High-quality kitchen cabinets should look stunning and provide functional, easy-to-use storage at least twenty or thirty years. However, many people have cabinet problems much sooner than this, reporting issues such as crooked doors, sagging, deteriorating drawers, scratched and dented faces, loose hinges, and warping boxes. These problems occur because of low quality cabinet construction.
Not only do low-quality cabinets lead to functional and aesthetic issues for homeowners, but they also create higher-than-expected costs in installation and maintenance. Cabinet boxes are typically built of plywood or particleboard. The most robust cabinets have full plywood sides and backs to stay square during delivery and installation, handle the weight of heavy countertops, and resist damage from moisture.
Particleboard is a less expensive alternative. It is vulnerable to damage from moisture and crushing, as well as difficult-to-repair blow-outs at screws and joints. There are many names for particleboard: medium density fiberboard, engineered wood, hardboard, substrate, furniture board, etc. However you call it, particleboard is made by pressing wood particles together at high temperature with glue.
It doesn’t typically expand or contract as the climate becomes warmer or colder but is more susceptible to damage caused by collision or moisture. The particles are heavy and do not have the same per-square-foot strength of plywood. Sagging cabinet shelves are often a sign of deteriorating particleboard construction.
Cabinet back construction affects the durability and ease of installation. The most robust cabinet construction uses a, full-plywood, full-back panel. Less expensive kitchen products methods use thin panels, metal hangs rails and brackets, rails, and picture-frame construction. Weak back panels can result in falling cabinets. Choose plywood back construction to keep cabinets secure and accurate in your kitchen.