Matching Cabinets with Stainless Steel Appliances

If you have dreamt of stainless steel appliances you may have wondered how they will look alongside your cabinets. Stainless appliances are wildly popular and do work well with many different cabinets styles but are ideal with select options.

You will first want to consider if you are going to be matching your new appliances to existing cabinets or if this is a whole new kitchen design. If you are working on a full remodel you will have a lot more options for creating a beautiful finish product then if you are fitting stainless appliances into your existing kitchen. Dark cabinets with a light countertop are a great option for stainless steel cabinets.

The style of the doors and hardware are something to consider when choosing a cabinet style to work with stainless steel. Stainless steel is modern and sleek and doesn’t work great with glazed or antiqued cabinet styles. It can work but it can also feel like a noncohesive project.

Dark stained cabinets give a layer of luxury to your kitchen and the light countertop will add a luxurious element to the space. The dark cabinets have a rich element to them that feels upscale and high end. Dark wood cabinets are classy and modern and have been in style for years. Maintenance on these cabinets is also great because the dark color helps to cover and hide any issues.

White cabinets are another great option to pair with stainless steel appliance. This give your home a beautiful light and bright feel. The cabinets will stand out against the cabinet but not clash. Painted white cabinets have been a popular choice in the kitchen industry for a long time. They are wipeable and easy to maintain and perfect for a variety of different design styles.

No matter what kind of cabinets you have a stainless steel fridge, oven or dishwasher will be a great addition to your space. Stainless is the top appliance choice for a reason and the beauty and functionality keep people coming back. A custom cabinet builder is a great resource for finding options that fit your style and will work nicely alongside stainless steel appliances.

What are Shiplap Cabinets?

Thanks to certain television shows and a trend towards rustic wood, shiplap has become one of the most common building materials used in interior and exterior design. The shiplap trend shows no sign of slowing down. Before you decide if shiplap cabinets are right for your home, you need to know what shiplap is and what it’s good for.

What is Shiplap?

Shiplap is a material that is known for its use in inexpensive applications. It was first used in building barns, outhouses, and other such inexpensive buildings. Shiplap boards are rough-hewn boards, which means that they’re not sanded and finished as carefully as boards normally used for construction, especially interior construction. The boards are known for having rabbets, which are corresponding grooves on the top and bottom of each board. That allows you to fit them together much like hardwood flooring. That gives shiplap construction its distinctive look.

Shiplap Cabinets

There are two basic kinds of shiplap cabinets. You can buy MDF cabinets that have been designed to look like shiplap. They’re probably the most affordable option but they’re slightly less authentic. They also lack the distinctive feel of the rough-hewn shiplap cabinets. If you want the most authentic shiplap cabinets you can find, you should look for ones that are made from authentic hardwood.

Softwood shiplap is available but most softwoods are, as the name suggests, soft. In fact, you can often dent or scratch pine with your fingernail. That’s probably not what you want from your cabinets. However, some people do like the rustic, distressed look. In those cases, a softwood cabinet might be ideal. It will take on more character as time goes on.

Building Your Own

Shiplap is simple to work with since the wood is designed to fit together. You can build shiplap cabinets yourself with some simple tools. One way to do that is to find thin shiplap boards and lay them over your existing cabinets. Alternately, you can measure your cabinets and build wooden frames in the dimensions of your existing cabinet doors. Cut and fit the shiplap boards together to make your cabinets.

One of the benefits of using shiplap is that you don’t have to be as precise or as skilled to make them look good. They’re rustic boards that look good if they’re slightly uneven or not as carefully constructed as professional cabinets.

Shiplap cabinets are a great trend to take part in, no matter which way you decide to go with it.

Should You Buy Kitchen Cabinets Secondhand From a Restaurant?

When homeowners set out to remodel their kitchens, they’re often shocked by the high price of the repairs. Sometimes, a full remodel can stretch into the five figure range. Furthermore, a third to a half of the cost can be the kitchen cabinets. That’s because the cabinets contain a significant amount of material, they need to be sized appropriately, and they need to be functional. That price can easily rise very quickly if you want insulated cabinets, lazy susans, pull-out compartments or other features. There is a way to keep those prices down, though; you could buy your cabinets used. Specifically, you could buy your cabinets used from a restaurant.

Why a Restaurant?

Buying cabinets from a restaurant has some advantages. For one, the cabinets you get from a commercial kitchen will likely be very resilient. They’re probably stainless steel or aluminum. They’re resistant to scratching, denting, or other kinds of damage. That’s because they’re designed for the stress of commercial activity. Furthermore, they will often be deeply discounted. Commercial kitchen cabinets are deeply discounted because they’re generally priced to sell. They’re not usually priced for the restaurant to make any kind of a profit.

Also, restaurant cabinets tend to have features that standard home cabinets do not.

