Cabinet Materials

Cabinets are made from various materials with various quality and price. Cabinets made from panels of particleboard with a vinyl film or melamine applied to exposed surfaces have low quality and low price. Cabinets made from veneers and solid hardwoods such as oak, cherry, birch, ash, or hickory have high quality. Interior panels and drawer bottoms are typically made from hardboard, particleboard, plywood, or medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Visible exterior layer such as doors, drawers, and frames are made from variety of softwoods and hardwoods. Some of the woods commonly used in cabinet construction are ash, beech, birch, cherry, oak, maple, and pine.

The plastic laminate countertop has a core material, generally medium-density fiberboard (MDF), plywood, or particleboard covered with a layer of plastic laminate. Plastic laminate is made of layers of resin-impregnated craft paper with a top layer of colored melamine.