We're having a local cabinet shop build our cabinetry. Drawer and door fronts and exposed sides will be solid, glued up dimensional lumber--probably maple. Cases will be of PureBond. We found it at a local distributor and went to look at it. There's a choice of several veneers other than maple. Enough to please most people. We're using the PureBond for the shelves and drawers also. I don't think they'll be much harder to keep clean than melamine is and melamine is just laminated to an interior of pretty nasty stuff. I loved the PureBond because it's all hardwood layers. Most plywoods are softwoods, usually pine, which triggers my asthma. So, I could put my face right in the PureBond, without any pine, and breathe without problems. A godsend for me. Till we found that, we were going to have to come up with the money for solid, glued-up dimensional lumber. Ouch, in the wallet (one cabinetmaker said it'd triple our labor cost). Our house is being commissioned under the American Lung Association's Health House program. On their website you can eventually find their cabinetry requirements, but I don't think they're very descriptive. I found better info. from www.healthyhomedesigns.com. They publish Healthy Construction Guidelines, which covers most of your construction needs. Watch your adhesives and finishes as well. You might find more info from Neil Kelly Signature Cabinets, their Naturals Collection. I think they're using the straw-based board cases, however, and I've read some problems with durability on those. Personally I have to stay away from all particleboards and MDF products, but that's just me. You might be able to find specific specifications on the websites for LEEDS, now that they've rolled out their program for houses (formerly it was just commercial). I've also seen drawer bottoms and shelves fabricated by sheet metal shops using galvanized sheet metal. Another commercial healthy cabinetmaker, for a long time now, is Charles R. Bailey Cabinetmakers. Check out the description of their healthy line at www.healthycabinetmakers.com Another reputable one is Greenway Cabinetry. At www.breatheeasycabinetry.com I asked them about their plywood and they said it's all hardwood plywood. I believe theirs meet LEEDs standards. Another reputable commercial one is Neff Kitchens at www.neffkitchens.com. Look for their "Fresh Air" program and/or their line for "chemically sensitive" clients. We have a local distributor here, but I never checked out the specs. on their product. Another to try is at www.woodenbridgeinc.com. Check out their FAQS. They use no particleboard. Try www.amishloft.com. They might be constructing the way you're interested in. I'm suggesting that if you can get more info. on what materials, including adhesives and finishes these companies are using, then you can decide better what you want. Whether you buy them commercially, build your own, or have a local shop build them. None of the local shops we talked with had any problems with using alternative materials and/or construction approaches. Good luck!

I do hate the smell of anything new that's offgassing. Sooo annoying, and makes me dizzy. It's been a month of airing out my new Tempurpedic, stomping on it, finally sleeping on it...it still smells! Doesn't seem to matter what furniture I'm buying, at whatever price tag...everything is STINKY today!

I would like to thank everyone who commented on the problem. The cabinets are 5/8". I am most concerned about the following: (1) If I choose to have the carcasses remanufactured in plywood I worry that the doors may not fit exactly right. These are frameless cabinets and the tolerances are very tight. When you look at them all you see is doors. How the doors hang is critical to the asthetics of the cabinets. If the cabinets were framed cabinets how the doors hang would not be as critical. (2) In frameless cabinets particle board and mdf seem to be the standard because of the stability of these materials over plywood. In frameless cabinets it is important to maintain the squareness of the cabinet. Without a face frame the frameless cabinets must use materials that do not change shape with changes in humidity and temperature. The KD is teling me that I already have the best material(industrial grade particle board) for the type of cabinet that I have chosen. Any comments? (3)If I take the particle board carcasses I worry about it's moisture resistence and endurence over time. Can anyone comment on the quality of this particle board based on the specifications I listed? From reading posts on the internet I understand there is good and bad particle board. Is this a good one? Thanks for all of your comments.

I see this thread goes back to 2009. Maybe things have changed a bit? The references to 'particle board' are interesting. The cabinet shop stated that MDF is not particle board. They are two different materials. That particle board is the cheap or poor product. She said it's high density fiberboard today and very strong. Not something to be concerned about in terms of durability. The off-gassing didn't come up but that's an important point. Certainly plywood also offgases but maybe not as much? I think the water damage issue is another important consideration. For painted cabinets, she says they do MDF so the finish holds up to humidity changes. I don't understand why she talks about it being high density but we were saying "MDF" not "HDF". I don't know if this painting method is used just for the doors or if getting painted means the whole cabinet basically must be fiberboard. (I believe the frame and some other parts are always solid wood). She did say plywood upgrades are available. On all wood, warpage is a serious consideration so I'm not sure why that's considered so much better.