Question: Why should I consider sustainability in choosing my cabinets? And what exactly should I look for?
Answer: Generally, you cannot buy sustainable products unless you are willing to invest more money up front. The internet has trained people that everything should be cheap and replaceable. "Cheap and replaceable" is actually very expensive for our environment and pocketbook. This philosophy creates more landfill, uses more resources to produce and in the long run, also costs a consumer more money to replace products more often. Sustainability touches every industry. When it comes to kitchen and bath cabinetry, we can jump in with our opinion.
First we can speak about the materials used for kitchen cabinetry. Do you know what is used to create the cabinets? Too much formaldehyde and other chemicals is detrimental to your home environment and the environment as a whole. Is the cabinetry built to last? The box and the finish? Many brands have a low grade finishing process which fails after several years. Poor quality wood results in doors cracking. Other brands have faulty box construction which sags after several years of use. Cheaply made hinges and glides fail as well. When a consumer invests in a kitchen renovation, spending more money on a cabinet brand that lasts at least 20 years is the smartest choice. The cost of a renovation itself is high. Purchasing new cabinets after 5 years adds to our landfill and takes more natural resources to build. In the course of 20 years, you can replace your kitchen once or 3 times.
