Category Archives: White cabinets

White Shaker Style Cabinets Continue to Be Popular Kitchen Cabinet Choice

Although homeowners today have countless choices for kitchen cabinet colors, glazes, stains and finishes, white Shaker style cabinets continue to be as popular as ever. What contributes to this perennial popularity? It’s probably a combination of the Shaker style and the color white.

Shaker style cabinets come from a long tradition
Shaker style cabinets are modeled after the Shaker furniture of 19th century. Although the Shakers who were crafting the timeless furniture we now consider works of art, they didn’t have kitchen cabinets like we have today. So we can’t exactly say Shaker style cabinets are a continuation of an original design. But the aesthetic is consistent: clean lines free of ornamentation.

That aesthetic gives Shaker style cabinets a versatility unlike other kitchen cabinet styles. A Shaker cabinet is at home in a traditional kitchen as a modern one. That versatility also ensures it will stand the test of time. You won’t grow tired of this cabinet style, and if you decide to revamp your kitchen with a whole new look in a few years, chances are your cabinets can stay put while the design around them changes.

White kitchen cabinets also have a long tradition
White kitchens date back to the porcelain of the 1920s, according to some historians, when the color was associated with hygiene and cleanliness—a big deal when kitchens lacked modern conveniences like we have today for careful food storage and preservation. Probably because it is extremely versatile like the Shaker style, white has been a popular color for kitchens and kitchen cabinets for decades. It’s timeless and classic.

White brightens up any room, and this is especially important in the kitchen. The color is clean and fresh, prompting good appetites and energy levels. Picture an all-red kitchen in contrast. Although the color red is supposed to be an appetite stimulant, it’s hard to imagine feeling comfortable in a kitchen that’s predominantly red!

And like the Shaker design, white kitchen cabinets will look good in any kitchen style, from country to contemporary, traditional to minimalist.

When to be wary of the white Shaker style cabinets
Put the two together—the timeless Shaker style and the classic white color—and it’s no wonder you have one of the most popular kitchen cabinet styles of all time. Which leads us to a caveat: It can be easy to be fooled into buying a lower-quality cabinet just because the cabinet looks the way you want it to look. But you’re buying this cabinet for the long-term, and you want a durable, high-quality cabinet that will stand up to the wear and tear of a typical kitchen. So invest in a good quality semi-custom cabinet for your kitchen. It’s worth the money because you’re going to enjoy it for many years yet to come….

Choose Tough Cabinets for Hard-Working Rooms: Thermofoil Cabinets

Some rooms just work harder than others. Think about how we name our rooms for a minute. A bedroom is likely a quiet room since it has a bed in it, right? But a mudroom? We call it a mudroom for a reason—mud! Or dirt, or whatever else the kids and dogs might drag in. Ditto for laundry rooms: We know what laundry can be like! But a bathroom? Aaahhh… a bath only sounds calm and relaxing…

Since some rooms work harder than others and take more of a beating, the type of semi custom cabinets you choose for a room should fit the beating (or lack of) that room will take. For example, the semi custom cabinets you choose for your den can be a stained wood and wear just fine. But your mudroom cabinets might not.

That’s why we offer thermofoil as a finish on our cabinets, so you can get the cabinet style you want in those much-used and highly functional rooms, but with a durable finish that can stand up to dirt and dogs and kids and life.

Thermofoil cabinets 101
So here’s a little about thermofoil cabinets to explain…

First off, thermofoil is not a foil, despite but the name, but a plastic coating that’s adhered to the wood to make thermofoil cabinet doors. Because it’s made from plastic, it’s more durable than just paint or stain, making thermofoil cabinets a popular choice for mudrooms and laundry rooms.

Thermofoil cabinet doors are also easy to care for, usually needing only a quick wipe down with a damp cloth. When used in room with humidity like a laundry room, they are less susceptible to warping because the wood is protected.

Thermofoil cabinets, the downside
All of that said, if the coating is compromised through scratches or dents, water will be able to get through to the wood and cause damage.

In addition, thermofoil cabinets can be susceptible to heat damage because of the plastic coating. For that reason, if you’re considering thermofoil cabinets for your kitchen, you’ll want to be careful about how close you place these cabinets to appliances such as ovens.

Typically you find your choice limited to white thermofoil cabinets, which works well for mudrooms and laundry rooms because white is crisp and clean. However, some coatings will start to yellow over time, so be aware and by from a high-end kitchen cabinet manufacturer—even though you’re buying a lower-end product.

Which cabinet is right for you?
Choosing your semi custom cabinets style is easier than ever with the dozens of choices now offered by manufacturers like Wellborn Forest Products. And being able to customize the type of finish to fit the room, whether lightly used or well used, is just one more reason to go with semi custom!