--- title: "Cabinet Guides: Types, Materials & Finishes | Best Cabinets" url: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides description: "Explore guides to custom cabinets, kitchen and bathroom projects, installation, refacing, materials and finishes. Plan your next cabinet project." lang: en --- Skip to content # Cabinet Guides Plain-language articles on cabinet projects and the choices you will be asked to make. For a quick overview of each service, see Cabinet Services (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services). Ready to compare companies? Browse cabinet makers by state (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/states). Ready to compare companies? Browse cabinet makers by state (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/states). Image: custom cabinets under construction in a local shop (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/__l5e/assets-v1/6439c9b1-ded0-4971-951b-443b0a2e0406/kitchen-wood.jpg) Service guide January 8, 2026 ## Custom Cabinets: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/custom-cabinets Cabinetry designed and built for your home alone: what it is, how the process works, and why it fits any space. Custom cabinets are designed for a specific room and built to order. Nothing is pulled from a warehouse. The cabinetmaker measures the space, draws each cabinet, and builds it to those drawings, usually in a local shop What Custom Cabinets Are A Fit for Any Space When Custom Cabinets Make Sense How the Process Works Read the Guide (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/custom-cabinets) ## All Guides Every guide, from choosing a type of cabinet to the finishing touches. kitchen with new base and wall cabinets (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/kitchen-cabinets) Service guide January 27, 2026 ### Kitchen Cabinets: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/kitchen-cabinets Layouts, storage, construction and finishes for the largest cabinet project in most homes. Kitchen cabinets set the layout of the room, so the first decisions are about where things go: sink, range, refrigerator, and the counter space between them. Storage comes next. Drawers in base cabinets hold more usable space than shelves behind doors, and a tall pantry cabinet often replaces several wall cabinets. Settle appliance models before ordering, because cabinet sizes depend on them. If the layout works and the boxes are solid, refacing or repainting can change the look of a kitchen for less than new cabinets. If the layout is changing, or the boxes are sagging, water-damaged or poorly built, replacement is the better investment. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/kitchen-cabinets) bathroom vanity with drawers (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/bathroom-cabinets) Service guide February 12, 2026 ### Bathroom Cabinets & Vanities: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/bathroom-cabinets Vanities, linen cabinets and built-in storage for rooms that see daily moisture. Bathroom cabinetry usually means a vanity, sometimes with a linen tower, medicine cabinet or built-in shelving. Vanities come as freestanding furniture-style pieces, standard cabinet boxes, or wall-hung units that leave the floor clear. Stock vanities come in set widths; semi-custom and custom work fits the wall you have. Bathrooms are hard on cabinets. Plywood boxes and a durable, well-sealed finish hold up better than particleboard, which swells when water gets into it. Pay attention to the bottom edges of doors and the area around the sink, and make sure the room has a working exhaust fan. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/bathroom-cabinets) installer leveling base cabinets (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-installation) Service guide March 3, 2026 ### Cabinet Installation: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-installation What professional installers do, and what to have ready before they arrive. Installers find the high point of the floor, set a level line, and work from there. Boxes are shimmed, fastened to the wall studs and to each other, and filler strips are scribed to uneven walls. Doors and drawers are adjusted at the end, and hardware is fitted. On a well-run job the difference shows in even gaps and doors that line up across a run. The room should be empty, with rough plumbing and electrical complete and walls repaired. Flooring may go in before or after the cabinets depending on the type; ask your installer which they prefer. Check the delivery against the order before anything is installed. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-installation) kitchen with old cabinets removed (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-replacement) Service guide March 19, 2026 ### Cabinet Replacement: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-replacement When to tear out and start over, and what a full replacement involves. Replace cabinets when the layout no longer works, when boxes are water-damaged, sagging or coming apart, or when the existing cabinets were poorly made to begin with. If the boxes are sound and you like the layout, refacing or painting may do the job for less. Removing cabinets usually means removing countertops, and often the backsplash. Plumbing and appliances are disconnected and reconnected. If the new layout moves the sink or range, plumbing, gas and electrical work are added. Flooring may need patching where the old cabinet footprint was different. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-replacement) cabinet boxes being fitted with new doors (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-refacing) Service guide April 7, 2026 ### Cabinet Refacing: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-refacing New doors, drawer fronts and veneer over existing boxes: how it works and when it makes sense. The existing doors and drawer fronts are removed. Exposed box surfaces and face frames are covered with matching wood veneer or laminate, and new doors, drawer fronts and hardware are installed. Hinges are usually replaced, and drawer boxes and slides can be upgraded at the same time. Refacing suits kitchens with a layout you are happy with and boxes that are structurally sound. It does not fix a poor layout, damaged boxes or worn-out drawers unless those are replaced too. Countertops can usually stay in place, which is a large part of the savings. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-refacing) cabinet doors laid out for spraying (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-painting) Service guide April 23, 2026 ### Cabinet Painting: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-painting Professional cabinet painting: preparation, finishes and realistic expectations. Kitchen cabinets carry years of grease and handling. A lasting paint job starts with degreasing, sanding and a bonding primer. Doors and drawer fronts are normally removed and sprayed off site or in a contained area, while the frames are finished in place. Cabinet finishes need to be harder than wall paint. Painters use products made for cabinetry and trim, often sprayed for a smooth surface. Ask which product will be used and how long it needs to cure before normal use. