Reading Kitchen Cabinets

Reading kitchen cabinets are some of the most used features of a Reading, PA kitchen and house. With normal wear and tear, cabinets have to be replaced occasionally, giving you an opportunity to update your house and mix styles. Just as the Reading Pagoda stands out in the city's skyline, cabinetry is more than just storage; it can show off the beauty of the kitchen.

Hide-Away Storage

Survey your current space. What currently sits on the counters? Appliances, dish racks, cereal boxes and more can build up, overloading a kitchen. Luckily, Reading kitchen cabinets have advanced in recent years. Using the beautiful craft tradition of wooden cabinetry, modern craftsmen can install stock, semi-custom or custom cabinetry that will fit your space.

Sketch up a drawing of your Pennsylvania kitchen plans, and then mark all the unused space above the refrigerator, below the counters, in the center or between the appliances. Now, imagine you could fill that space with storage. Reading kitchen cabinets can be tailored to specifically hide and highlight your storage needs.

Take stock of your counters. With large counters, you can create an "appliance garage" to store appliances when they are not in use. If you crave counter space, imagine an island filled with side cabinetry, dish racks, an extra sink or a breakfast bar. Along with the traditional horizontal cabinetry, install vertical shelves to store cutting boards, plates and platters. Almost any small space can be turned into a hidden asset when a talented craftsman makes your Reading kitchen cabinets.

Before settling on style, such as installing modern yellow cupboard doors, decide how far your storage can stretch. A pantry is one way to store food and it can either closed with doors to match your other kitchen cabinets, or it can be open, in the traditional prairie style. Reading kitchen cabinets can also feature panel doors to cover large appliances, like the refrigerator, grill or dishwasher. The wooden or laminate cabinets are matched with your other cabinetry to create a consistent look.

Conspicuous Style

Just as Reading sits at the cross-section of two Pennsylvania valleys, your cabinetry can also sit at the cross-section of modern and historic style. Hardwood cabinet doors are still in style. You can use exotic trees like teak, bamboo or mahogany, or opt for Forest Stewardship Council certified North American hardwoods. Local American hardwoods include oak, maple, pine and much more.

The Pennsylvania forest products association reports that this state leads the United States in lumber production; PA wood accounts for 10 percent of the nation's lumber. Local woods include black cherry, red maple, white oak, ash, northern red oak, sugar maple, poplar and black walnut. With so many local Reading, PA choices, it is easy to support the local economy.

If you choose hardwood, you can have horizontal grain or a striking vertical grain to show off the beauty of the wood. To save on material cost, you can also choose a plywood box with a hardwood door. If you are leaning toward traditional style, your cabinets should be made with face frame construction and inset drawers or cabinet doors. A more contemporary approach favors overlay doors, without a wooden outline around your cabinet doors.

Before you decide on plywood, make sure it is not made with urea-formaldehyde resin. Once a common material in plywood pressing and creation, this particular resin was found to produce harmful formaldehyde gas when in contact with high temperatures, such as an oven or stove. Formaldehyde gas can cause wheezing, coughing and asthma.

Veneered plywood is also a beautiful choice for Reading kitchen cabinets. It is used in both stock and customized cabinets. The outside of the box is covered in a veneer featuring a wood grain or color. Painted cabinetry is a great way to showcase modern cabinets and add color to the room. You can choose anything from a country cream to bright barn red.

Using either hardwood or veneered plywood, you can further customize your Reading kitchen cabinets to have glass panels. If you own a great set of dishes, a pitcher collection or beautiful majolica or china, this is a great way to incorporate utility into decor. To put them directly on display, choose open cabinetry. This shelf-like design is especially reminiscent of country kitchens.

Finally, decide on the details for your Reading kitchen cabinets. Stylish built-in details like wine racks, knife racks, a bar, lighting, molding and more will create an entertaining and useful kitchen. If you cook long meals, consider installing a DVD player or music system.

Reading kitchen cabinets should show off the industriousness of cooking but hide away the work that takes place in this room. Draw from the many sides of Reading style, like "baseball town," modern outlets or historic manufacturing. Consider your options, enjoy revising your style and make the best of your Reading installation or remodel.