Cabinet Features

Typically, restaurants have three kinds of cabinets at least. They have refrigerated cabinets, insulated cabinets, and standard cabinets. The refrigerated cabinets are basically just small refrigerators that keep food at a chilled temperature. Insulated or warming cabinets will have some kind of heating element to warm food; others might not have a heating element but will be insulated to reduce heat loss. Either one of these kinds of cabinets can be very useful for someone in their home. You’ll be able to keep food at your preferred temperature for longer.

The Look

The look of commercial cabinets is one that you either love or you hate. The look of stainless steel is very modern and industrial. If your kitchen is contemporary and new, it could look great. If your kitchen is ranch-style or classic, they might not fit the look. Others simply don’t care about the look as long as they’re functional. In many ways, functional is a look in and of itself.

All of these things are reasons why people look for commercial cabinets for their own home kitchen remodel. They’re affordable, functional, and very unique. They might be exactly what your kitchen needs.

3 Common Materials for Kitchen Cabinets

The material of your kitchen cabinets determines how well they stand up to abuse as well as how they look. In the United States, wood is the unmatched leader in cabinet materials. Roughly 91% of all cabinets in the United States are made of wood. Hardwood is the preferred material, but many of them are made of a veneer of hardwood over layers of a different wood. That can be a softwood or just a less expensive hardwood. The other leading materials are metal and glass. Metal cabinets are obviously the most durable; they have an industrial look that you might find in a commercial kitchen. Glass is classic and airy. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Wood

The obvious advantage of wood is that it’s incredibly diverse. There are hundreds of different species of wood; dozens of them are used for kitchen cabinets. Red and white oak are domestic woods that are popular in the United States. They’re near the middle of the janka hardness scale; they’re widely available and affordable. Red and white oak are great choices for anyone who wants a hardwood cabinet. Furthermore, wood makes a great material because it can be stained a different color, painted, or sanded to fix scratches. It can be adapted and repaired several different times.

The disadvantage of wood, especially in the kitchen, is the porous nature of wood. Since wood is porous, it absorbs moisture in the kitchen. It then expands and warps. When it dries, it contracts. That can cause wooden cabinets to no longer fit fast. Also, they might absorb liquid stains and be difficult to clean.

Metal

There are two basic metals used for kitchen cabinets, stainless steel and aluminum. Both of them are very durable and resilient. They’re often used in commercial kitchen because they do not require much upkeep. Neither of the metals will rust under normal conditions. Since they’re nonporous, they can easily be wiped clean. They also stand up just fine to caustic cleaning chemicals.

The disadvantage of metal is that you cannot adapt them. You cannot easily paint stainless steel or aluminum. It’s possible, but it’s not ideal. They can also be somewhat expensive if you don’t find them secondhand.

Glass

Glass cabinets are great for anyone who wants to increase the amount of light in their kitchen. They’re also great if you want to display the dishes in the cabinets. Glass is very breakable and does not readily accept paint.

What Cabinet Trends Are on the Rise?

Being able to predict what will change with interior decorating trends is useful for interior decorators, sellers, and anyone who wants to change their own cabinetry. Staying ahead of the trends is useful because it offers you the opportunity to get cabinets before they become difficult to find. For example, glass cabinets were very popular for a while. If you were to get glass cabinets before the trend hit, you would pay less and have more options than someone who waited too long. So, what trends are coming in the future?

Minimalism

Minimalism has been on the rise for a variety of different industries. It has expanded from everything from running shoes to home renovations. One of the most popular trends that is on the way in the coming year is the trend of minimalism. Designers have been designing and implementing different minimalist cabinets. One element of the trend involves removing the cabinet knobs or drawer pulls. Instead, the cabinet doors just have cutouts for you to grab and pull. The lines are much cleaner and simpler. Look for that trend to become more prominent in the coming months.

Hidden Appliances

Cabinets have long been used to hide appliances and trash cans. A drawer or cabinet that contains your trash can saves you some floor space and eliminates an unsightly trash can. However, the trend only looks to be growing. Newer cabinets have been known to contain dishwashers, refrigerators, and even the oven. That will create very clean lines in your kitchen.

Heavy Woodgrain

Heavy woodgrains have become popular as the trend towards rustic or distressed wood has become more popular. Common woods such as oak often have less pronounced woodgrains. Also, higher grades of wood have more uniform and lighter woodgrains. Those were popular for a long time but they’ve been reduced in popularity. That’s because older cabinets were often made using any wood that is available, which includes lower quality woods. As rustic and distressed wood trends seek to imitate these older cabinets, they’ve moved towards heavier woodgrains.

Those grains can also be enhanced by the choice of a type of stain. There are certain stains that are thicker in consistency and tend to lay somewhat over the top of the wood and reduce the grain. Black and dark grey stains will somewhat obscure the grain. Other stains will enhance the prominence of the grain. Look for those to become more popular.

