By Mark J. Donovan
When selecting kitchen cabinets there are a number of factors you should consider first before buying them.
1) Floorplan / Kitchen Size – How big is your kitchen. Dimensions will be required for developing a Kitchen design. Length, width and even the height of the kitchen area are required.
2) Budget – Kitchen cabinets can cost as little as a couple of thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars. Have a budget in mind before meeting with a kitchen designer.
3) Kitchen Cabinet construction – Face Framed or Frameless; Face framed is the most common way, but frameless kitchen cabinets are becoming more popular in contemporary kitchen designs.
4) Material Types – Solid Wood (Ash, Maple, Oak, Cherry, Birch, Hickory), Veneers, or Metal
5) Kitchen Cabinet Sizes – Kitchen cabinets come in standard stock sizes and custom sizes pending your needs. Stock kitchen cabinets are cheaper than custom or semi-custom kitchen cabinets.
6) Kitchen Cabinet hardware (Drawer and Door Handles and Knobs) – Select kitchen cabinet hardware that matches your kitchen appliances.
7) Kitchen countertops – Consider kitchen countertops when selecting your kitchen cabinets.
8) Kitchen cabinet lead times – Kitchen cabinet lead times can be long, particularly if custom or semi-custom kitchen cabinets are being fabricated, so plan accordingly.
For more info see Kitchen Cabinet Buying Tips.