Thursday, December 31, 2015

Material Selection Guide for Kitchen Cabinets

If you’re a new contractor in Long Island, you must learn how to select proper materials that will benefit your clients during every cabinet building project. Your basic options include general plywood, soft plywood, and composite materials.

Soft and Hard Plywood Differences

A typical piece of plywood has multiple wood veneer sheets which are laminated. Basic plywood is a great material for kitchen cabinets because the outer layer of each board won’t shrink or warp over time.

When you shop for hard or soft plywood, you must select a proper grade. A dense plywood for a cabinet building project should have an A rating. Softwood has a different grading system because the industry rates the material based on the veneer, which is found inside the wood. The best softwoods will have a B rating or better.

Key Options

Medium-density fiberboard has thin wood fibers that are fused together, so each sheet is very strong and durable. This material makes elegant kitchen cabinets because the surfaces are very smooth. The grains hold screws extremely well, so the building process won’t be a hassle. The only disadvantage is the price; when compared to particleboard, medium-density fiberboard has a higher price tag.

Particleboard consists of adhesives, shavings, fibers, and wood chips. It doesn’t look like medium-density fiberboard because the wood chips around the core are much larger. Overall, particleboard isn’t a strong material, so you must handle it with care.

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