The age old quesiton...Do you get what you pay for?

A Solid wood cabinet is more costly than plywood which in turn are more costly than particle board cabinets or other similar sheet goods that require being protected from prolonged exposure to moisture. Solid wood is suitable for viewable elements of a cabinet, such as face frames, doors, drawer fronts, etc. The most common types of wood used in cabinet creation is cherry, maple and oak. Cherry is more expensive than maple or oak.

Solid wood is almost never used for cabinet carcase construction (the carcase is the cabinet housing behind the face of the cabinet). The carcase can always be the cheap part of the kitchen cabinet. Cheap plywood and high-quality particle board are more suitable than solid wood for the carcase component that is not shaped, such as shelves, cabinet sides, or drawer bottoms. Typical plywood thickness for carcases vary from ?- to ¾-inch (with ¼-inch used often for drawer bottoms). Plywood shelves and higher-quality particle board that are stiffer than lower grades of particle board, also do not sag noticeably over time. Stiffness increases rapidly with shelf thickness; regardless of material choice, a ¾" shelf is 73% stiffer than a ?" shelf though only 20% thicker. Particle board resistance to sagging depends on the particular choice of resin that binds together its wood "particles." Plywood carcases may be assembled with screw and nail fasteners, whereas particle board is best assembled using glue or mechanical fasteners such as confirmat-cam assemblies designed for particle board applications. Plywood-carcase cabinets are more expensive than particle-board-carcase cabinets.

Cabinet frames and doors may be fabricated of solid wood, medium density fiberboard (MDF), particle board, plywood, or a combination of these different materials. Typically you don't want to go the cheap route with the frames and doors for kitchen cabinets. For example, a floating panel in a door could be veneered plywood contained within a solid wood or medium density fiberboard frame. Medium density fiberboard can be shaped and coated with flexible veneers such as thermofoil or painted. A traditional grain-showing wood finish on a shaped surface can only be achieved by using solid wood. Grain-showing finishes, because they are transparent and may contain pigments, dyes, "glazes," or fillers, and be composed of lacquer, varnish, polyurethane, and either be brushed or sprayed have characteristics that are unique to solid-wood or veneered cabinet doors and decorative end-panels.

The higher cost of solid wood or plywood cabinet components is justified either on the basis of a long service life or on the basis of perceived quality or style. Solid wood is proven to be a durable material; many-centuries-old antiques fashioned of wood remain in daily use today. Since cabinet components are subject to damage, the ability to repair affects the value of the cabinet. Solid wood components (drawers, door fronts, panels) can be repaired by furniture refinishers to exactly match the existing finish on the surrounding wood.

Particle board cabinets are well-suited for medium term service life.

Remember if you decide to go with cheap kitchen cabinets that is fine but they may not look as good and probably won't last as long as solid wood cabinets.