Material and Construction

To get the most for your money, it is important to focus not just on the looks, but also on the quality of material, hinges and hardware, and the joinery of your cabinetry. We would like to help you identify some of those important items so you can be more informed during your next cabinetry purchase. Lower quality cabinetry may “look good” on display and possibly after the initial installation, but it won’t be long until some of the common signs of low quality start to show up. These signs include door joints opening up, doors sagging or falling off the hinges, doors not closing properly, alignment of the cabinetry not square, shelves sagging, drawer guides sticking or not working at all, finish failure and overall appearance of cabinetry looking worn out after only a couple of years of use. Many of the quality issues are related to the material and construction methods used. The irony in all of this is that it really doesn’t cost more to buy great cabinetry, when you consider the headaches and lifetime costs associated with buying cheaper cabinets.

Let’s quickly review the components and highlight the elements you’ll want to look for.

Cases (cabinet sides, tops and bottoms and backs)

• Material used – Veneer core plywood is best. Stronger, more durable, more stable and less susceptible to moisture; it is actually much lighter than press board or particle board.
• Thickness – Many products scrimp on the thickness of the case material. Review the thickness of the sides (ends). The sides should be at least ½ inch in cabinets with unfinished ends and ¾ on finished ends. 3/8 and 5/8 are flimsy and not substantial enough to hold together. Always inquire about back and bottom thickness. You may be surprised to learn that 1/8 inch backs are common. Yes, 1/8 inch! Be sure that the backs are at least ¼ inch and have integrated hanging rails.
• Construction methods – The bottoms, sides and tops should be integrated together through a method of tongue and groove, dado or some similar fashion. Face frame cabinetry should have the frame and box integrated together for maximum strength. Having an integrated back rail is especially important, since wall cabinets are hung from there. If the back rail is not integrated into the back panel and the sides, there is a greater chance the cabinetry could fall, leaving the back panel on the wall.

Doors and Face Frames

• Tight joints – Review the tightness of the joints on the face frames and doors of the displays and samples. These joints should be closed and not have open cracks. The tenon length of bottom and top rail on doors should extend beyond the width of the center panel. If not, the possibility for the door joints opening up is much greater. You can see this by looking at the bottom or top edge of the door.
• Smooth consistent surfaces – All the surfaces should be sanded and smooth. This will affect how good the finish could look.
• Center panels – The center panels of the doors should not rattle when they close against the front of the cabinetry.
• Sanding scratches – Well prepared cabinetry should not have sanding scratches in the face frames or on any place in the door.
• Integrated Face Frame – Better quality cabinetry will have an integrated connection between the cabinet box and the face frame of the cabinet. There will likely be a groove in the back of the frame that accepts the sides, top or bottom of the cases.

Drawers and Hardware

• Drawer boxes should be English dovetailed that include a 5 piece drawer box – 2 sides, front, back and bottom.
• Drawer material should be a hardwood. Some will substitute plywood for drawers to save cost.
• Using reinforced drawer bottoms on larger drawers is important as the spans are greater and typically so is the weight. Inspect the drawers by turning the drawers over and looking for reinforcement on the bottom.
• It is important to have at least ¼ thick plywood bottoms for drawers and you may want to consider heavier if you are planning to put a lot of weight into the drawer.
• Review drawer box height. Higher drawer box openings should have deeper drawer boxes.
• Using under-mount hardware will maximize drawer box space (width).
• Most companies will offer a soft close for drawers and this is a nice feature to have.
• Smooth operation of drawer guides is important. Check the operation of the displays. Also remove a drawer box or two and see how easy it is to reinstall. This is important for cleaning and maintenance of your cabinetry.
• Most hinges today are good quality. Check them out at the showroom for smooth operation and adjustability.

These tips are not meant to forgo the importance of a good warranty. We also recommend that you understand the warranty of the products that you are purchasing.

At Bremtown, we know how important quality is to you. We want you to be happy with your purchase for years to come. With proper maintenance and care, your cabinetry should long continue to look as good and perform as well as it did on the day it was installed.