What makes a well-built kitchen cabinet? Look behind the door

What should you check on the cabinet box?

Start behind the sample door. The finish tells you how a cabinet looks; the box tells you how it holds up.

• Sides, back and bottom: plywood on every line we sell.
• Front: a solid-wood face frame on the framed line, or doors hung straight on the box on the frameless ones.
• Inside: natural wood veneer, natural wood, a white linen finish or a light maple print, depending on the line.
• Feet: one frameless line we carry stands on adjustable legs.

Every line is side by side under Drawers, hinges and boxes on our kitchen cabinets page.

What is the difference between plywood and solid wood?

Plywood is thin layers of wood glued together into a panel. Solid wood is one piece, used for parts such as face frames and drawer boxes.

The cabinets we sell use both: plywood boxes, a solid-wood face frame on the framed line and solid-wood dovetail drawers on most lines. Our black, white and oak shaker doors are solid birch with MDF.

How do you compare drawers and hardware?

• Drawer box: dovetail joints lock the corners together. Most lines we carry use solid-wood dovetail boxes, 5/8 inch thick on the American-made line; one frameless line has metal drawer boxes.
• Drawer travel: the American-made line runs on full-extension guides, so the whole drawer comes out to its back.
• Closing: every line closes softly, with soft-close hinges and slides or quiet-close hinges and guides on the American-made line.
• Adjustment: screws on the hinge move a door up and down, side to side and in and out, and a small switch on a soft-close hinge turns the soft close on.

What should you ask about the warranty?

Warranty terms differ by product and purchase date, so we give you the written terms for the exact cabinets in your quote.

Keep your order details and a few photos together. If a door hangs crooked, a drawer is off or a part is missing, our support page shows how to reach us about it.