7 Common Types of Kitchen Cabinet Materials For Every Budget

Nowadays, people are increasingly inclined towards modular kitchen designs rather than the traditional kitchen due to the efficient workflow they provide in the spaces, a cohesive look, and organization. With a strategic use of some cabinets and other storage options, the modular kitchen offers superior functionality and workflow even in compact-spaced kitchens. The different types of kitchen units and cabinets elevate the overall look and feel of your kitchen while maintaining a smooth movement and flow in the spaces. However, to choose the right cabinets for your kitchen, you first need to have a brief understanding of the different options in the industry. In this blog, we have mentioned some of the most essential types of kitchen cabinets for you to make an informed decision.

What Are Kitchen Cabinets?

The kitchen cabinets refer to the built-in storage fixtures, sometimes even considered to be furniture elements, that are typically found in the kitchen and are used to store food, cooking equipment, dishes, silverware, and numerous other kitchen elements. These elements can also integrate different appliances such as refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, and others and ensure a neat and well-organized kitchen even with large storage needs.

The kitchen cabinets come in a variety of styles, configurations, and material options that are tailored to meet the specific layouts and design preferences of the people. These structures are typically installed along the walls, such as upper or lower cabinets or as part of an island. The kitchen cabinet designs play a big role in both the functionality and aesthetics of a kitchen.

Different Types of Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are one of the most essential fixtures of the modular kitchen designs, with their role in the storage, functionality, and overall appearance of the spaces. To understand the popular kitchen cabinet types in the industry, you first need to understand the different categories under the various types of cabinets.

Types Of Kitchen Cabinet Finishes

• Painted Finish: This is one of the most sought-after finishes for kitchen cabinets. There are numerous options for the painted cabinets, such as matte, glossy, semi-gloss that ensure a sleek and smooth appearance with a wide range of color and style options. Whether you are building a traditional or a modern kitchen design, painted finishes can offer a tempting look with durability and long-lasting excellence.
• Stained Finish: This is a kind of high-quality finish option that enhances the overall appearance and beauty of the wooden cabinets by highlighting the grain patterns of the surface. This is a kind of finish that allows you to darken or highlight the existing color of the kitchen cabinets. There are numerous options for the stained finish as well, such as water-based, oil-based, natural-based and other relevant finishes. This is one of the most suitable choices for wooden cabinets.
• Glazed Finish: One of the most innovative cabinet finish options available in the industry, the glazed finish refers to a type that adds depth and dimension to the cabinets. This includes the application of a semi-transparent layer over the base finish of the surfaces, emphasizing the details to create a classic and antique look. You can also even use a different color to accent the edges of the cabinet or use an opaque look.
• Catalyzed Varnish Cabinets: The catalyzed varnish is a kind of cabinet finish that allows you to experiment and create a unique look for your kitchen cabinets without changing the existing color of the material. This is a kind of transparent varnish that serves to be a protective coat for the cabinets and is typically more expensive than other potential options, but enhances the durability of these structures as well. You should consider reputed modular kitchen manufacturers or designers for this kind of cabinet finish.
• Polyurethane Varnish Cabinets: This is also a kind of proactive finish that facilitates a strong resin coating and a transparent look that elevates the overall look and performance of the cabinet surfaces. You can even go for a glossy look for your kitchen units with this finish and benefit from the smooth look of beauty and reflective surfaces.
• Acrylic Finishes: This is a luxurious finish that has gained prominence due to its stylish and luxurious look, along with effective protection against moisture and scratches. You can go for a high-gloss acrylic finish for an ultra-modern look and a smooth, mirror-like grace or for a matte acrylic finish for a softer look with less and a more subdued appearance.

Types Of Kitchen Cabinet Materials

1. Solid Wood: The material of solid wood is the classic choice for the different kitchen cabinet types, offering a great level of beauty, strength and durability to the structures. You can go for different materials for solid wood such as oak, maple, teak, walnut, cherry and others that can add a sense of natural warmth and aesthetics to the kitchen spaces with a smooth finish and long-term reliability. It gives a rustic feel, but it is one of the most expensive materials for cabinets.
2. Plywood: A highly strong and reliable material, plywood serves to be an advanced form of solid wood that is made by layering thin sheets of wood veneers together. With high resistance to moisture, warping, and diverse environmental conditions, plywood is a durable material that ensures an effective balance of affordability, quality, and versatility. You can build strong and sturdy kitchen units with plywood for long-term versatility.
3. MDF Boards (Medium-Density Fiberboard): MDF boards are also a kind of engineered wood product, but these boards are made by compressing the wood fibres with resin under high pressures and temperatures. The MDF boards come with a smooth surface and are commonly used in modern kitchen designs due to their versatility with painted finishes and decorative designs. With a sleek, flawless, and cost-effective nature, MDF boards prove to be a stylish alternative to traditional wood for kitchen units.
4. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride): This is a water-resistant and low-maintenance material that is increasingly becoming popular for the manufacturing of diverse kitchen cabinets due to its long-term performance. The PVC kitchen units are highly affordable and prove to be a lightweight and hassle-free alternative with a wide variety of colors and finish options. It proves to be a great choice for modern kitchens with its efficiency and effectiveness, even with exposure to water.
5. Veneer: Veneer is a kind of elegant material that carries the beauty of natural wood with the performance and cost-effectiveness of plywood. This is a kind of material where thin slices of natural wood are glued to a plywood substrate to create a beautiful appearance like that of solid wood, but at a fraction of the cost. It is more affordable than solid wood, is lightweight, and gives off a stylish look.
6. Laminates: Laminates are also one of the most widely used materials in the domain of kitchen cabinetry due to the standards of durability and affordability the material offers, with a wide range of design and style options. You can choose from many textures, such as glossy, matte, wood-grain finishes, and numerous others, to allow homeowners to get their desired look with benefits such as easy maintenance and accessible costs.
7. Glass Cabinets: If you wish to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your kitchen, this is the option for you. Glass cabinets reflect a kind of stylish option that gives a luxurious vibe while allowing you to showcase your kitchenware and decorative items while keeping them protected from dust and other concerns. You can go for a clear, frosted, or even tinted finish for glass cabinets and create an open look with enhanced visual appeal in your kitchen spaces.

