Cabinet Materials & Finishes Explained
Every cabinet estimate is full of terms the industry treats as obvious. Here's what each one means, how they compare, and where they belong.
Box materials
Plywood is the Miami default: ¾-inch, seven-ply, cabinet-grade. It holds screws well, stays flat, and shrugs off humidity. Particleboard is cheaper but is not appropriate for cabinet boxes in this climate.
MDF is used for interior door panels because it accepts paint without grain telegraph, but the boxes themselves should not be MDF.
Door finishes
Painted doors get a factory-applied conversion varnish over a solid substrate. Done well, this is the most repairable and longest-lasting finish for Miami — the color can be touched up without stripping the door.
Thermofoil is a heat-fused vinyl skin over MDF. It's inexpensive and looks smooth but can delaminate near heat sources and shows any impact damage permanently. We only use it on interior utility cabinets.
Wood veneer over plywood is used when the client wants real grain. Rift-cut white oak and quartered walnut are the two we specify most often in Miami — they read as calm and modern rather than busy.
High-gloss lacquer and PET foil finishes both work but need to be spec'd carefully: gloss shows every fingerprint, and PET is not repairable if it gets scratched.
Hardware
Hinges: Blum or Salice soft-close, adjustable in all three axes. Drawers: full-extension undermount, soft-close, rated for at least 100 lb. Anything less becomes a warranty problem within a couple of years.
Pulls and knobs: solid brass or 316 stainless in coastal properties. Zinc alloy hardware pits fast anywhere within a mile of the ocean.
Free in-home measure across Miami-Dade and Broward.
More reading
- The Guide to White Oak Cabinets in Modern Kitchen Design
White oak has become the default warm wood in modern Miami kitchens. Here's what actually matters when you specify it — from cut and grain to finish and long-term behavior in coastal humidity.
- Custom vs. Semi-Custom vs. Stock Cabinets in Miami
The three cabinet categories look similar in a showroom but behave very differently once they hit a Miami condo wall. Here's how to tell them apart.
- How Miami Humidity Affects Cabinets — And What to Specify
Every cabinet in Miami is living in a wet, salty, seasonally shifting climate. The specification decisions that matter most aren't the ones showrooms lead with.