Stock Kitchen Cabinets: Off-the-Shelf

Some stock cabinet options sold at home centers are an affordable and convenient option, designed for quick, off-the-shelf purchase. These pre-manufactured cabinets come in standard sizes and a limited selection of styles and finishes, making them ideal for budget-conscious projects or tight timelines. While customization is minimal due to mass production, these cabinets are instantly available with a straightforward selection process. Typically, you can choose from a few predetermined door styles and finishes, along with a small range of cabinet configurations to fit your space.

Stock Kitchen Cabinets: Made-to-Order

Made-to-order stock cabinetry offers a budget-friendly solution for homeowners looking to update their space without the high costs of custom options. Their affordability doesn’t mean sacrificing quality—many stock cabinets are built with durable materials and offer a variety of stylish finishes to complement different design aesthetics. Additionally, their simple selection process makes them easy to purchase and install, making stock cabinetry a great choice for those seeking a cost-effective and efficient kitchen or bathroom upgrade. Aristokraft Cabinets is the perfect example, offering on-trend finishes and styles, as well as those must-have storage solutions.

Semi-Custom Kitchen Cabinets

Semi-custom cabinets provide significantly more flexibility than stock options, making them a great choice for homeowners looking to personalize their space. While they still follow standard 3-inch increment sizing, they offer modifications in height, width, and depth to better fit your layout. With a wider selection of styles and finishes—often including custom paint options on various door styles—you can achieve a more tailored look to match your design vision.

Beyond aesthetics, semi-custom cabinetry also offers enhanced durability and functionality. Upgraded construction features, such as all-plywood box construction and dovetail drawer boxes with soft-close glides, add to their long-term value. Additionally, these cabinets come with a broader range of storage solutions, including specialized organizers, pull-out trays, and cutlery solutions, helping you maximize efficiency in your kitchen or bathroom.

Diamond Distinctions Cabinets fall into this semi-custom category, providing an extensive selection of styles, finishes, and organizational options to create a space that’s both beautiful and highly functional.

Premium Kitchen Cabinets

Premium, or custom, cabinets are built to your exact specifications, offering the highest level of personalization. From unique dimensions down to the 1/16 of an inch to specialized finishes, the possibilities are nearly endless. Dura Supreme, for example, offers both framed and frameless construction with semi-custom to full custom capabilities, allowing you to choose features that align perfectly with your vision and budget. While custom cabinets come at a higher price point and longer lead times, they provide a tailored solution that reflects your individual style and meets specific functional needs.​

Making Your Choice

When selecting cabinetry, it’s essential to consider your budget, timeline, and desired level of customization. Stock cabinets are the most affordable and readily available option, though they offer limited styles and modifications. Semi-custom cabinets provide a balance between cost and personalization, allowing for greater flexibility in design. For those seeking a completely customized look with premium craftsmanship, custom cabinetry offers unmatched quality and tailored solutions.

Understanding these distinctions will help you choose cabinetry that not only fits your space but also complements your style and functional needs. MasterBrand Cabinets offers a diverse range of cabinetry brands to suit every home project. Visit our website to explore our collections and find a local dealer to bring your vision to life!

The post Stock Kitchen Cabinetry vs. Custom: What’s the difference? appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

While paints are very popular finishes in the kitchen right now, they are mainly offered on Maple or MDF because of the smooth surface they provide, letting the color take precedence. Stains are often selected when you want to see the dimension or characteristics of the natural wood.

Since stains are making their beautiful comeback, it’s important to understand that deciding on the right wood species is just as critical as choosing a finish. As you can see from the example image below, the same stain on different wood species can enhance the look of your favorite finish drastically.

When choosing a species, you also need to take into consideration the varied characteristics of each style of wood as they can dictate style choices.

To be confident in your species and stain combination, always remember to order a large door sample of the wood of your choice with your favorite stain applied. Ensure you are reviewing the sample in your home. Your home’s natural light, interior light, and other interior surroundings can adjust the look of the cabinetry throughout the day.

