Holliston June 2016

Page 10 Local Town Pages www.hollistontownnews.com June 2016
Kitchen Cabinet Selection 101
1. Custom or Manufactured
– This is your first decision when
selecting cabinets. There are pros
and cons with both. Custom cabinets
are typically the more expensive
choice (however, not always so
some homework may be needed
here), but will better utilize the
space available and you can control
the details and enhancements
more. Also, a custom finish will
have more personality; more of a
human touch than a factory finish.
However, a factory finish will
last longer in most cases and some
cabinet manufacturers offer so
many modifications, that it is easier
today to achieve a more custom
look with manufactured cabinets
than in the past. Fillers are still a
necessary evil with manufactured
cabinets that you can avoid with
custom, because width options
are still limited with manufactured
cabinets.
2. Species and Finish – This
topic assumes you are using wood
– cabinets can be made from other
materials too: laminate and Thermofoil
are two materials used for
cabinets that are not wood. These
use different manufacturing methods
to make the cabinet look like
wood yet is more durable and
resistant to humidity, nicks and
scratches. We typically reserve
these two types of cabinets for
more commercial uses or more
industrial areas of the home. By
far, the vast majority of cabinets in
residential kitchens in New England
today are wood. The three
most common species of hard
wood used in kitchen cabinets are:
cherry, maple and oak. They all
have distinctively different appearances.
Cherry is naturally darker
with a dense, smooth grain. Maple
is very light with a similar, dense
smooth grain and oak is a medium
color tone with a definite open
grain that can also be felt on the
surface. Cherry tends to cost more
than the other two and develops a
deeper, redder coloring with age
which is very beautiful, so staining
cherry is the most popular method
of finishing this species. Maple is
also beautiful and stains evenly. It
will age to a deeper pinky-golden
yellow to orange tone which is
beautiful, but not as rich as cherry.
Maple is also popular to paint
because it is priced well and the
grain is hidden within the surface,
resulting in a smooth, painted finish.
When making these decisions,
keep in mind that painted finishes
come with an upcharge, whether
you are going custom or manufactured.
Oak is less popular than
maple or cherry but can be used
to create a more traditional look
or in other ways, such as combining
with a modern door style
and painted so the grain shows
through to create a more unique,
updated look. The number of
stain and paint colors, combined
with many glaze colors (and distressing
options) make the choices
overwhelming - your kitchen designer
will help to narrow this
down and show you samples of all
of the possibilities!
3. Frame style – Full overlay,
partial overlay or inset: full overlay
is where the door covers the face
frame (leaving only ¼” reveal for
door/drawer operation) like the
European style. Partial overlay is
where the face frame is exposed
by at least an inch around the
door/drawer. Inset is where the
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door is actually inset within the
face frame. Full overlay is very
popular and can be used to create
more contemporary looks
but can be used to create a traditional
style kitchen as well (depending
on the door style and
finish selected). Inset is typically
used to create a shaker, farmhouse
or more traditional look,
but can be paired with a modern
door style for a fresh, updated
look. Generally, inset is more expensive
than the other two frame
styles.
4. Door Style – Once you have
decided on species, color and
frame style, the door style is an
important decision: it will set the
style for the kitchen and also can
significantly affect pricing. Some
general guidelines: flat profile,
shaker and flat center panel doors
create a more contemporary, classic
or transitional style. Raised
panel doors are used to create traditional
style kitchens. Of course,
molding styles, hardware and
other embellishments further contribute
to the specific style you are
going for. Also consider the drawer
heads: some will come flat or plain
and some will come as a fivepiece
unit to match the door. This
choice will also contribute to the
look you are trying to achieve, as
well as price.
Nancy Werneken
Lead Designer at Masters Touch Design Build
5. Color – This is where your
designer can really help: many
combinations are commonly used
to create that specific look you are
trying to achieve. Often the island
is done in a different color or different
door style and color. Or,
you can use one color for the base
cabinets and another for the wall
cabinets, stain one section and
paint another, change countertop
materials, change colors and countertops,
the options are endless! Be
sure to look at plenty of pictures
and ask plenty of questions during
the process.
Choosing the right cabinet can
be daunting or it can be simplified
if you follow these five selection
steps!
Nancy Werneken is a lead designer at
Masters Touch, a local design build firm
located at 24 Water St., Holliston. For
information contact (508) 359-5900,
e-mail info@MastersTouchWeb.com or
visit www.MastersTouchWeb.com.
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