Different Locations For Cabinets In A Modular Kitchen

• Base Cabinets (Lower Cabinets): The base cabinets serve to be the foundation of the modular kitchen designs. These cabinets are installed below the countertops and are often installed directly on the floor. These cabinets provide essential storage for everyday cooking needs, such as storing utensils, pots, and panels, and kitchen appliances such as blenders, grinders, and others. You can get advanced storage solutions such as drawers, pull-out trays, or shelves for better organization of frequently used items and easy access to everything while cooking.
• Wall Cabinets (Upper Cabinets): As the name suggests, the wall cabinets are mounted on the wall and above the countertop for vertical storage options. These are deep cabinets that help to keep the kitchen spaces organized and decluttered by ensuring optimum space for lightweight items such as glassware, spices, dishes, packaged food, and other elements. You can also get the structures with lift-up doors, sliding shutters, and even glass panels for efficient storage and a neat appearance.
• Tall Cabinets (Pantry Units): Tall cabinets or pantry units refer to a kind of kitchen units that extend from the floor to the ceiling or near ceiling height, or is freestanding. They serve to be excellent choices for the easy storage of groceries, dry food, and other kitchen supplies and can also be used to house built-in appliances such as ovens, microwaves, and others. You can also get the structures with customized pull-out racks, shelves, and other options for creating stylish spaces.
• Corner Cabinets: One of the most efficient storage options for L-shaped kitchen design and U-shaped kitchen designs, the corner cabinets are stylish structures that optimize the corner wall space and ensure innovative storage for them. You can go for carousel units or magic corner mechanisms with corner storage units for optimum storage space for frequently used cookware, storage containers, or baking trays and make every item easily accessible in the kitchen. They prevent wastage of space and ensure superior functioning in the kitchen.
• Overhead Cabinets: The space above the chimney or refrigerator in the kitchen is often underutilized, and thus, the innovation of overhead cabinets gained popularity. These cabinets are perfect for additional storage space and serve to be great options for storing extra cutlery, kitchen linens, and even seasonal items such as special serving dishes and others. You can keep non-essential items in this space and
• Loft Cabinets: These are the kind of cabinets that are typically positioned above the wall cabinets near the ceiling of the kitchen to provide additional storage space for less-used items. These cabinets are placed at a considerable height and are widely used for strong, large vessels, seasonal kitchenware, and extra grocery supplies while creating a neat and well-organized kitchen environment.

Different Types Of Door Styles For Kitchen Cabinets

• Shaker Style: The shaker style kitchen cabinets refer to one of the most popular and stylish options due to the simple and timeless design that comes with long-term durability. This type of kitchen unit features a five-piece construction with four flat-panel pieces and a single flat-panel centrepiece that is recessed. These cabinets serve to be versatile options for both modern and traditional kitchen designs and are usually made with materials such as wood or MDF, with finishes such as painted, stained, and others.
• Slab (Flat Panel) Style: As the name suggests, the slab cabinet doors come with a completely flat surface with a sleek, modern, and minimalist look of luxury. You can get the structures with materials such as wood, laminate, MDF, and numerous others with finishes including matte, high-gloss, or even textured surfaces. You can get the slab-style cabinet doors if you wish to create an industrial or contemporary vibe with a streamlined appearance.
• Beadboard Style: One of the most luxurious, stylish options for premium modular kitchen designs, the beadboard cabinet doors come with vertical grooves that look like the classic wainscoting and create a charming, cottage-like appearance. These doors add texture and character to the kitchen spaces while ensuring a warm and inviting atmosphere in countryside kitchen designs.
• Louvered Style: Similar to the window shutters, louvered cabinet doors refer to a kind of design that facilitates horizontal slats that ensure superior ventilation and airflow in the kitchen. These kinds of cabinet doors serve to be excellent choices for humid environments in kitchen pantries, coastal kitchens and other spaces with their superior airflow and an intricate design that gives off a sophisticated look.
• Inset Style: A unique kind of cabinet door design to fit inside the frame of the cabinets. An inset cabinet refers to the luxurious options that ensure a seamless and built-in look that comes with high standards of functionality and elegance. The precise craftsmanship of the structures, along with the refined and high-end appeal, makes them a popular and premium choice for custom kitchen designs.

Choose the Right Kitchen Cabinet For Long-Term Excellence

There are a plethora of options in the industry when it comes to kitchen cabinets in terms of finishes, materials, placement, door styles, and numerous other factors. You need to consider your personal preferences in terms of design, style, and functional and long-term efficacy while choosing the right kitchen units for your home. You should consider the expertise of the leading modular kitchen manufacturers and leverage your research to get the right practicality and visual appeal in your spaces and make your kitchen highly efficient with an inviting ambiance.

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