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2. Kitchen doors and drawer fronts

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How to choose the right cabinets doors and drawer fronts for your kitchen

With these measurements in hand, you are now ready to order your new kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Most good home stores will offer a range of door types, and there are many good home stores both off and online. Online, you will often find kitchen cabinet manufacturers that sell doors and drawer fronts directly. These may be cheaper, but be prepared to shop around for the best deal.

Your options - excluding the designer options of the day - can be divided into three groups: a synthetic finish in RTF (rigid thermofoil) over an MDF base; a hard wood, or; a soft wood. Your choice will depend on personal taste and budget.

Thermofoil kitchen cabinets (RTF) look very much like natural wood. RTF veneers, which often come textured like wood grain, are typically applied to MDF (medium-density fiberboard) using pressure, heat and a heat activated glue. The resulting product is clean, easy to maintain and incredibly durable.

Soft wood doors are typically made of pine or cedar. While cheaper than hard woods, they are not as durable. Before deciding on soft wood doors, take account of the daily wear and tear your kitchen undergoes. Kitchen wear and tear will far exceed that of any other room in the house.

Hard woods, like oak, cherry and maple make a great material for kitchen doors and drawers. In choosing a hardwood, decide first how you intend to finish the cabinets. If you intend to stain or simply varnish your kitchen cabinets, oak has a strong grain which will show through the finish. For painting, a softer grained wood, like maple, may more suitable. Again, it's a question of personal taste.

Another option available for each of these door finishes is "frame only". Choose this option for those doors you wish to complete with a glass panel.

Delivery time from your supplier will vary. Typically, you will want to order your new cabinet doors and drawers 3 - 4 weeks before you intend to begin work.

Next, learn how to refinish kitchen cabinet face frames and side panels. Applying veneer.

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