How to Judge Cabinet Quality Before You Buy

1. The Box (Carcass)

The box carries the whole cabinet and the countertop on top. Look for 3/4-inch plywood sides — plywood holds screws and hinges tightly and resists moisture far better than particleboard. Furniture-grade MDF is excellent under painted finishes. Thin particleboard is the budget choice and the least forgiving if it ever gets wet.

2. Drawer Boxes & Glides

Drawers take the most abuse in any kitchen. The best are solid-wood boxes with dovetail joints — interlocking corners that can’t pull apart — riding on full-extension, soft-close undermount glides. Stapled particleboard boxes on side-mount rollers are the tell of a cheap cabinet.

3. Doors & Hinges

Solid-wood or solid-wood-framed doors feel substantial; painted MDF center panels resist the seasonal cracking solid wood can show. Quality six-way adjustable hinges let an installer dial every door into perfect alignment and keep it there.

4. Hardware & Assembly

Good cabinets use metal glides, sturdy shelf pins and reinforced corner blocks, and arrive fully assembled rather than flat-packed. Small details — a finished interior, a matching toe kick, dampened doors — separate “builder basic” from cabinets you’re proud of. We carry custom and semi-custom lines including Executive Cabinetry, Showplace Cabinetry, Designers Choice, Tedd Wood and Walnut Ridge Cabinetry. We’ll show you exactly what each line is built from. More on our cabinetry page.

Frequently Asked Questions