Are you considering remodeling your kitchen partially or even fully? If so, there are a myriad of how-to tips available in the digital sphere to make your life easier. Practically speaking, the mountain of available tips online can become fairly overwhelming.
Thus, there is always a need to summarize these DIY tips into categories. Consequently, the fundamental purpose of this article is to look at why you should purchase unfinished kitchen cabinet doors.
Types of cabinet doors
Before we look at the reasons why you should acquire raw cabinet doors, let’s look at the different types of doors available to purchase. Succinctly stated, there are three different types of doors that are designed to be fitted on the front of the kitchen (or bathroom) cabinet:
Inset doors
These doors were popular in the early twentieth century; therefore, should you wish to create a retro-theme, these doors are the best to install. One of their defining features is that they have small hinges that are mounted on the outside of the door. Consequently, these hinges are visible when the doors are closed.
Partial overlay doors
This design followed the inset doors and was the predecessor of the full overlay doors. One of the negatives of this design and construction is that, when fitted properly, the available space inside the cabinet is reduced.
Full overlay doors
In essence, these doors are the most modern type of door available on the market today. This door completely covers the cabinet box, and the hinges are hidden when the door is closed.
The most important reason to buy unfinished cabinet doors
There are several reasons for purchasing raw or unfinished cabinets in one of the three styles mentioned above. However, the fundamental, or primary reason is that you can choose the finishing to suit your kitchen theme.
Before we talk about available wood finishes, it’s vital to note that, to ensure a professional fit, it might be worth considering hiring a highly-skilled, knowledgeable carpenter to install the new kitchen cupboards and doors, especially the doors. There is nothing worse than poorly fitted cabinets and doors. Consequently, both the aesthetics and functionality of the cabinets will be ruined.
There are several modern finishing techniques that you can apply such as wood stains, glaze, and distressed paint. It’s all up to what you want the end result to be.
Once you have decided on the finish, it’s important to apply this finish to the cabinet doors before they are fitted onto the cabinets. It must also be at the stage before the hinges are fitted to the doors. Otherwise, you will not be able to apply the paint, stain, or glaze evenly across both sides of each door.
Finally, it is equally important to ensure that the wood finish is completely dry before the door hinges are fitted, and the doors are attached to the cabinet boxes.