Characteristics of Wood

Below are informative descriptions of the most popular options of wood species so you can better understand what works best for your space. Each species has its own nuances so it’s best to be educated on them before making your final decision.

CHERRY

Cherry is characterized by its red undertones but may vary in color from white to a deep, rich brown. This color variation can occur in a single-door panel. Cherry is a close-grained wood with a fairly uniform texture, revealing pin knots and curly graining. All wood will age with time and the finish will darken. This is especially true for Cherry. This is a sought-after quality in Cherry cabinetry, and those who select it expect this evolution.

MAPLE

Maple has a close-grained hardwood that is predominately white to creamy-white in color, with occasional reddish-brown tones. While Maple typically features uniform graining as compared to other wood species, characteristic markings may include fine brown lines, wavy or curly graining, bird’s eye dots, and mineral streaks. These traits are natural and serve to enhance Maple’s natural beauty.

OAK

Oak is a strong, open-grained hardwood that ranges in color from white to pink and reddish tones. Streaks of green, yellow, and even black may appear due to mineral deposits. Oak may also contain wormholes and wild, varying grain patterns. This distinct graining is considered a desirable quality and has made Oak one of the most popular woods used for cabinetry.

QUARTERSAWN OAK

Quartersawn Oak features a tight grain or “comb grain.” This grain will reveal a fairly straight pattern that can range from very close together to quite far apart. It displays a slight curve in the grain on the verge of creating a cathedral pattern similar to that of flat-cut Oak. Medullary rays, sometimes called “tiger striping” or “flecking,” may occur. These rays are a common characteristic of Oak and are evident as shiny patches or scars which cut across the grain of the wood. They reflect light differently than the general grain, especially when finished. They are not usually seen in standard Oak. These medullary rays will occur at random and are not considered a defect.

RUSTIC ALDER

Rustic Alder is characterized by its light brown and reddish undertones and may contain a variety of pinholes, open and closed knots of various sizes and colors, small cracks, bird pecks, mineral streaks, and grain variation. Some knots may have small holes through the panel. In addition, the wood will contain color differences caused by variations in minerals found in the soil, creating visible mineral tracks.

ALDER

Alder has a straight fine textured grain similar to Cherry and Maple. Although classified as a hardwood, it is moderately light in weight and considerably softer than other species. Therefore, care must be taken as it will dent and mar easily. Alder may exhibit grain and color variations. Sapwood can be distinguishable from heartwood. Tight pin knots are sometimes present

WALNUT

Walnut features smooth grain, with a color variation that can range from deep chocolate to lighter tones of red/gray/brown. Sapwood areas will be present within Walnut and are lighter in hue, from yellow to light brown Walnut ages opposite of expectation, becoming lighter and more mellow in color over time and with exposure to light.

To learn more about wood stain finishes that are becoming ever so popular, head on over to our blog article titled, Kitchen Stains! And to get started on your design journey, visit our website.

The post Which Wood Species is Right for You? appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

On average, a homeowner will tackle one kitchen remodel in their lifetime. Let that sink in…just ONE! A kitchen renovation is an exciting endeavor, but it can be a large, stressful investment. Living through a construction zone for an extended period of time isn’t necessarily a pleasant experience either.

For those of you who have successfully renovated your kitchen, you know that this tedious process is worth all the time and energy put into your beautiful new space. But for some, there’s that ever-lingering thought of “I wish I would have…” after all is said and done. We hope to erase “Renovation Regret” with our list of things to consider before your kitchen renovation project even begins.

Renovation Regret # 1 – Not Hiring a Kitchen Designer

The constant barrage of renovation success stories on TV and social media has created a generation of DIYers. But don’t be fooled by how easy they make the process look. Sure, these stories might bolster your confidence to make material selections on your own and even install the project, but one regret homeowners face after the fact is not having a professional kitchen designer guide them through the process.

Most consumers have never designed a kitchen before and this uncharted territory can be more than overwhelming. A kitchen designer can help educate you on space planning, cabinetry selections, and materials and finishes. They will guide you through the design process as well as the timeline for your renovation.

