The kitchen is the heart of your home and the most important room for most homebuyers.
Let us walk you through your choices.
When I bought my house, a fixer-upper, I knew wed have to remodel the kitchen eventually.
As excited as we are to have this done, Ive found that having too many choicesquartz or granite?
porcelain tile or hardwood?
maple or birch veneers?can be overwhelming.
Interior Cabinet Materials
Cabinets with all solid wood doors and cabinets are rare and expensive these days.
Particle board, MDF, and plywood are engineered wood products (a.k.a.
Cabinetmakers use it in their higher-end cabinet lines as an upgrade to MDF or particleboard.
Its manufactured by gluing small wood fibers together at high temperatures.
If your cabinet bases are fine, refinishing the surface could save you a lot of money.
For more cabinet styles, look to laminates.
Laminatesare plastic coatings over the cabinet material.
They can range from cheap DIY cabinets to higher end versions youll find in modern, sleek kitchens.
There are options for every budget.
Its great forcheaply refacing cabinets for a sleek, white kitchen.
Thermofoil will vary in cost from $35 to $45 per linear foot.
Veneered particleboard and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) panels arent as good.
Avoid laminate or thermofoil over particleboard.
Hardware that uses undermounted double rollers and integrated side rails isnt as good.
Shelves
made of 34-inch plywood or MDF.
Thinner particleboard shelves might sag over time.
Cabinets
made of 12-inch to 34-inch furniture-grade plywood.
MDF is OK, but avoid 3/8-inch coated particleboard.
Mounting strips
made of 34-inch hardwood or metal with bolt holes.
There are more than a dozen countertop materials you could choose from, and theyre all a little different.
Were going to sort popular ones here by maintenance, cost, and looks.
Other manufactured solid surfaces that look like stone are another option, as theyre also maintenance-free.
Laminate countertops are also very budget-friendlyandlow maintenance, but theyre not as durable as other options.
Pros:Porcelain tiles stand up to scratches, stains, and heat well.
Laminate countertops are easy to clean and come in a wide range of colors.
Cons:Both are outdated material options.
Butcher block countertops can be refinished or sanded down to eliminate scratches.
Butcher block needs regular oiling to protect the surface (especially from water).
Thats a tough order.
Its hard, resists moisture, and defies stains.
Cork is another option.
Its eco-friendly, waterproof, and also soft, but, like hardwood, would need refinishing/resealing regularly.
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Porcelain tile: $1-20 plus installation of $5-10 per sq.
ft
Hardwood: $3-12 plus installation of $5-12 per sq.
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Cork: $2-6 plus installation of $5-10 per sq.
Illustration by Sam Woolley.
Photos viaec-job,Greenhouse Home Improvements,Girl Cooks World.
