay.  Example,  you may want cherry cabinets, but are staying on a budget.  You can choose birch plywood boxes to cut down on the cost without cutting aesthetics.  (another tip… looking for cherry cabinets but find them too pricey?  Have you considered using alder?  Alder mimics cherry so closely you won’t be able to tell the difference!  Ask one of our customers, they have people commenting on their beautiful cherry cabinets all the time!  The truth be told they are really alder wood!)

Drawer boxes are just as crucial when choosing cabinets.   The way a drawer box is assembled effects everything from the way it sits level in the space to how long it will last you and how much weight it should actually hold.  There are many different ways they are assembled.  Standard stock boxes (picture to the left)  are glued together and typically stabled or a small nail shot into them.  These are boxes that fall apart in a short time and can hold little weight because they are typically made of particle board as well.   Dovetail joined drawer boxes are a must when choosing cabinets (actually if you purchase cabinets from BR Wood Design this is our standard drawer box made with hardwood and a hardwood plywood bottom) Dovetail joinery is one of the strongest drawer boxes you will find, not to mention one of the prettiest.  As you can see the picture to the right exhibits the dovetail joined box which proves to be a quality box by the way each panel is connected together giving it strength.   

Cabinet hardware is also a step not to glance over quickly.  When choosing your hinges, drawer slides, etc… get the specifications on them.    If you plan to put your pots and pans or plates in a drawer, you will want to choose a drawer slide that supports the weight of what you are putting in the drawer.  There are other nice options to consider like soft close drawer slides, or drawer slides that mount under the drawer box (undermount slides), invisible hinges if you don’t want to see the hinge when the doors are shut, and so many other options.   
                                                         

I can not stress enough to know before you buy what you are getting.  Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, in fact come prepared with questions in hand about what you can expect from there cabinetry.  

Here are a few things to ask for:

1.  Samples of the craftsman work. 

2.  Referrals.

3.  Options available.

4.  Standard materials used.

5.  Delivery Time.

6.  Who installs them for you. 

7.  Warranty and what it covers.

8.  Estimate of how much the complete job will cost.

Buying quality handcrafted American made cabinetry is a great way to enhance your home without breaking the bank.  If we can assist you in anyway, please call or email us.  We are happy to give help to those living in the local Michigan area and those of of state.    If you have a just have a question, call BR Wood Design!  If you are looking to have some work done and need a quote,  call BR Wood Design!    Support the small businesses in your area and ask for your quote today!    

BR Wood Design is a full service custom wood working shop located in Clarkston, Michigan 48348.  We are happy to not only service areas like Oakland County, Macomb county, Genesee County, Livingston county, Washtenaw County, Wayne county, but all over the state of Michigan.  We have done work as far as Illinois should the need arise. 

This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 4:15 pm and is filed under Judging Quality. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.