Designers have a fresh eye on the potential for your space and will be there to answer any of your questions along the way. They also have a knack for problem-solving, which is imperative throughout this journey. Trust your designer and they will undoubtedly bring your vision to life.

Renovation Regret # 2 : Choosing Aesthetics over Functionality

Now that we’ve convinced you to hire a kitchen designer for your future renovation, it’s important to understand that a beautiful kitchen doesn’t always mean it is functional. Yes, I said it. Scroll through Instagram or Pinterest and you’ll find plenty of perfectly curated, aesthetic kitchen layouts. But have you thought about how those cabinets actually function in day-to-day life? What are they storing in those cabinets and where do they keep their small appliances? Do they even have a microwave?

Each homeowner has different lifestyle demands and their space needs to work in harmony with their daily activities. Functionality needs to always be top-of-mind during the design process. Ask yourself questions like: Where will I store my baking supplies? Do I need to build in seating for my family? How can my pet best utilize the space? Do I want a space to entertain?

Each cabinet and surface you select is meant to help keep you working efficiently in your space so think hard about how your kitchen will work for you.

Renovation Regret # 3 – Not Adding Storage and Organization

The biggest kitchen renovation regret is skimping on storage and organization.

It’s no surprise that investing in a major kitchen remodel is not going to be cheap. In fact, it’s like buying a new vehicle – you have the option to upgrade certain add-on features like automatic wipers and voice-activated navigation. In the grand scheme of things, you quickly realize that the convenience factor of these upgrades outweighs the extra dollars spent.

The same goes for storage and organization. By not upgrading your interior organization when you have the chance, you will realize that your new cabinets do not function to their highest potential.

A recent poll conducted by MasterBrand shows that 80% of kitchen designers recommend these seven storage features for their functionality:

1 – Trash Bin Pullouts

2 – Pantry Cabinet with Roll Trays

3 – Cookie Sheet / Tray Divider

4 – Roll Trays

5 – Corner Revolving / Swing Outs

6 – Deep Drawers

7 – Floating Shelves

These storage solutions will help create zones in your kitchen to keep you organized along the way. Sure, you may have the cabinet space, but by adding in these simple, yet effective, features, you’ll have a dedicated area to house all your essential items and they will always be right at your fingertips.

To explore more storage and organization, visit MasterBrand.com to discover solutions you didn’t even know you needed!

The post Kitchen Renovation Regrets appeared first on MasterBrand Design Blog.

Must Have Inset Cabinet Details

Inset cabinets can also take on unique details. To accentuate the edges of the cabinet’s frame you can customize to a “beaded inset”, this modification will feature a beaded detail that wraps around the opening of your cabinet enhancing the features in your selected door style. In custom lines, like Omega Cabinetry, you can highlight the beaded detail with a contrasting color elevating the overall design.

European-style barrel hinges can add to the quaint nostalgia of your kitchen or use a concealed hinge to simplify the face of the cabinet if you prefer a cleaner design aesthetic. Inset cabinetry can be styled from craftsman to modern, as it’s all about the added style details.

When designing with inset it’s important to think about where seams will fall within a design. Unwanted seams can be eliminated by using cabinet combining modifications or consider breaking up long cabinetry runs with varying depths of cabinetry. Finally, inset panel ends provides the finishing touches at the end of any cabinet run or island end.

Designing with Inset Cabinetry

The last thing you want from your inset cabinet doors are doors that you can’t keep from jamming and sticking. If you live in an area where the temperatures may range to extremes, you might be all too familiar with this problem. This kind of jamming is often the result of fluctuations in a room’s humidity, where high humidity causes the doors to expand and dry climates may cause slight shrinking. Your home’s temperature and humidity should always be moderated for proper inset cabinet door function.

Inset cabinetry is available in MasterBrand’s following brands: Decora Cabinetry, Starmark Cabinetry, Fieldstone Cabinetry and Omega Cabinetry.

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