Cabinets

Michael Holigan: Since there are a number of differences in cabinets, we're in a design center where we can do some side-by-side comparisons. Now behind me you'll notice an immediate difference and that's the color, but what you should be looking for is the size. The one on the left is a 36 inch cabinet. The one on the right is a 48 inch cabinet. So what's the difference besides one foot? Price. You can expect to pay about $15 to $50 per running foot of cabinet extra for the 48 inch upper cabinet. Let's go up closer and take a look at the inside and notice some differences.

When you open the door, first thing you're going to notice is the white laminate, and that's something good if you can get that in your cabinets because it's easy to clean, you don't have to add shelf paper. Also look for adjustable shelves. That's going to make it much, much easier when you start putting glasses and dishes in. Another thing you can notice here is hidden hinges. When you shut this cabinet door, you can't see that hinge on the outside of the cabinet at all. It's nice if that's the look that you're going for. The only thing negative on it is when you open the door, you're stuck at about 110 degrees, is as far as it'll open. If you ever do anything on the cabinet with you doors open, you may be hitting your cabinet doors, so that's one thing you need to take into account. Over on our right we have more of a traditional style cabinet. We have the exposed hinges, which is normal, so that lets the door open quite a bit further. Another thing inside it, it still has a finished interior and again, that's something you really want in case of spills or water with the dishes going up before they're completely dry. That way you're not going to ruin your wood and have to replace the cabinet. Again, you have adjustable shelves and one thing to notice on a 48 inch cabinet, make sure that you have at least four shelves, one base and then three more shelves. A lot of custom cabinet manufacturers will end up with just three shelves on a 48 inch cabinet. If you're going to have three shelves you ought to go with a 36 and not pay the extra money. Make sure that you get the full four shelves. Now this is a solid oak door on the interior here. This is a pressed wood with a finish on it and it's pretty much a toss-up as far as price. It just depends on who your builder is buying the cabinets from.

Episode 015 1995 - 96 Season

| Cabinets | Countertops | Christmas Tree Formula | Kitchen Remodel | Leftover Concrete | Stenciling (design) | Lending for Difficult Credit |

To order a Video Tape, call 1-800-TO-BUILD and ask for Episode #015.