Unique Ideas For Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet hardware, such as drawer pulls and hinges, isn’t exactly the most exciting subject. However, your hardware can really pull together the look of your kitchen. That’s especially true since distressed and repurposed wood is so popular. Gray and gray undertones are also very popular. Those unique looks demand unique hardware. Fortunately, there are many ways to come up with some truly unique drawer pulls.

Pipe Fittings

Anything brass is going to look great with warm tones such as hardwood. Brass pipe fittings also lend a very industrial look to your kitchen. You could use brass flanges, sections of pipe, washers or anything else. The easiest way to attach them to your cabinets is with some brass or copper bolts. They should thread right into the existing holes for hardware.

Scrap Wood

If you want to keep with a theme of distressed or repurposed wood, you could actually use scrap wood for the fittings. They don’t have to be uniform. In fact, it’s better for the theme if they’re all slightly differently. Depending on the types of pulls you need and the scrap wood you have, pieces of wooden dowel work great as pulls. Cut them to about an inch long and attach them to your cabinets. You can also use pieces to make handles. You simply need to sand them smooth. You can also use black tea or paint thinner to make them look distressed.

Antiques

If you go to an antique mall or even just a thrift store, you’ll likely encounter several different pieces of old furniture. Many of them are in horrible states of disrepair; that doesn’t mean they can’t make good drawer pulls though. Oftentimes, the wood and paint are the first to go but the metal hardware is still good. The hardware often has a patina of age on it that looks very good. If you can get a good price on it, antique furniture is a great source for drawer pulls and hardware.

Industrial Sources

Depending on the look in your kitchen, you might not need kitchen hardware at all. It’s very popular now to use hardware from more rugged applications. Some people even use hardware from exterior doors for their kitchen cabinets. The hardware is big and bold; it’s not subtle and hidden like most kitchen cabinetry. If that’s what you want, head to the section of the hardware store with the front doors.

What’s New for Kitchen Cabinets?

The key to staying on trend with your kitchen cabinets is to always be looking ahead. What’s hot right now will obviously be old news in a year or two. If you want to stay ahead of the trends, you need to look for what seems to be emerging. There are several different looks that are promising to be big in the future. Also, looking to Europe is always a good way to see what might be coming to the United States next season.

Gray Is in

For the past few years, white has been the most popular color for kitchen cabinets. It’s clean, simple, and elegant. Also, it goes with everything. However, white can be a little bit bland, a little flat, and it shows every speck of dust or grease. If you want to be able to go a little bit longer without cleaning up smudges and spills, you want gray. Gray also offers you some versatility if you want to add layers to the kitchen. For example, gray ranges from very light grays that are almost white to grays that almost black. You can mix and match these different grays to get a lot of depth for your kitchen.

Offset the Floor

Cabinets don’t exist in a vacuum. They can complement or they can contrast with the floor. For a long time, the all-white kitchen has been the age of the internet. Now, the trend seems to be moving towards offsetting the floor with some contrasting cabinets. Dark floors seem to be here to stay; therefore, you could choose a very light color for the cabinets. That will make the cabinets adn the floor pop.

If you have a light colored floor, especially something white, a dark cabinet would look great.

Gray Undertones

As stated earlier, gray is going to be very popular soon. However, that doesn’t have to mean your cabinets are gray. Gray is a great base color for building on. You can use gray undertones to make something a little more sedate and sophisticated. A gray undertone also he3lps a cabinet look aged with a slight patina without making it look damaged or old. Gray just adds richness to the color.

Metals

Metal is very popular for cabinetry now. Small understated hardware seems to be on the way out. Bigger and bolder cabinet hardware is in. That’s great news because it really opens up your hardware options.

5 Trends in Cabinetry

Every part of your home is subject to a trend; when that trend is short-lived, it’s considered a fad. There are some trends that are destined to stand the test of time, though. These are the ones that are timeless and classic while still looking modern and contemporary. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the kitchen. It’s the room where nearly everyone goes when they come to your home. It’s where you spend a lot of your time as well. That’s why kitchen trends are always changing. Here are five trends in kitchen cabinetry that you should consider.

1 – Shaker Styles

The shaker style decor is simple and unadorned; it’s named for a group of Quakers who make quality furniture without much embellishment. Shaker-style cabinets have become very popular in kitchens. They’re especially popular when paired with either a bare wood look or a very light color of paint.

2 – Efficiency Multipliers

Cabinets have moved beyond being just rectangles where you stack your items haphazardly. The new trend in cabinetry is an emphasis on efficiency multipliers. That means hidden features such as spice racks and lazy susans. It also means bread boxes, pull-out trays, and other features that allow you to more efficiently use the space.

