Defining Kitchen Cabinet Terms
Renovators Place Columnist
Oct 08, 2009
When shopping for kitchen cabinets, you'll encounter a wide range of terms. Do you want custom kitchen cabinets or stock cabinets? Full overlay kitchen cabinet doors or frameless cabinets? Here's a look at all the terms.
Custom Cabinets
Custom cabinets are just that - custom-made. You can pick and choose from the following options and have cabinets made especially for your taste. Consider the cabinet's dimensions, shape, wood species, cabinet finish, molding, and special detailing. Custom cabinets offer an endless number of options, but the cost will be higher than with semi-custom or stock cabinets.Semi-Custom Kitchen Cabinets
Semi-custom kitchen cabinets are sold in many sizes, shapes, and wood species, but with fewer options than custom cabinets. The cost, however, is less than with custom cabinets. Among the common features of semi-custom kitchen cabinets are:- Varying cabinet depths
- Matching cabinet interiors
- Inverted frames
- Special cabinet finishes
Stock Kitchen Cabinets
Stock kitchen cabinets are among the most popular kitchen cabinets sold, as they are economical and offer a variety of sizes, shapes, wood species, and finishes. The selection is not as varied as with semi-custom and custom cabinets, however.Framed Kitchen Cabinets
The traditional framed kitchen cabinet is one of the most popular cabinet sold and is easy to install. It has a front frame around the cabinet opening with the door attached to the opening. Framed cabinets are sold in traditional and full overlay design.- Traditional Overlay Styling has an exposed front frame that typically is one inch.
- Full Overlay Styling has larger cabinet doors and drawers, so most of the cabinet front frame is concealed.
Frameless Kitchen Cabinets
Frameless cabinets are considered a European style cabinet and have no front frame. With this style of kitchen cabinet, the doors are attached directly to the sides of the cabinet. These cabinets are more contemporary in style and allow for clear access to the cabinet interior because there is no front frame.Mullion Cabinet Doors
Mullion cabinet doors have glass inserts in the doors and are designed to create a more stylish appearance. The inserts typically have vertical and horizontal dividing bars, which resemble windowpanes.Soffit
A soffit is the area between the top of the wall cabinets and the ceiling that typically houses mechanical systems for the kitchen. It usually is one foot high and extends over the wall cabinets.Veneer
A veneer is a thin piece of solid wood that typically is attached to particleboard. The benefit to veneered components is that they are more uniform in finish and are more economical than solid wood cabinets.Start Your Renovation Here!
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