Solid Wood vs. Laminate Kitchen Cabinets

While you are shopping for new cabinets for your home, there are many things to consider, including the material. The most popular and common materials are wood and laminate, and each have different properties. Solid wood cabinets have many advantages over laminate ones.

Kitchen Cabinets in Wilkes-Barre

Laminate wood cabinets are cheaper, lower maintenance and easier to clean. Laminate cabinets are a composition of wood byproducts and resin that are bonded together with glue under high pressure and heat, forming a sheet of material used then to cut and assemble. While laminate is very tough, it is affected poorly by high humidity. If there is lifting of the laminate on the edges, the humidity will exacerbate this detachment, resulting in a need for repair or replacement.

Solid Wood cabinets have the advantage of style and aesthetic over laminate ones. Wood looks and feels warm and traditional, edges are sanded and not sharp like a laminate cabinet might be. Some laminate can very closely mimic the appearance of wood, and can come in many other colors, but wont have the same depth and rich stain look as real wood. Care of your solid wood kitchen cabinets may require special cleaning products designed for wood care, but the longevity of a solid wood cabinet surpasses that of a laminate or other composite material one. While laminate cabinets are cheaper upfront, solid wood cabinets are a better investment, add greater value to your home, and add to the resale value if you ever wish or plan to sell in the future.