We are at about 20 year mark for our particle board cabinets, low to mid grade cabinets. The boxes are in great shape except the sink box which had to withstand some minor leaks over the years. The reason they are all getting tossed is for "cosmetics", not structural integrity.

We have about 50+ year old all plywood cabinets in our rental house which was original to the house. I don't think they built particle board back then. All the boxes look great, even the sink!

In my old condo that had very thin (1/2 inch maybe) particle board and very poorly made cabinets, the shelves actually bowed from the dishes!

I must say we are harder on our own house than the tenants are to the rental house. It maybe that the plumbing installation was not done well to begin with in our own house....

If you don't have the funds for all plywood, I may upgrade the sink cabinet to plywood. I would also put something in the sink so that minor leaks are contained.

However, we have MDF type of molding in the kitchen. They do not wear well. I suggest NOT doing MDF molding in the kitchen and bath. Because the kitchen and bath floors are mopped more than bedrooms, they do get more moisture exposure.

I am a big fan of plywood- that is all we build cabinets out of....now that being said... I have seen cabinet brands say they use plywood but it is 3/8 or 1/2". This is no better than any particle board. In my opinion, 3/4 is the only thing that should be used for cabinets that are to last any length of time.

Web search using OSB as your key word. You may discover that the best grades of plywood and OSB are equal in all respects, except the ability to remain structurally sound after getting soaked or flooded. Kaismom already said this.

I agree with your kitchen designer. I think that the particle board will last longer than your love for whatever cabinets you are installing. The cabinets I tore out were all particle board and they were 15 years old. I didn't tear out my oak cabinets because they were falling apart. I tore them out because they were getting uglier by the day. Most of us will sell our house or remodel before the particle board gives way. I say for certain do a plywood sink base, but consider particle board for everything else unless you know this if your forever house and you know for sure you will NEVER replace these cabinets. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Do the sink cabinet in plywood and the rest in particle board. no one really goes around beating up their cabinet frame. particle board will be just fine

Hi cribbs, you wrote: In my opinion, 3/4 is the only thing that should be used for cabinets that are to last any length of time.

Do you mean 3/4" plywood for the cabinet sides?
Or also for the drawer boxes, if the cabinet sides are flakeboard?

I'm trying to learn as much as I can, so I can compare apples to apples with some quotes I've gotten.

Thanks!

The cabinet boxes are 3/4 either plywood or particle board. There are different grades of each and agruments for both. I"m going with IKEA boxes. The cab sides typcially have a finihsed veneer over whatever. It's always a nice idea to order a finished end/door to cover on an open run.

Don't mix up OSB and particle board; they are two very different things. OSB (oriented strand board) is used for flooring and exterior sheathing and compares very favorably with plywood. But I have never seen it used for cabinets. It is a construction grade material and is not usually flat enough for cabinetry. Personally I'm not a fan of particle board cabinets for a couple of reasons. Environmentally they off-gas. So does plywood, but you can get formaldehyde free plywood (as well as MDF. The MDF is usually water resistant as well). But that's just my personal quirk most people don't worry about that part too much. Particle board's two real shortcomings are, as have been mentioned, common deterioration from occasional, persistent, or unnoticed sink leaks; and chipping from abrupt impact (dropping a Le Creuset on an edge of a lower cabinet, for example). That said, I put off the shelf Home Depot cabinets in my loft apartment when I built it. They held up for 9 years, with the exception of the sink cabinet. When we moved and I sublet, though, the first tenant trashed two of the base cabinets in about 6 months.

Hi,

Sorry to ask this if I'm just being dumb--I'm still confused about the 3/4" vs 1/2" plywood sides thing.

Example: I'm thinking of Medallion Designer Gold. Medallion's web pages says is it all plywood construction:
http://www.medallioncabinetry.com/craftsmanship.aspx

About the drawers, it says:
3/4" solid hardwood dovetail drawer
The strongest drawer box available, a sign of true craftsmanship and quality.

And further down the page, it says:

"Superior case construction
Each cabinet is built with quality materials and construction methods, including 1/2" standard sides, tops and bottoms; strong I-beam construction; dadoed joinery; and pocket screwed hanging rails. The result is a superior cabinet."

So, I am wondering:
- Is it important that the "standard sides, tops, and bottoms" are 'only' 1/2" and not 3/4"?

One of the quotes I have does state "1/2" in it, so that jives with what Medallion's page says.

I actually personally don't have a bent towards one material over the other for the sides--it's the thickness dimension that I am curious about whether I should not go with Medallion because their standard sides are only 1/2" thick. Or should I ask if they have an upgrade to 3/4" thick sides?

Thanks!

Here to make your understanding worse!

It isn't just the materials or thickness (altho they are very meaningful), you have to add in the construction engineering and the cabinet type.

Medallion is framed. So, if everything else is equal, 1/2" plywood sides with framed is very good. 1/2" particle board sides with framed is good plus. 1/2" plywood sides with frameless is fair plus. 1/2" particle board is fair.

Other things can raise a cabinet grade - stronger joint types, increased bracing, or better mechanical fasteners. Medallion gets a plus mark in my head for the way their cabinets are built.

In the same way, Kraftmaid gets a little minus for the stuff they hot glue together leaving enough excess to keep a third-world dictator in power.

Thanks bmorepanic!!

You gave precisely the analysis that I needed.

And I cannot thank you enough--you reminded me that Medallion was framed, and I have to go investigate whether framed is going to give us what we want. It was DH who talked with the KD who had Medallion, and I haven't seen the cabinets in person yet. :-)

Thanks for the tip about the sink base. I always learn something here. I will call the cabinet guy tomorrow to make sure I don't forget that before they get ordered.

Does it matter if the toe-kick is particle board? Just saw that with three-quarter-inch plywood cabinet boxes. Seems like the toe-kick area might get a fair amount of water exposure from mopping and the like.