Pets are valued members of the family for a lot of households. Our lives are made happier, more loving, and more companionable by dogs, cats, birds, and other animals. Nevertheless, owning pets at home also presents some special difficulties in terms of interior design and safeguarding your possessions from your pet’s mischievous behavior. Particularly susceptible to stains, scratches, water damage, and other pet-related wear and tear are cabinets.
At Askin Cabinets, we understand the value of designing stunning living areas that suit every member of the family, even the four-legged, furry ones. To help you maintain the beautiful appearance of your cabinets for many years to come, we provide a variety of clever, pet-friendly cabinet solutions.
The Truth About Our Furry Friends and Cabinets
Although they may be adorable and soft, pets may cause havoc on cabinets built of materials that aren’t meant to withstand their biting, clawing, shedding, mishaps, and other activities. For example, pet nails and tooth marks can leave ugly scratches on wood cabinets. Pets who get curious about cabinets can potentially rip or scratch laminate and thermofoil surfaces.
Beyond just visual damage, spills and mishaps can result in warping, unpleasant scents, and water stains in cabinet materials that aren’t meant to handle moisture. Over time, pet fur and hair can gather, giving cabinets a dingy appearance and a gritty sensation. You have a perfect storm of cabinet dirt and deterioration when you add in the grease, crumbs, and other residue that frequently accompany pet toys and treats.
Pet-Friendly Finishes and Materials for Cabinets
The good news for pet owners is that most pet-related cabinet damage may be prevented or minimized with a number of clever solutions available in today’s cabinet creation. At Askin Cabinets, we recommend the following pet-friendly cabinet materials and finishes:
- High-Pressure Laminate
A plastic laminate sheet is applied over a wood product core, such as plywood or particleboard, to create laminate cabinets. Because it is solid, non-porous, and resistant to moisture, high-pressure laminate (HPL) is a good material to endure spills and pet mishaps. Additionally, HPL is quite resistant to scratches, so it can withstand regular contact with the nails and claws of pets.
If you have pets in your home, choose laminate cabinets with matte or textured finishes rather than glossy ones. While glossy coatings tend to show every imperfection, matte laminates are excellent at hiding hairline scratches.
- Thermofoil Cabinets
Thermofoil cabinets are made of stiff cabinet boxes and doors that are compressed and heated to apply a vinyl surface film. Because of the strong, non-porous thermofoil coating and high level of moisture resistance, spills, and mishaps are easily cleaned off of the door and drawer fronts. Additionally, it resists stains well from pet messes.
Although thermofoil cabinet coatings are generally more resilient, laminate is more scratch-resistant. We suggest taking a closer look at our selection of high-end thermofoil cabinets reinforced with aluminum oxide for enhanced scratch resistance if you want to increase protection from pet scratches.
- Aluminum and Acrylic Cabinet Fronts
Aluminum and acrylic drawer fronts and cabinet doors provide the best pet-proofing available. These incredibly resilient surfaces are practically unaffected by stains, scratches, moisture damage, and other pet accidents. Aluminum and acrylic cabinet parts are likewise entirely non-porous, making cleaning and disinfecting them simple.
Although acrylic and aluminum cabinet systems are more expensive, they are a wonderful long-term investment for pet owners due to their unmatched durability and stain resistance. Their sleek, modern style also goes nicely with the popular modern bathroom and kitchen designs of today.
Pet-Friendly Cabinet Accessories and Hardware
Make sure to take into account every possible combination of hardware, door design, and accessory to optimize the pet-proofing of your new cabinets:
- Cabinet Door Styles
We usually advise full overlay or slab cabinet door styles for pet families because they have fewer seams, ridges, and difficult-to-clean spots where pet dander and grime might collect. It’s harder to keep doors with decorative grooves and exposed hinges clean.
- Soft-Close Hinges and Slides
Slamming cabinet doors and having pets together is not a good idea. Soft-close slides and hinges lessen noise and wear on the cabinets themselves while preventing pinched pet paws, tails, and noses.
- Pull-Out Pet Feeding Station
With a specially designed pull-out pet feeding station cabinet that is made to your exact specifications, you can keep pet bowls and treats tidy enclosed, and off the floor.
- Pet-Proof Cabinet Locks
Integrated cabinet locks let you keep larger pets or those who have a habit of getting into pantries and cupboards out of areas you’d prefer they stay out of. Seek for designs that are simple to open and don’t require visible hardware.
Protecting Your Investment With Askin Cabinets
Askin Cabinets believes that every member of the family should be able to enjoy their home environment in safety and comfort since pets are an integral part of the family. Because of this, we use the newest materials and designs for pet-friendly cabinets in all of our cabinet solutions, which are all designed with today’s busy homes in mind.
Visit our showroom to discover more about our durable and easily maintained pet cabinet solutions, or arrange an initial design consultation right away. A member of our cabinet experts would be pleased to walk you through all the options and assist in designing a pet-friendly cabinet solution that is precisely suited to the demands and design of your house. You can have the finest cabinets of your dreams without having to worry about your pet causing damage!