Choosing the right materials for your kitchen cabinets, let's talk about it. During a kitchen renovation, one of the biggest changes that you can make both visually and functionally is to replace your kitchen cabinets. This big change comes along with a lot of different decisions such as deciding the color, the style, the size, and most importantly, the materials. Choosing the right materials for your kitchen cabinets can make all the difference in how long your new cabinets will last. 

That being said, deciding what materials to use for your new kitchen cabinets isn’t an easy decision. There’s a lot to be taken into consideration, so we’ll go over what your options are, and what you need to consider before locking yourself into one cabinet material for many years to come.

What are Kitchen Cabinets Made from?

Kitchen cabinets come in a wider variety of materials than most people realize, making the decision on which to go with quite difficult. While many of the finished products might look similar, it’s incredibly important to recognize what’s hiding beneath the surface. 

Solid Wood

Solid wood cabinets take the natural beauty of woods such as oak, maple, cherry, walnut, or pine and bring it together into your kitchen. With solid wood cabinets, you get naturally popping grains that enhance the look of your kitchen and can give both a modern look or rustic charm to the overall kitchen design. 

Out of all the different kitchen cabinet materials, solid wood is going to be the most expensive. Cabinets made from pine will come in on the cheaper end of things, but you will pay a much higher price for the beauty and durability of a wood such as cherry or walnut. 

Wood cabinetry is one of those styles that never really goes out of style, which ensures that you’ll be happy with the look for years to come. Wood is also easily retreated and finished differently to adjust the look of the space without a full remodel. However, solid wood cabinets can be expensive and require a higher level of maintenance than many people want to take on in their kitchen. 

Plywood

After solid wood, plywood is the best way to get the natural grain of wood and look of wooden cabinetry in your kitchen. Plywood is made up of layers of wooden veneer that manipulates the direction of the grain to enhance the strength of the end product. This means that you get both a high end appearance with a strong and durable product. 

Plywood is much more affordable than solid wood, and can still be treated with different finishes and paints that are able to be adjusted with ease in the future. There are few issues with plywood cabinets, but you do need to pay attention to how you will band the edge of the board, and how you will protect the wood from warping after exposure to water. 

Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF)

MDF is made up of wooden fibers, resin, and waxes all pressed together into a smooth and solid board that can be used similarly to solid wood or plywood. The main differences here are overall strength and the smooth surface that won’t show any grain.

Water exposure can damage MDF much more easily than solid wood, so the cabinets need to be properly finished. The MDF boards are also more prone to chipping and damage than solid wood due to its composition. However, these are still a great option for anyone that’s on a budget and want a sleek look in the kitchen. 

Particle Board

If you’re on a budget and still want to have a durable cabinet, particle board might be the right kitchen cabinet material for you. Particle board is made of wood chips, resin, and sawdust all pressed together into a board. You end up with a board that is lightweight and easy to handle and will give you a great look once finished with laminate or veneer.

The issue with particle boards comes to overall strength and durability. The boards will cave under heavy loads, which isn’t uncommon in the kitchen. They also are prone to water damage, another huge threat in the kitchen.

Choosing particle board cabinets will be the cheapest option, but you may be redoing them in just a few years’ time. 

Laminate

Laminate kitchen cabinets are made from a process of compacting paper or fabric on top of MDF in order to give a finished look and added protection and durability. Laminates come in all different colors, designs, and finishes, which make them a great option for anyone wanting to add texture or color to the kitchen. 

In terms of durability and longevity, laminate can start to peel over time and can be difficult to repair properly. When one problem comes up, often the whole panel needs to be replaced. This isn’t a huge problem, however it can add up when you start looking for repairmen to come in and fix your cabinets. 

Laminate offers a high class look without the price tag that comes with real solid wood or plywood. This is a great option for anyone wanting variety or budget friendly design in their cabinetry.

Thermofoil

Sometimes you want a kitchen cabinet material that simply doesn’t need much maintenance and is easy to take care of. The solution to this is to install thermofoil cabinets. Thermofoil is made by applying a thin layer of vinyl to MDF boards with heat and pressure. The resulting surface is easy to clean with a simple seamless look.

These are the cabinets you often find in apartments and condos where homeowners are happy with a budget friendly option that doesn’t ask for much. However, if anything does happen, the ability to repair is limited and you’ll need to replace entire panels or cabinets.

Veneer

Similar to plywood, veneer cabinets are made from applying a thin slice of real wood over MDF or particleboard in order to give the look of wood, without all the cost or weight that comes along with it. 

Veneer is relatively durable, but can start to peel or chip after exposure to water and heat. This can make it a difficult option to go with in the kitchen, but can serve you well if finished and sealed correctly. 

Metal

More modern kitchens are choosing to install metal cabinetry as they are incredibly simple and durable. They certainly give the kitchen a more industrial look and feel, but these cabinets rarely ever will break and can last a lifetime. 

Metal cabinets can be much more expensive than wood, and will show scratches and dents over time with heavy use. The look and feel tends to be cooler, and isn’t always what homeowners are looking for. 

Factors in Choosing the Right Materials for Your Kitchen Cabinets

Budget

One of the more obvious factors to look at when choosing the right materials for your kitchen cabinets is your budget. Some kitchen cabinets can cost an absolute fortune, made by craftsmen with the finest materials. Some will pop out of an IKEA box with ease and be ready to go within the hour. 

Choosing within your budget is important to consider. It’s also important to recognize that when you spend a bit more money, you can often save yourself a repair or full replacement down the line. This is a hard choice to make, but you’ll often thank yourself in the future. 

Durability

Kitchen cabinets get treated with a lot of force, and if you have kids in the house, this is exacerbated even moreso. In a single day a kitchen cabinet needs to handle being open and closed dozens of times, the heat and steam from cooking, and the test of time. 

The more durable your kitchen cabinet is, the longer you can keep it. This can be a moneysaver, but also keep the sleek look of the cabinet so you don’t need to do any repairs. 

Aesthetics

The most obvious thing to think about when choosing the right materials for your kitchen cabinets is what they look like. Wood gives a warm and high end look, while metal makes the kitchen feel more industrial.

When you want variety, materials like veneer and laminate can give you a wide array of options. You can choose to paint wood in whatever way you want, and the same goes for plywood and veneer. Metal cabinets will most often stay with the metal appearance, but come in a variety of textures and colors.

If you want your cabinets to look really polished and professional, consider adding one of our trim kits. These finishing touches can elevate any cabinet material choice and give your kitchen that custom, built-in appearance that makes all the difference.

Repairs and Refinishing

When something goes wrong, you want to know that you can easily fix your kitchen cabinets without needing to do a full remodel. Some materials patch up easily, while others aren’t made to be repaired. Wooden cabinets can be sanded and refinished, while laminate cabinets need full replacement when something goes wrong. 

If you’re looking for ease and low-maintenance, you may want to consider thermofoil or laminate, but be ready to replace the whole cabinet after a few years. Wooden cabinets, when treated with care, will last a lifetime.

Get Your Kitchen Ready With the Right Kitchen Cabinet Materials

There are a lot of choices to be made when you want to get kitchen cabinets. You want them to be affordable, easy to take care of, easy to use, and of course, they should look great. The problem is, you often need to choose a couple of these things and be okay with making the choice to sacrifice another. 

Choosing the material for your kitchen cabinets isn’t an easy decision, but whatever you go with, make sure to take all the different factors into consideration, then enjoy the feeling of finally getting the kitchen put back together and ready to use again!