A new kitchen! If you are just planning it, you are certainly accompanied by joy and excitement. A modern and tailored to your needs kitchen is actually a new chapter in your life. You have a lot of important decisions ahead of you. Try to make every choice work out as well as possible. Do you already have a design for your dream kitchen furniture? The most obvious options are wood or laminate kitchen furniture. Learn about their advantages, decide and act!
What do you absolutely need to know about kitchen furniture design?
Let's start with the fact that when thinking about kitchen furniture, we usually immediately imagine countertops and fronts. They are the ones that catch the eye, affect the appearance of the entire room and are exposed to all the factors involved in preparing meals. Kitchen fronts - wooden or laminated - are mounted on carcasses, which can be made of the same or completely different material (it can be particleboard, plywood or MDF). The carcasses are practically invisible, but the quality of their workmanship is hugely important for everyday use!
You can also opt for furniture made entirely of old wood, salvaged from demolitions. Here, every front, body, base and drawer is fully wooden. The only contemporary elements are modern slides and hinges.
Recycled wooden furniture is made by specialized companies, which are guided by the idea of ecological furnishing in harmony with nature. Perhaps these values are close to you as well? If you dream of furniture made of century-old wood, be sure to learn about the advantages and disadvantages of this noble raw material!
You can opt for furniture made entirely of wood, recovered from demolition. Recycled wooden furniture is made by specialized companies, which are guided by the idea of ecological decorating in harmony with nature. Perhaps these values are close to you as well?
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Wooden furniture in the kitchen - appreciate the advantages, know the requirements
Wooden kitchen furniture is an ideal choice for a room that is supposed to be a cozy and warm heart of the whole house. With their help you can boldly conjure up a rustic atmosphere, or arrange an interior native to Provence. But not only! Wood texture combines beautifully with modern style. So if you dream of a loft-like kitchen, with lots of metal and glass, you can boldly incorporate wooden motifs.
Whatever your plan, you need to know that wooden furniture will pose some challenges.
Advantages of wooden kitchen furniture: natural charm and uniqueness
The best raw material for kitchen furniture is the wood of deciduous trees. Among them, oak, beech and ash are considered extremely hard and long-lasting. Less popular, but also used species are ash, birch, cherry and sycamore. You need to know that light-colored wood species (such as birch and alder) can be stained, which will affect their appearance, but not their hardness.
Wooden furniture seduces with its unique character, elegance of grain and warm texture under the touch of fingers....
But they also have practical advantages:
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They are durable and long-lasting. Solidly made wooden cabinets can last for decades, literally!
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They are subject to renovation: minor damage can be easily restored to their original appearance with sanding, varnishing or repainting;
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Wood ages nobly, so a visible tooth of time can be considered an added value;
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Wooden furniture is an investment. If you decide to sell your house or apartment in a while, a wooden kitchen will be a considerable asset;
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You can decorate your kitchen without cutting down even a single tree - furniture made of aged wood gives you this opportunity.
If you already have a vision of a beautiful wooden kitchen in front of your eyes, you also need to know that you will have a lot of work to do with it. Wood, as a natural raw material, requires care, which is not so important in the case of laminated furniture.
The best raw material for furniture is the wood of deciduous trees: oak, beech and ash. It is distinguished by its hardness and strength. Light-colored woods can be stained so that they take on a darker shade.
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Wood kitchen furniture also has disadvantages
You need to know that the beauty of a wooden kitchen depends not only on a skilled carpenter, but also on your commitment to its care. Taking care of wood furniture starts with small daily habits and ends with regular and diligent maintenance methods. Let's try to sum it up!
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Countertops made of wood are sensitive to heat - watch out for hot pots and pans!
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High humidity in your kitchen can be a problem, as poorly treated wood absorbs moisture, warps and swells;
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If some wood furniture is regularly exposed to sunlight, its shade may change;
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Dirt of intense color (coffee, tea, beets) will penetrate more easily into wood than into a laminate countertop;
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Wood furniture (and mandatory countertops!) requires regular maintenance. Schedule oiling or varnishing at least once a year and whenever you see the need.
Do you admit that wooden furniture is a certain lifestyle? However, not everyone wants to or can afford to conscientiously wipe every drop from a wooden countertop. If your goal is a functional kitchen that will give you a lot of freedom - be sure to consider other solutions!
Laminate furniture - what kind of furniture, actually?
Laminate furniture is an obvious and popular alternative to wood products. They certainly win on price, and they also have several other advantages that have given them a secure place in most Polish kitchens. What do you need to know about them?
Laminate is a general term for several types of furniture boards. Their common feature is an outer resin coating, which is formed in the process of pressing a decorative element. Thanks to lamination, furniture boards can take on any color and pattern. But above all, it is extremely effective protection against heat, moisture and mechanical damage. That is, it is an ideal solution for kitchens.
Laminate kitchen furniture is a popular and extremely practical alternative to wooden products. They are affordable and have many advantages that have earned them a place in most Polish kitchens.
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Laminates better and worse
You need to know that, analogous to the various types of wood, there are also laminates with different properties. When looking at a catalog of modern laminate furniture, be sure to ask about the technology of their manufacture.
It is worth knowing the two basic types of furniture boards:
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MDF boards are made of medium-density wood fibers, glued together with resin. They are characterized by high durability, flexibility and smoothness. MDF boards are susceptible to milling and have good screw strength, which allows them to permanently fix handles and hinges.
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Particle boards have wood chips in their composition, also glued together with resin. Larger and thicker shavings result in poorer flexibility of the furniture board and less durability. They also have a rougher surface, which can be visible even under laminate.
Laminate kitchen furniture can be a really good choice if you pay attention to the technology of its production and choose the best quality laminate.
The ability to produce furniture with a design that imitates any surface is a huge advantage of laminate! Thanks to it you can have a marble kitchen, cabinets with the texture of raw concrete or perfectly shiny fronts.
Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu © Unsplash
Advantages and disadvantages of laminate kitchen furniture
Among the biggest disadvantages of laminate furniture is that it does not match real wood in appearance. This is the law. Under the laminate is a decorative paper with a pre-printed pattern. Despite the best technology, the appearance and texture of such boards will always betray their synthetic origin.
However possibility to produce furniture with a pattern imitating any surface is also an undeniable advantage! Thanks to this technology, laminate furniture can match any style and realize any interior idea. Laminate will help conjure up a marble kitchen, cabinets with the texture of raw concrete or perfectly shiny fronts.
Among the undoubted advantages of laminate kitchen furniture is its high resistance to mechanical damage, heat and moisture. However, you can expect such quality only from furniture made of solid MDF boards. Laminate countertop will forgive you spilled water and a hot pot, and if by some miracle you stain it with beets, it will withstand scrubbing with a strong chemical agent. However if you scratch or seriously damage its surface, the only thing left is actually replacement. This is not a wood that will regain its lost luster after skillful restoration.
The knowledge gathered here should make it a little easier for you to choose the best kitchen furniture for your new kingdom - we hope so. We wish you good decisions and joyful decorating of the kitchen perfectly suited to your lifestyle!
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