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-painting) drawer pulls and hinges on a workbench (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-hardware) Service guide May 12, 2026 ### Cabinet Hardware: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-hardware Knobs, pulls, hinges and drawer slides, and why the parts you cannot see matter most. Decorative hardware is the easiest part of a kitchen to change. Knobs need one hole; pulls need two at a fixed spacing, so replacements have to match the existing holes unless the doors are being refinished. Choose a size in proportion to the door or drawer. Concealed, soft-close hinges are standard on most new cabinets. Drawer slides matter more: full-extension, soft-close slides let a drawer open completely and carry real weight. Ask which brands a cabinet company uses. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-hardware) Shaker, raised-panel and slab sample doors (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-doors) Service guide May 28, 2026 ### Cabinet Doors: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-doors Door styles, overlay types, and replacing doors without replacing cabinets. Shaker doors have a flat center panel in a square frame. Raised-panel doors have a profiled center panel and read as traditional. Slab doors are a single flat panel and read as modern. Glass-front doors are used as accents. Full-overlay doors cover nearly all of the cabinet face. Partial-overlay doors leave part of the face frame visible. Inset doors sit inside the frame, flush with it; they need precise fitting and cost more. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-doors) kitchen floor plan and elevations (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-design) Service guide June 16, 2026 ### Cabinet Design: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-design How cabinet layouts are planned, and what a good designer will ask you. Design turns a room's measurements into a cabinet plan: which cabinets go where, in what sizes, with what storage inside. A good plan accounts for appliance clearances, door swings, walkways and how the kitchen is actually used. Many cabinet dealers and custom shops include design in their service; independent kitchen designers charge separately. Expect questions about how you cook, what you store, and what frustrates you about the current room. You should receive a floor plan and elevations before ordering. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-design) base cabinet with roll-out trays (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-storage-solutions) Service guide July 2, 2026 ### Cabinet Storage Solutions: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-storage-solutions Pull-outs, drawer organizers and pantry fittings that make cabinets easier to use. Roll-out trays, pull-out trash and recycling bins, tray dividers, spice pull-outs, corner systems and drawer organizers are the most common. Deep drawers with pegs or dividers hold pots and dishes; tall pantry cabinets take roll-out shelves. Fittings are easiest to include when cabinets are ordered, because box sizes can be planned around them. Many can also be retrofitted into existing cabinets if the opening sizes are right. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/services/cabinet-storage-solutions) semi-custom cabinets in a showroom (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/semi-custom-cabinets) Types and materials July 21, 2026 ### Semi-Custom Cabinets: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/semi-custom-cabinets Manufactured cabinets with room to adjust sizes, styles and finishes. Semi-custom cabinets are built by a manufacturer after you order, from a catalog of door styles, finishes and box sizes. Unlike stock cabinets, widths, depths and heights can usually be adjusted, and there is a wider range of storage fittings and decorative options. They suit most kitchen remodels: more choice and a better fit than stock, at less cost and usually less time than fully custom work. They are sold through dealers and showrooms, who handle design and ordering. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/semi-custom-cabinets) boxed stock cabinets ready to install (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/stock-cabinets) Types and materials August 6, 2026 ### Stock Cabinets: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/stock-cabinets Ready-made cabinets in standard sizes: where they work and where they do not. Stock cabinets are built in advance in standard widths, usually in three-inch steps, and in a limited range of door styles and finishes. They are sold by home centers and dealers, either in stock or with short lead times, and come assembled or ready to assemble. Straightforward layouts, tight budgets and schedules, rental and resale properties, laundry rooms, garages and basements. Filler strips take up the gaps that standard sizes leave. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/stock-cabinets) plywood, MDF and solid wood samples (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-materials) Types and materials August 25, 2026 ### Cabinet Materials: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-materials Solid wood, plywood, MDF and particleboard, and what each is used for. Cabinet boxes are usually plywood or particleboard. Plywood is lighter, holds screws well and tolerates moisture better. Particleboard, often faced with melamine, is less expensive and stable when kept dry. Either can make a durable cabinet when it is thick enough and well assembled. Solid hardwood such as maple, oak, cherry, hickory or walnut is standard for stained doors and face frames. MDF is common for painted doors because it is smooth and does not expand and contract the way wood does, so paint is less likely to crack at the joints. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-materials) kitchens in three cabinet styles (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-styles) Types and materials September 15, 2026 ### Cabinet Styles: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-styles Shaker, raised-panel and slab doors, and the difference between traditional, transitional and modern. The door does most of the work. A Shaker door has a flat center panel in a square frame and suits almost any house. Raised-panel doors have a profiled center panel. Slab doors are a single flat panel with no frame. Traditional kitchens use raised-panel or detailed doors, crown molding and furniture-style details. Modern kitchens use slab doors, minimal hardware and clean lines. Transitional kitchens sit between the two, typically with a Shaker door and simple molding. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-styles) painted and stained finish samples (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-finishes) Types and materials October 6, 2026 ### Cabinet Finishes: https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-finishes Painted, stained and natural finishes, and how each one wears. Painted cabinets give a solid, even color. Paint shows chips and hairline cracks at door joints more than stain does, so ask for a touch-up kit and for the name of the color. Stain adds color while leaving the grain visible; a clear coat alone shows the natural wood. Both hide wear well. Species matters: maple is smooth and even, oak has strong grain, cherry darkens with age, and walnut is naturally dark. Read more (https://thebestcabinetcompany.com/guides/cabinet-finishes)