Kitchen Cabinets Did You Know This
By: Curtis Miller

Did you know with kitchen cabinets your choices are endless? Unlike cabinet makers of old with today's technology and tools your dream cabinets can become a reality. No longer are you chained to making only a few choices when it comes to cabinet designs, the sky is the limit now! But, if you are like me, you need a solid plan and advice before purchasing. So read on for some entertaining and hopefully enlightening tips on how to pick and choose the most wonderful cabinets for your kitchen.

First things first. Okay before setting foot out of your house go back into the kitchen and determine the average size of your pots and pans. Either write this down, or if you have a photographic memory, just make a mental note. This gives you some idea on the size of the kitchen cabinets you need.

Your kitchen theme. Kitchen cabinets have the ability to tell a story, okay kind of corny but not bad for just making it up so just bear with me. This story is usually wrapped up in their style and theme. Consider carefully the theme of your kitchen. While the style of the cabinets doesn't have to be the same as your kitchen, they should at least be related to the overall concept. French cabinets, as an example, in a old style home can flow smoothly with proper planning.

Cabinet wood - to be or not to be. Next decide on the kind of wood you would like to have. Most modern cabinets fo today have a large selection of wood and finishes to choose from. Here are some of the most popular ones: Maple, Oak, Cherry, Hickory, Birch and Popular. Some woods, depending on how hard they are, create better cabinets than others. While all woods have their strong and weak points, the ultimate factor will be the cost and your budget.

The greatest cabinet shopping tips ever! Okay maybe not but since I have got your attention here are some very important ones.

A. Learn the lingo. Commonly referred to as "cabinet-speak" here is some terms you should know.

Framed - These represent the traditional style cabinets.

Frameless - The doors cover the facings of these cabinets which hides the frame.

Stock - Manufactured cabinets in standard sizes. If you don't care about certain aspects and designs these can be a great buy and save you money.

Semi-custom - These are stock cabinets big brother. Still manufactured but with more custom options. Discount kitchen cabinets can be found in this niche.

Custom - Some of the most breathe taking and expensive cabinets can be made at a local cabinet shop. These are made to order with your exact requirements. If you have special sizing needs this is the way to go.

B. Bringing a rough layout with you when visiting a cabinet manufacture or a cabinet makers shop will make the buying experience that much more enjoyable. And, just trust me on this one, also bring your door measurements. Would be a shame to have beautiful cabinets created for your kitchen and not be able to get them through the door!

C. Little things to remember. Your standard cabinets use solid wood for doors and fronts only. Expect to pay more for studier varieties. If this is important point for you shop around, surprisingly costs can very quite a bit. And lastly the average building wait time is between 2 and 3 weeks.

Well there you have it, hopefully some good advice to help you concerning kitchen cabinets. Here's one last tip I have found very helpful. If you are having trouble deciding on the style of cabinets you would like do a search for kitchen cabinets on the internet and you will find many ideas to choose from.