Select the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets

To make the right choice when you purchase kitchen cabinets, you need to know about your options.

Traditional cabinets use face frames--a visible frame around the doors and drawers. Cabinets that have no frames, also called European or international, have doors and drawers that are flush. And unlike face-frame cabinets, the hinges are concealed.

When you decide which type of cabinet will look best in your kitchen, you'll need to figure the size. Here, manufacturers make it easy. Stock and modular cabinets are sold in standard heights, with widths that run in three-inch increments.

Knowing what material the cabinets are made of also is important. Most are built with solid wood. But the words "solid wood" often refer not only to the genuine woods, but to particle board that's been covered by wood veneers. Many cabinets are made with a combination of both.

This feature can be a plus. Some experts feel that particle board offers more stability for a cabinet box than solid wood does. So, particle board is used for the inside of the cabinets, and real wood is used on the doors and frames. The sides feature a wood veneer over particle board. On the inside, the particle board usually is covered with a vinyl veneer.

Today, you'll find well-made hinges and drawer glides on both inexpensive and expensive cabinets. But that's where the similarities end. Generally you get what you pay for. Lower priced cabinets will use vinyl on the outside of the cabinets. More expensive cabinets also will have vinyl, but usually just on the inside, and they have a thicker veneer.

The wood varies, too. When you touch the wood of expensive cabinets, it feels more durable because it's thicker. The finish will be smoother, too, because more varnish is used. Better quality cabinets feature tight and smooth joints that hide nails.

While you're inspecting cabinets, make sure staples, nails and other connectors don’t protrude. Test the drawers. You’ll be sliding them in and out for years to come. If they wobble now, someday they may bow or bend.

Possible rental tools: power miter saw to more accurately install cabinets quickly.