Choosing Kitchen Cabinets and Overall Kitchen Layout

All unfinished kitchen cabinets are not the same. Some types of wood absorb stains better than others. A wood’s final color depends upon its hardness and original shade. It’s easier to darken wood than to lighten it, so select unfinished cabinets accordingly. Light colored woods are ash, maple, pine, oak, birch, beech, chestnut and elm. Medium colored woods include cherry, teak, butternut and rosewood. Darker colored woods are hickory and mahogany.

If you plan on painting, staining or glazing kitchen cabinets, you can use cheaper types of wood. Oak cabinets can be stained to look like expensive mahogany or cherry.

Before making your final choice, try various types of stain on samples of wood you’re considering. Compare those colors against the rest of your kitchen’s woodwork. Which ones complement the furniture you have?

Don’t choose ash unless you want a natural look, or light-colored cabinets. Ash doesn’t absorb stains very well.

If you are considering new cabinets or a simple kitchen refacing, first decide on general distribution of the kitchen cabinets according to the space available. With different types of kitchens, (i.e. single-row, L-shape or corner-shape,

U-shape - with or without kitchen islands), where to put what depends on your room size.

The classical way to distribute basic kitchen appliances around cabinets is: refrigerator, cabinet, oven, cabinet, kitchen sink with dishwasher. Obviously not considering any additional space for a possible washing machine. This traditional lineup keeps the heat of the oven away from the refrigerator and still allows room to have them close enough. You’ll want to find the best distribution, based on the space you have in your home. You can draw a simple floor plan of your kitchen, with the correct dimension, and cut (using paper board) some pieces equivalent to the size of each of your appliances. This will give you a rough idea of what cabinets can be used to fill in the available spaced.