As appealing as solid wood may sound for some applications, it’s not a favorite for kitchen cabinets. There can be quite a bit of moisture in this room over time, with steam rising from cooking pots and from hot water at the sink, and everyone knows that solid wood can contract and expand in reaction to moisture and temperature. The most popular choices in material for this part of your kitchen are medium-density fiberboard (MDF), plywood, particleboard with melamine, and possibly stainless steel.

• Homeowners appreciate Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) because of how well it stands up to cracking and peeling. It’s also smoother than plywood and is easy to cover with a coat of any color paint you’d like for your cabinets to make them match the rest of your kitchen décor.
• Plywood: This is a popular material for manufacturers of cabinetry, given its relatively low cost as well as its stability and resistance to moisture. When used in cabinets, the outer layer of particleboard will typically be covered in wood veneer or plastic laminate to provide superior durability and protection.
• Particleboard: This material is not typically used in high-end kitchen remodeling projects. It consists of wood chips that have been glued together and fused into flat panels. It has the least structural strength of all the options.
• Stainless Steel: While appliances made of this material are frequently all the rage, using it for cabinetry is an area of personal taste. Many people consider that there’s nothing quite like wood or at least wood-derived products like some mentioned above when it comes to a warm, natural-looking kitchen.