New cabinets and counters can have one of the biggest impacts on renovating your kitchen. A good starting point is to look at the large selection of cabinet styles, door types, materials, finishes and designs.
Cabinet Styles 
There is a tremendous amount of choices when it comes to cabinet styles. Often styles are named to reflect a particular image such as Traditional, Shaker, Country, Euro, or Contemporary. Often this breaks down into 3 very basic types with lots of variations. 1. Flat panel door , 2. Raised panel door , and 3 . Recessed panel door .
The flat panel is just that, a flat panel. This is usually finished with plastic laminate and is often called "contemporary". The raised panel type has a raised door panel and can have a flat top, or several variations of arched tops.
The recessed panel is usually a flat recessed panel in the door which can be one or two panels wide. This can also have a beaded board effect. ( see links below to cabinet sites to view some styles)
Cabinet Materials
Cabinets are most commonly made of wood with a variety of finish options.
Some wood choices are as follows:
| Type of Wood |
Color |
Grain |
|
Medium gold brown |
Open grain Hardwood |
|
Medium brown with variations |
Open grain Hardwood |
|
Light, off-white yellow brown |
Closed grain Hardwood |
|
Light beige |
Medium density Hardwood |
|
light white to yellow with knots |
Straight grain Softwood |
|
White (usually with a white finish) |
Straight grained Hardwood |
|
Dark reddish brown |
Hardwood |
Cabinet Finishes
All woods can be finished in numerous stains, glazes and paint colors. It is best to look at actual cabinets with finish choices before deciding on a finish. The other options are to use a plastic laminate finish, melamine or thermofoil vinyl laminate finish. Plastic laminates are available in a very large range of colors and patterns.
Cabinet Construction
The quality of the physical construction of cabinets can vary widely. It is best to buy a well known brand that has a good guarantee. Some things to look for:
Most cabinets are not made of solid wood. This is primarily because of cost considerations. As a result, many times a very thin veneer of the hardwood is used over inferior MDF or particleboard substrate. Check the quality and thickness of this veneer and it's finish. Solid plywood construction cabinets are much stronger and better than MDF or particleboard if cost is not too prohibitive. Recess panel doors can often have a very thin panel that could be easily damaged.
Cabinet interiors are often covered with a very thin laminate veneer. Check the quality, especially on the shelves. Shelves should be 3/4 inch thick to avoid sagging. Drawers should have dovetail construction with plywood bottoms and steel glide system (not plastic). Give the drawers a real test. And finally, check the door hinges. Are they fully adjustable hidden type? Some of these are so adjustable that they often get out of alignment.
Counters
 Counters are another main feature of kitchens that have a big impact on appearance. The most common type of counter is particleboard with a plastic laminate surface. This is probably the cheapest of all counter choices and it offers a fairly durable surface that is easy to clean.
Their is a huge selection of plastic laminate colors, textures, and patterns. Plastic Laminates are available that imitate the look of many other materials such as granite and tile.
The limitation of Plastic laminate is that it can be burned and scratched and is not easy to repair.
"Solid surface" material is a popular choice instead of laminate because it 's color is solid through the counter and can therefore be easily repaired. The disadvantage is that it costs significantly more than laminate. Other choices of counter top materials and very approximate costs are as follows:
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