3 – Shades of White

Simple lines and colors are very popular at the moment. They’re often paired with a very light color for the cabinets themselves. There are more shades of white than ever, and white will never go out of style. It will always be timeless and classic; it helps to brighten any room as well as providing a sense of greater space.

4 – Glass-Front Cabinets

Glass-front cabinets are incredibly trendy at the moment. They break up the visual monotony of walls of cabinetry. They also give you an opportunity to display any types of collectible dishware you might have. If you have a collection of coffee mugs, you want someone to be able to see it.

5 – Appliances in Cabinets

Remodeling experts say they have been installing more hidden appliances than ever before. In the past, your dishwasher, refrigerator, and any other appliances stood out as a break in your cabinetry. Now, cabinet doors are being installed over the appliances to create a seamless look to your entire kitchen. It is a clean and simple look.

These are five common trends that you should think about when you are remodeling your cabinets. They’re all timeless and will look good for decades.

The Most Popular Woods For Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets are made in a variety of different hardwoods. If you’re looking for the most affordable cabinets, you might even be able to find a softwood such as pine. They’re typically finished with vinyl finish, though, because pine is so soft. If you’re looking to have the natural wood look shining through, you need a hardwood.

Maple

Maple is a very popular hardwood for many different applications, cabinetry being one of them. Typically, maple cabinets are lightly colored. They’re usually off-white to a cream color. They’re great for any room that needs to be bright and airy. Also, they’re great if you plan to stain the cabinets. Since they’re so light in color, they take a stain very well.

Oak

Oak is something of an all-purpose hardwood. It can be used for everything from a barbecue smoker to a cabinet. Oak ranges in color from off-white all the way to deep reddish colors. Mineral deposits as the oak was growing can lead to inclusions of green, black, and even blue. It’s one of the most diverse woods in terms of color.

Cedar

Cedar is a little more difficult to come by, but it is very popular. Cedar is popular because oils in the wood lend themselves to a very peppery and welcoming fragrance that is very distinct. Also, the wood itself is resistant to rot, moisture, and pests. Oftentimes, cedar cabinets aren’t even sealed with polyurethane or oil. They’re left in their natural state.

Alder

Alder is a very lightly colored wood with a light grain that’s not very dramatic. Alder is the preferred wood for people who want subtle cabinets or who want to paint them. Since the grain does not stand out in a significant way, you might even be able to paint your alder cabinets without priming them first. Also, the light color will not show through even on a light paint.

Pecan

Pecan has very dramatic wood grain that tends to assert itself against all but the darkest stain. If you want to stain a wooden cabinet a certain color while still keeping the look of the natural grain, pecan is a good choice. Hickory is also a good choice as well. The terms “pecan” and “hickory” are often used interchangeably to refer to the same tree.

These are some of the most common dn most popular hardwoods used for kitchen cabinets. A kitchen cabinet needs to be able to stand up to heat and humidity; a well-maintained hardwood will do that.

Investing in Kitchen Cabinets Before Other Remodeling Needs

If you want to update your kitchen but don’t have the budget for an entire remodel its best to start with the cabinets. Adding new appliances and updating finishes may help give the kitchen a bit of a face lift but can’t help much with functional issues and can be costly. Appliances are generally designed to fit a specific space and may not be reusable later, the same goes for countertops.

Updating the cabinets first is vital because they are the footprint and foundation of the room. When a designer works on a kitchen they start with the cabinets. They determine so many factors in the space like the size of the cabinets, what type of appliances will be needed as well as how they will be placed. If you update the counters and later want to change the footprint of your kitchen you will have to start back at square one with the countertops.

Next, cabinets are a big undertaking while replacing countertops, cabinets, backsplash and other finishes is easier. Cabinets are installed and become a permanent fixture in your home while these other items can be replaced with much less work. If you add the cabinets and budget friendly countertops you can later replace the countertops with very little mess and construction.

One of the biggest reasons you should focus first on cabinets is because they are the biggest part of your budget. Installing quality boxes and cabinets will allow you to update and upgrade them as time goes on without the cost of a big remodel. Using high quality materials and well constructed products can allow your cabinets to last for decades. Cabinet doors may need refinishing, hardware updates and other cosmetic changes but the cabinets will last for decades with little sign of wear.

If you are looking to update your kitchen in a full remodel the cabinets will likely be about 35-50% of your budget. If you don’t currently have the budget to remodel your entire kitchen you may want to consider adding the new cabinets and choosing a lower end set of appliances (or reusing the existing appliances) and adding low cost countertops. Once the footprint of your kitchen is established you can add the more polished finishes as your budget allows.

If you have a tight budget and still want to update your kitchen the countertop is a great place to cut costs. The high end laminate counters have come a long way in both looks and durability and can be a great cost saving option.

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