Cabinet materials that handle dry desert heat

Most people choose cabinet doors by color in a showroom and never ask how the wood will behave after three summers in the Sonoran Desert. The breakdown sitting on scottsdale kitchen remodeling lista stofan lists the material questions in order for a kitchen in Scottsdale, AZ, and the first one is moisture, because the air here is dry enough to move wood.

Plywood against particleboard for the box

A cabinet box is the part nobody sees, and it fails first when it fails. Across Maricopa County plywood holds screws well and shrugs off a leaking supply line long enough for someone to notice. Particleboard swells at the sink base the moment water reaches an unsealed edge. In Scottsdale, AZ the air stays dry most of the year, so swelling comes from plumbing leaks and the monsoon season rather than humidity, and sink bases are worth building in plywood even when the rest is not.

Solid wood moves, even in a dry house

Solid wood rails and stiles shrink across the grain as winter heating dries a house further. A raised panel floating in a groove is built to allow for that, and a panel glued tight will split. Look at the door edge for a thin line of unfinished wood after the first dry season. That line is the panel moving inside its frame, and a good door leaves room for it.

Finish decides how the doors age

A catalyzed conversion varnish or a two part polyurethane resists heat, grease and cleaners better than a simple lacquer. Paint on a medium density fiberboard door gives a smooth surface and does not swell, but it chips at the edges where hands pull. Ask for the finish to be sprayed on all faces, including the inside of the door, so moisture and heat move through the piece evenly.

Sun fade near west windows

Strong light across the Phoenix metropolitan area fades stain on cherry and walnut, and it yellows white finishes that are not rated for ultraviolet exposure. A run of upper cabinets beside a west window will show a lighter or darker stripe near the glass within a few years. Film on the glass, a deeper overhang, or a painted door in place of a stained one all handle that better than the original plan.

Hinges, slides and hardware in the heat

Soft close hinges contain small hydraulic dampers that get stiff with age if they are cheap. Full extension slides with steel ball bearings hold up in the Sonoran Desert, where wood drawer slides can dry out and bind near Camelback Mountain and everywhere else in the valley, and where wood drawer slides can dry out and bind. Choose hardware that is screwed into the box, not stapled, and test each drawer with a loaded pot before the installer leaves Scottsdale kitchens with a punch list.