cabinetry construction and materials

Cabinet doors and drawers are opened countless times so construction and materials play an important part in your choice of cabinetry. Any cabinetry that you choose should have solid wood frames, door and drawer fronts; reinforced corners; and closed backs.

The construction of custom cabinetry is generally superior to stock or semi-custom; typically using solid wood for drawer fronts, doors and face frames. Many custom cabinetry manufacturers offer various construction methods. Christiana Cabinetry offers either Classic Full Access or Traditional Framed construction in your choice of hand-selected wood.

Stock cabinetry is usually made of engineered wood with a melamine finish. Some better quality stock offerings may use dovetail drawers and full-access undermount drawer glides. Sizes are restricted to a range of industry sizes increasing in 3-3½” intervals from 9” - 48”. If your dimensions are outside of that range, filler strips are used to close gaps, usually between the cabinet and an appliance or wall.

The materials and construction techniques used in semi-custom cabinetry tends to be of higher quality than that of stock. It is usually constructed of engineered wood or plywood with solid wood doors or faces. Fillers are often necessary in semi-custom cabinetry installations as they manufacture to the industry size standards.