Deciding to put in new kitchen cabinets or replacing existing ones is a big decision. Kitchen cabinets tend to cost up to 50% of a kitchen remodeling or design budget, so choosing the right ones is obviously an important one.
However, most people tend to think of kitchen cabinets as a pair of wall and base cabinets, and not separately. While this is true for most kitchens, base cabinets can work quite well alone. Wall cabinets are primarily for storage, so open shelves can work in its place. Base cabinets, on the other hand, serve many more functions.
You will realize this best when In the middle of kitchen remodeling, and you have to choose between wall and base cabinets. Aside from providing storage, the availability of base cabinets also determine the layout of the kitchen as they provide support for the sink, kitchen countertops, and the space for other appliances such as your cooking range, dishwasher, and refrigerator.
Fortunately, even RTA kitchen cabinets come in many styles, sizes, and configurations. You will be able to find base cabinets for any type and size of kitchen, so you will not have to go through extraordinary lengths to accommodate them. Even if you did, you really need to do so, because the importance of based cabinets cannot be overstated. Here are some of their uses.
Provide storage
Kitchen cabinets are primarily for storage, so no surprise base cabinets provide quite a bit of that. While most people use wall cabinets to store glasses, plates, and food, base cabinets can store a wider array of items. For one thing, drawers only go into base cabinets, so your cutlery and cooking tools go in there. You can also put in organizers such as rollouts to store everything else that the wall cabinets cannot accommodate, such as large pots and pans, baking sheets, and cleaning stuff.
Base for kitchen countertops
The term “base” cabinet rather than “floor” cabinet is used mainly because it provides a base for many things in the kitchen. Among these are the kitchen countertops, which cannot stand alone. They need substantial support as the countertops are quite heavy, and people work on them regularly. Technically, you can create build a table to support the countertops, but that would be less space efficient than using base cabinets, which can also provide storage and hide plumbing.
House sinks and range ovens
The sink is an essential element in any kitchen, and base cabinets are peculiarly suitable for providing the housing for it. They provide a frame for it and a hiding place for the plumbing at the same time. Additionally, the base cabinets provide storage space for your cleaning products. You can also use base cabinets to allot a space for a standalone oven or house a wall oven if you have one.
Carry out a layout
Since base cabinets go directly on the floor, they virtually carry out the kitchen layout you want for your new kitchen. It does not matter if you choose a one wall, galley, L, double L, or U layout. In any of these cases, your base cabinets will trace the outline of your layout.
This is the reason remodeling contractors position the base cabinets first. Precise placement of the base cabinets will dictate the smoothness of installing everything else, as base cabinets just a tad off from the layout will disrupt the placement of your appliances. If you have tall cabinets to serve as utility closets or pantries, you have to plan it carefully as well as these are going to affect your layout horizontally as well as vertically.
Create kitchen islands
While kitchen islands might be in a category of its own, most are actually just a set of base cabinets arranged strategically and placed in the middle of the floor rather than against the wall. Some contractors might build a kitchen island if you ask them, especially if you need a full kitchen island with sink, but they are still base cabinets essentially. If you want to save some money, eschew custom kitchen islands and use two or more RTA base cabinets to build your island, and top it with a granite or marble countertop. You have an extension of your workspace as well as added storage. Put in an overhang and use the island as an eating area to make it even more space efficient.
Conclusion
The importance of base cabinets from a functional and esthetic perspective is significant, which makes including them in your kitchen remodeling design essential. You can install them on your own if you have some DIY experience, although that might turn out to be a bit more difficult than you think if your floors or walls are not perfectly level. It might be a better idea to simply have the pros do it for you.
Fairfax Kitchen Bath is the one for you in the DC, MD and Northern Virginia metropolitan areas. We are a Class A, licensed and insured contractor, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have a showroom in Fairfax, Virginia, which houses all our products.
We sell only top-quality products for all your kitchen remodeling needs, from top-brand kitchen cabinets of all type materials to natural and engineered stone slabs. We carry products from Schrock Cabinetry, Fabuwood, Silestone, Blanco, Kohler, and Mosaic Décor.
We offer free 3D design consultations, so you can be sure we will be able to address all your cabinet needs and concerns as well as any remodeling issues you may have. Contact us today to get free in-home design consultation and quote for your new base cabinets and other remodeling projects. We guarantee you will love it for life!
