| Unless you are planning a big budget for your kitchen, | | | | Fiberboard |
| solid wood cabinets are most likely not an option. For | | | | Think of fiberboard as an extra thick and more dense |
| new homeowners, or people that have never bought | | | | cardboard. It is actually made up of wood fibers tightly |
| kitchen cabinets before, it is not uncommon to get a | | | | pressed together and held together by a wood epoxy |
| surprised reaction when they hear that there are very | | | | or glue mixture. While a thick fiberboard can be a |
| few cabinet makers that use solid wood for the entire | | | | tough material, it is highly susceptible to moisture. This |
| cabinet (unless you are having custom cabinets built | | | | usually results in swelling or warping of the material, |
| and specifying that they use solid wood). | | | | and it will retain the water. Fiberboard will also require a |
| There are several reasons why solid wood is not | | | | veneer or paper with a wood pattern to finish it off, |
| used for the cabinet box anymore, but the biggest | | | | which can have a tendency to peel away. |
| reason being that it is just too expensive. To use solid | | | | MDF |
| wood for the entire cabinet would put them out of the | | | | MDF or Medium Density Fiberboard is a heavy dense |
| price range of just about 90% of consumers. The | | | | material. It is a combination of wood chips, fibers, and |
| other reason being that there are several engineered | | | | resin or epoxy which makes for a strong material. The |
| products that are just as strong, but can be 1/2-2/3 the | | | | biggest drawback to MDF is splintering or chipping. If |
| cost of real wood. Ofcourse, not all engineered | | | | thick enough, it can hold as much weight as real wood, |
| products offer the same strength and durability, so it is | | | | but it is will be affected by water or moisture. |
| important to scrutinize the materials used to | | | | Plywood |
| manufacture the cabinets. The majority of cabinet | | | | This is my preference when it comes to cabinet |
| manufacturers are still using solid wood for the face | | | | construction. Plywood is a series of thinly sliced layers |
| frames and doors (the most exposed parts of the | | | | of wood where the grain is alternated. The layers of |
| cabinet), but here are some of the common materials | | | | wood are then glued and pressed together. Plywood |
| you will find that are being used for the cabinet box. | | | | offers the greatest strength because of the alternating |
| Particleboard | | | | grain patterns which helps dispurse the weight. |
| Particleboard is made of exactly what is sounds like... | | | | Plywood is also less likely to be affected by moisture |
| wood particles. This usually consists of wood chips | | | | because it doesn't allow the water to penetrate into |
| layered and pressed together using a resin or glue to | | | | the bonding agent. |
| hold it together. Since it is made up of smaller chips, it | | | | When it comes to overall strength and durability for |
| doesn't offer the same strength when it comes to | | | | your cabinets, it is highly recommended that you focus |
| holding screws and nails. Screws and nail holds will | | | | on cabinets that feature a solid plywood cabinet box. |
| have a tendency to weaken over time, even splintering | | | | Not only will your cabinets last longer, but they will be |
| apart. Particleboard is also prone to moisture damage | | | | less likely to be affected by the moisture associated |
| if not protected properly. | | | | with normal kitchen use. |