i hope this would help:

Most Kitchen Cabinets and Wardrobes (custom made) these days are all made from board. Earlier days (maybe even some carpenters now), a lot of solid wood (mostly just for doors) and plywood were used. Last time wood is cheaper than now. That's why.

Most common wood base materials being used in kitchen cabinets and wardrobes are:

1. Particle board, or known as chip board. There are quite a few types of chip board, ex. better water/moisture resistance in green, fire retardant in red. You can search for more info online.

2. MDF (medium density fiberboard) is a better quality material compared to particle board, due to it's density. Normally it is 4 times higher. MDF is categorized in different classes, E0.5, E1, E2 etc. E0.5 obviously is the best because it contains very little formaldehyde, thus no smell no eyes irritation and no harm to our health.

3. Plywood, categorized in different number sheets of wood being blued together, ex. 3-ply, 5-ply or 7-ply. Equal strength as MDF, and majority of the small scaled manufacturer or carpenter are using this material.

The above mentioned are just the base material, however, they need to dress up neatly, by what we called the finishing. In the market, there are a number of materials commonly used for the finishing.

1. Lamination
a) Melamine - It is actually like a sheet of plastic paper. When it is pressed under high heat and high temperature, it becomes very tough and durable. That explains why laminated floors are becoming popular because of free from scratches and easy to take care. You can do with any wood patterns/grains that you want at the lower layer, it is almost like the real thing!
b) Veneer - A thin slice of wood from the tree trunks. It offers the most realistic wood grain, and also it can be painted into different colors. Undoubtedly, it is natural finishing but prone to being scratched. It needs to be taken good care and might need to varnish/wax when damaged.

These are just some of the information that I am sharing here. Actually, the market is too big to know it all. Sometimes, we might get confused over the terms being used by different manufacturer or merchandiser, but never hesitate to ask for in-depth details. Be a smart consumer.

In my opinion, what is more important in making the kitchen cabinet or bedroom wardrobes in our own house is QUALITY first (then only design). Better quality means long lasting products. It saves my money just for one time buying only, and will last for as long as possible. As for the design, do you see any different from most of the kitchen or wardrobe in the market? NO! Pretty much is all high gloss (glass, mirror, solid one color). It will get bored eventually. Unless, you are able to find something that stands out from the others.

Thanks for reading.

Just to share some nice wardrobes.









This post has been edited by KrazyChinaman: Dec 16 2011, 01:02 PM

Wow the kitchen looks nice and very grand. May i know what table top is that??