Bathroom Cabinet
The bathroom cabinet is a focal point of the bathroom. When remodeling your bathroom, you want a bathroom cabinet that will be beautiful. You also want a cabinet that will give you strong, durable storage and accessories that make your life easier.
Virtually all clients are told that their bathroom cabinet will be solid wood. This gives clients the impression that their bathroom cabinet will be made using solid wood. Solid wood cabinets convey high quality, strength, and superior durability. This can be very misleading. Bathroom cabinets are made using:
- Solid Wood
- Plywood
- Particle Board
- Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
- Any combination of the above
Solid, Select Hard Maple Plywood – Maple Veneer 
Particle Board – Maple Veneer MDF – Maple Veneer
Does it Matter What Material a Bathroom Cabinet is Made Out Of?
Absolutely! Home improvement stores, internet sellers, discounters, and most contractors and remodelers use MDF and particle board. Custom cabinet shops also use MDF and particle board. Why? Cost!
- Particle Board (AKA chipboard) – Maple veneer particle board plywood – $2.34 per square foot
- MDF (AKA Melamine) – Maple veneer MDF plywood – $3.13 per square foot.
- Maple Veneer Plywood – $3.95 per square foot
- Solid, Select Hard Maple – $8.00 per square foot
What is the Best Material for a Bathroom Cabinet?
Particle board (PB) is the cheapest, both in cost and durability. This is closely followed by MDF. Using cabinets constructed using PB and MDF will not hold up in a bathroom environment. Neither performs well in a bathroom due to the high use, moisture, and water in bathrooms.
The best and longest lasting bathroom cabinets use a combination of 3/4-inch thick hardwood plywood and solid, select grade hardwood. The boxes (or frame) should be made using hardwood plywood. Why not use solid wood for the bathroom cabinet boxes? Consider that a bathroom cabinet is typically 24-inches deep, 36-inches tall, and 48-inches long. Solid wood will warp. Solid would expands and contracts with humidity, barometric pressure, and temperature. Therefore, you never see cabinet boxes made using solid wood.
The bathroom cabinet face-front, doors, and drawers should use solid hardwood. The face front outlines the entire front of the cabinet. This area takes a beating from doors and drawers opening and closing. Extension cords, cosmetics, and hair spray wear on cabinets. The front of a bathroom cabinet receives a lot of water from shaving, washing 
hands and face, and brushing teeth. Cleaning solutions are very harsh on a cabinet. 
Therefore, the cabinet face, doors, and drawers should be constructed using high strength, durable, solid hardwood.
Doors and drawers should use 5-part solid wood construction (sides, top, bottom, and center panel) along with dovetail assembly. Combine with high quality glides and hinges, and your bathroom cabinet will last a very long time under normal use.
What is the Best Wood for a Bathroom Cabinet?
Hardwood maple is the best for overall strength, durability, and quality. Solid, select stain grade maple wood is incredibly strong, it looks nice and stains beautifully.
Quality, custom cabinet woodworkers gravitate towards maple for its durability, smooth grain pattern, and light, creamy color.
While most woodworkers tend to choose heartwood (the dense inner part of a tree trunk, yielding the hardest timber) in other hardwoods, sapwood tends to be more popular for maples. Sapwood is the outer portion of the log and is lighter in color. This lends itself to accepting many stain colors. It is often used to mimic much more expensive hardwoods for the fact that it can take darker stains.
Both hard maple and soft maple are commonly used to make furniture, cabinets, instruments, etc. Hard maple is more commonly found in flooring as it’s denser and about 25% harder than soft maple. But don’t let the word “soft” fool you. While maple can be described as both hard and soft, it’s not about the wood’s durability. Softwoods come from trees such as fir, pine, or cedar. Hardwoods include cherry, oak, and maple.
So, what is the difference between hard maple and soft maple?
Hard maple is the common term for two species of maple trees — sugar maple and black maple. As mentioned, hard maple is typically used for flooring, furniture, cabinets, pool cues, and many other finished wood products.
Soft maple is the common term for four species of maple trees — silver maple, red maple, boxelder, and bigleaf maple. Soft maple is commonly used for railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture, veneer, and woodenware. The flesh of soft maple trees resembles that of hard maple but is not as heavy, hard, or strong.
What About the Finish on the Bathroom Cabinet?
The best and most durable finish is a clear satin or low luster finish. Finishing your maple bathroom cabinet in a natural or stain look will be superior to painting. Why? Paint chips, scratches, burns, and yellows. It is also susceptible to chemical damage from cosmetics, personal hygiene products, and cleaning solutions. Scratches and dings cannot be touched up without noticeability.
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If you do decide to paint your bathroom cabinet, make sure it is constructed using hardwoods. It is not necessary to use one species of hardwood when painting. Why? Because it’s painted! You will never see the wood – only the painted surface.
A stained and clear lacquer finished bathroom cabinet tends to “hide” minor scratches, dings, and dents. These are easily touched up with little noticeability. The clear finish is superior in repelling cosmetic and personal hygiene chemicals. It also does a much better job keeping water out. I also recommend select, stain grade maple in a clear satin or low luster finish. Select stain grade clear lacquer finished bathroom cabinets are absolutely beautiful, they last, and give your bathroom elegance.
Don’t forget about the cabinet knobs and pulls. These provide a beautiful accent to your cabinets.
Should I Buy my Bathroom Cabinet from a Retailer or Have it Custom Made?
Always hire a contractor such as DAD’s Construction to build your custom bathroom cabinet. Using a retailer will never allow you to experience the many benefits of designing and enjoying a high-quality bathroom cabinet.
With DAD’s Construction, you always get a bathroom cabinet that is perfect for you. Why? Because you get to choose the options, functionality, color, and accessories that work best for you. Although space can limit everything you want, you decide the most important items. Cabinets for DAD’s Construction clients are custom made using high-quality hardwoods and plywood according to your specifications.
Always Hire a Reliable and Dependable Contractor to Remodel your Bathroom
Always work with a trustworthy contractor like DAD’s Construction. We are experts in bathroom remodeling who can manage projects in an efficient manner. DAD’s Construction will do everything to minimize the possibility of change orders. Our team will make sure we have all the necessary information to prepare a proposal that meets your requirements. Rest assured that we will provide you with a detailed, by line-item contract. We will make sure that the contents of this agreement are properly and clearly communicated to you. If you have questions or need updates regarding your project, we will always answer your inquiries.
How Can I Receive More Information on Remodeling my Bathroom?
If you would like more information on enjoying the best bathroom, kitchen, and interior remodeling experience in Orange County, call Dan at (949) 380-0177 or at dan@dadsconstruction.com for a free in home consultation. DAD’s serves all of South Orange County California. This includes Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Foothill Ranch, Portola Hills, Ladera Ranch, Irvine, San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Dove Canyon, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills, Newport Beach, and Aliso Viejo.
