Pros & Cons of Kitchen Cabinet Materials

Kitchen cabinets are, no doubt, an essential element of your kitchen. Whether you want to replace just the cabinet doors or completely rebuild your kitchen, it’s crucial to think about the various kitchen cabinet materials available to ensure you select the ideal design and material for your kitchen. We sort a few pros and cons of each kitchen cabinet material, and here are the results.

Plywood Kitchen Cabinets

Plywood is an excellent choice if you are going for DIY cabinets. The price of these cabinets varies based on the grade of the material and its durability. Plywood is typically paired with painted doors and is a good option for kitchen cabinets boxes. Marine plywood is made up of water-resistant material and is usually used in areas where moisture and humidity levels are higher.

Pros of Plywood

Easy to repair: Plywood is easy to modify; if a plywood-made cabinet gets damaged, you can restore it to a greater extent. It is feasible to fill the damaged chip with wood fillers. It nearly repairs the damage as the original one making it impossible to locate.

Lightweight: Plywood is lightweight and easy to set up. Plywood can support heavy loads, like canned food and casserole plates.

Can be affordable: It can cost very little per sq meter based on the quality.

Cons of Plywood:

Imperfection: If we compare plywood with planks of wood, plywood offers less perfection. When installing kitchen cabinets, keep an eye out for hooks and spaces in the panels, as that can be ugly and possibly lead to areas of vulnerability.

Thinner plywood is more likely to break: Plywood is available in various thicknesses, and thinner boards will crack if they are overloaded. The kitchen cabinet shelving and exteriors should be thick plywood, while the backing can be made of thinner plywood.

MDF Kitchen Cabinets

MDF stands for Medium Density Fiberboard is among the most widely used kitchen cabinet materials. It is economical and available in multiple varieties and finishes. MDF is more durable and easier to clean.

Pros of MDF:

Moisture Resistant: Wax and resins are applied in MDF and make it water-resistant. Kitchen cabinets often come in contact with water. Moisture-resistant characteristics of MDF prevent them from warping.

Multiple Varieties: MDF is easier to carve into various sizes, making it suitable for small or extra-large cabinets.

Even and flat surface: MDF boards are flat and even because they are hand-made. The boards’ flat surface makes adding lamination or even wooden veneer simple. It also implies using paints to create a tidy and appealing cabinet.

Cons of MDF

It’s not suited for really high temperatures: MDF is not appropriate for excessively high temperatures due to the production process. While this isn’t usually an issue in most home kitchens, it may be in a large kitchen with many ovens and stoves.

Lower strength: When MDF is chosen for kitchen cabinets, the most prevalent complaint is that it is too weak. MDF is fragile in contrast since it is constructed of a wood blend instead of a solid material.

SOLID WOOD CABINETS

To add elegance to the kitchen cabinets, employing solid wood cabinets is the dream of many decorators. Solid wood is expensive, but the results are worth going for; that is why I favor Solid wood cabinets.

Pros of solid wood kitchen cabinets:

Durability: Solid wood cabinets are the most durable option. These can withstand the different kitchen conditions for years.

Sustainability: Those wishing for a sustainable kitchen should use solid wood cabinets made from sustainably sourced wood. Solid wood is a better choice for eco-friendly material than manufactured materials if produced sustainably.

Multiple styles: There are plenty of options available in solid wood cabinets. You can go for walnut, oak, maple, and cherry trees. All of them give a unique tone to the kitchen style.

Cons of Solid Wood

Heavy Weight: The weight of solid wooden logs and cabinets is heavy. The weight can be a problem for the construction and transportation of the material. Proper installation is compulsory. Otherwise, they can come out of the hinges applied to install them and put them in place.

High price point: When there is quality, prices go up automatically. Solid wood cabinets are more costly than plywood and MDF cabinets.

It’s more stain-prone: If you’re going to utilize solid wood that hasn’t been treated much, keep in mind that it can stain readily. This can be a pain in the kitchen, where spillages are common.