So you've decided that you want to remodel your kitchen, you've saved all the pictures on your pinterest board and you've secured financing for the project. How to execute a project of this magnitude? Who do you trust with such a big purchase? Keep reading for the basics you should know before walking into a showroom!
1. ROOM DIMENSIONS
Finding a cabinet dealer will be a good first step and its ideal to look at 2-3 dealers to get the most information and best value. It's not always about the best price but about the best quality for a certain budget. To work with a dealer and get a quick reply, its best to send them the measurements of your space. Key dimensions include all walls that have cabinets on them, any windows (include the window trim) and any doors, also note the ceiling height of your kitchen. Always request that they take a final field measure before placing the order to confirm everything you've given them.
2. VOCABULARY
When you're visiting a showroom, there will be a lot of words thrown around that you should get familiar with in order to follow the conversation.
- All plywood construction- this means the quality of the sides & door are all wood versus being a furniture board construction or some inferior material. All plywood is a great quality to have in a cabinet!
- Dovetail drawers- this refers to the corner of the drawers & how the sides connect to the front. Dovetail is the best quality for drawers, its as if the drawer is interlocking fingers. The lesser quality is called a dato drawer where the corners are just stapled together and not interlocking in anyway.
- Soft-close- this feature is a standard, it should not impress you if the cabinets come with soft-close doors & drawers because this is a new norm, even dirt cabinets come with this feature!
-5 piece header- this refers to the style of the drawer front. Instead of being a solid slab, it will look almost like a picture frame and the center is where you put your hardware.
-Full overlay- this refers to the door covering the frame of the cabinet. You used to see the frame clear as day and the door would be smaller than the frame but now the door covers pretty much everything for a much cleaner look
3. WOOD SPECIES
Probably 90% of new kitchens are still using painted white cabinets or some color of paint so wood species may be the last thing on your mind. But knowing what wood species you like, really dictates the cost and is something you can decide before going into a showroom as they all offer the same wood species. If you're planning to use a painted color, the wood species will most likely be maple. But if you're looking for more of a rustic look, you should consider a "knotty alder" which shows a lot of grains but is more expensive than maple. Not many people use cherry these days but cherry will fall somewhere between maple & knotty alder as far as pricing and actually looks really nice a "smoke" color. Also just because two woods have the same color name doesn't mean they will cost the same or look the same at all. Wood species accept the same color stain differently so make sure you're seeing exact samples of what you're getting.
4. APPLIANCES
Its hard to start with a cabinet lay-out when you're unsure of the appliances going into the space so its important to decide things like, "Do I want a 48" commercial range?" or "I'd prefer to use a cook top and double wall oven". Visit an appliance store before visiting your cabinet dealers and make some firm decisions there before you get started in cabinet world. Read my blog about Microwaves in 2021
5. WISH LIST
Make a list of must-haves and a wish list. Your must-haves can be things like a wood hood or a farm sink and your wish list might be the things that you can live without but you really want if the budget allows. Here's an example of my must-haves vs wish list for my next kitchen:
MUST- HAVE
- Pantry cabinet
- Roll-out trays for my caserole dishes
- Tilt-out tray in the sink base
- Double oven
WISH LIST
- Bread Drawer
- Pot filler
- Open shelves at coffee bar
- Integrated dishwasher panel
Now that you've covered some of the essential decisions, you can walk into your cabinet meeting feeling confident & educated. Limit meetings in a showroom to 1 hour, anything after 1 hour will become overwhelming and cloud your decisions. Designing your kitchen is a big commitment and won't happen overnight so give yourself grace and time to plan.
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