The quality of the drawers in your kitchen significantly contributes to the overall quality of the kitchen. Your drawers are opened and closed frequently, and it is important that the craftsmanship and material quality can hold up to such frequent use.
How do you tell if a drawer is high quality?
What should you look for when working with a cabinet maker to ensure you are getting the most quality for your money? The most important elements of a high quality drawer are:
- Dovetail Joints
- 1/2 Inch Plywood
- High Quality Hardware
- In-House Production
Dovetail joints:
You’ve likely heard the term, but what does it mean? Why does it make a difference? Dovetailed drawers are much different than a standard built kitchen drawer.
The main difference between a standard drawer and a dovetailed drawer lies in the construction. The sides of the drawers are held together with interlocking tails, cut at precise angles that fit tightly together. This creates high tensile strength, and makes the drawer extremely resistant to being pulled apart. Standard drawers are held together with staples, which are much more likely to break down with daily use.
Dovetailed, Plywood Drawer vs Stapled Melamine Drawer
Plywood:
Drawers made with plywood are flat, strong, and dimensionally stable. Plywood does not expand and contract in humid conditions, unlike solid wood. This material stability minimizes side to side movement of the drawer. The thickness of the plywood utilized ranges from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch, depending on the size of the drawer. At Frank Bouwmans Cabinet Maker, we make our drawers with 1/2 inch plywood as standard to ensure upmost strength with every drawer.
High Quality Hardware:
Not only does the build of the drawer need to be strong and resistant, the hardware utilized to enable drawer functionality needs to be high quality. We source SALICE® drawer slides. These drawer slides are zinc plated with steel finish, enable full extension, and have integrated dampening for a soft, quiet close, regardless of the force exerted to close the drawer. These drawer slides are under-mounted rather than exposed, to better protect from wear. Our SALICE® front fixing clips allow for easy drawer removal.
Salice Drawer Slides: Parts and Functionality
In-House Production:
All of these elements of a high quality drawer can be present, however, if the drawer was shipped in from another supplier, unknown materials and processes can cause many issues to arise. This is why at Frank Bouwmans Cabinet Maker, we make every component of our cabinetry in-house. This allows for complete control over the process given thorough knowledge of owned machinery operated by trained personnel, proprietary processes to ensure quality control, and the ability to guarantee turn-around time.
Our Dovetailer Machine
To summarize: Cabinetry is an investment. Make sure that quality standards are present to ensure your investment stands the test of time. Stop by our designer showroom at 880 Divison St in Cobourg, ON to see our superior craftsmanship up close.
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