Choose Semi-Custom Cabinets for Your Kitchen Remodel
The biggest expense and the most important part of any kitchen remodeling project is installing new cabinetry. The cabinets will not only dress up your space but they will make the way your kitchen functions much more efficient. Semi-custom cabinets which are tailored to your needs are an excellent investment because they are made from finer materials than the stock cabinets you find in home improvement stores and they add a great deal of flexibility to your design plan.
Semi-custom cabinets are in the mid-range when you compare the cost to stock cabinets or custom cabinets. They are more expensive than store brands but are more reasonable than custom cabinets. They are made of a higher grade of wood than stock cabinets and come in a much larger variety of finishes and sizes. While there are not the endless possibilities of design options as there are with custom cabinets, you still have dozens and dozens of options when it comes to door styles, storage layouts, hardware and molding and at a greatly reduced cost.
Semi-custom cabinets come framed or frameless. Framed are the traditional types of cabinets that you will find in most American homes today; the standard box construction with doors or drawers and finished side panels. Frameless cabinets are those built in the European model where the emphasis is on openness. The doors are attached to the sides of the cabinet without a front frame so it is very easy to pull out the things inside. The frameless cabinets are more difficult to install than the traditional framed cabinets which are screwed into each other and into the wall.
One big advantage with semi-custom cabinets over stock cabinets is how the space inside the cabinet is configured. With stock cabinets, often there is a great deal of storage space that is lost or is simply inaccessible because of the limited design options. Semi-custom cabinets can be made so that even the corner space up against the wall can be utilized. One excellent option with semi-custom corner cabinets is a lazy susan shelf that spins around so you do not have to strain to get to the things that are stored in the very back.
The finishing touches that come with semi-custom cabinets will add a classy look to your kitchen. Custom moldings that run across the top of the cabinets have become very popular and open up even more space for storage or for displaying things like plates and vases. There are specially engineered inserts that can fill the gaps between cabinets which will dress up the room. You may also consider putting a few mullion doors in the upper cabinets. These doors have glass fronts with molding that are perfect for storing fancy glasses or expensive china. Semi-custom cabinets can be outfitted with a wide variety of handles and hinges to dress up your space as well, instead of the few choices that come with stock cabinets, you can pick from hundreds of styles for your hardware.