Matching tall cabinets are made in 84-, 90-, and 96-inch heights. These heights are planned for standard 8-foot ceilings. Trim panels are sold for covering gaps between the cabinets and walls or ceilings. These are usually marked and cut to precisely fit adjoining surfaces.

If your kitchen design calls for a fairly unusual installation, you may still be able to accommodate it with stock cabinets, using a little creativity. For example, you might order additional materials from the manufacturer—prefinished plywood sheets and hardwood pieces that match the cabinets. You can then have these sheets fabricated to create fillers, soffits, angled connections, islands, and so forth.

Kitchen Cabinet Modifications

Many cabinet manufacturers offer standard modifications to their cabinets at an additional cost. For example, they will reduce or increase cabinet depths; install breadboards, wine racks, or roll-out shelves; modify toe kicks or door attachments; and upgrade cabinets with oak-lined interiors or leaded-glass doors.

You may also be able to special order such accessories as knife racks, spice racks, wine racks, lazy Susans, and specialty pull-outs such as ironing boards. Some manufacturers will even build one-of-a-kind cabinets for an extra charge that ranges from about 25% to 50% above the cost of a similar cabinet in the line.

Even if a stock manufacturer does not have the capability of offering specialty accessories, you can order them through a cabinetmaker and have them installed independently. Most are designed to fit standard stock cabinet sizes.

Non-Toxic, Formaldehyde-Free Kitchen Cabinets

You might not think of your kitchen cabinets as having an effect on your home’s air quality, but some materials and finishes used in their manufacture may contain formaldehyde, which, if inhaled, can cause a condition that increases your sensitivity to other chemicals, such as those in paints, finishes, and even cosmetics. Even small amounts of formaldehyde can increase your risk of nose- and lung-related cancers.

Stock cabinets are often made from medium-density fiberboard (MDF), which is essentially the waste from lumber mills (sawdust and shavings) pressed together with resin to create a solid piece of material. That resin, and some of the finishes used to stain and seal the members, contains formaldehyde.

To avoid the health risks and environmental effects of formaldehyde, you can install cabinetry made of PrimeBoard or of solid wood. Unlike MDF, PrimeBoard is made from wheat straw and a non-formaldehyde resin. If you choose solid wood, try to go with something environmentally sustainable such as bamboo. Cabinets should be made entirely of these alternative materials, not just the doors or drawer fronts.

Non-toxic “green” cabinetry can be hard to find and is expensive because only a few manufacturers produce it—although more are beginning to offer formaldehyde-free products. To keep your budget in check, try looking for used solid-wood cabinets at salvage-supply stores, and install metal shelving where its appearance won’t be prominent, such as in the pantry.

Unless you’re adept at carpentry projects, installing cabinetry is a job for a professional with the right skills and tools, especially for base cabinets, which will also need a countertop installed. If you are an experienced do-it-yourselfer, see How to Install Kitchen Cabinets.