Menu:
Cabinet Door Types
The type of cabinet door is determined, not by how it looks, but by how the door fits the front of cabinet box.
Frameless
Frameless cabinets have only one option available - a Full Overlay. The doors and drawers are mounted directly to the side panel of the cabinet on one side, and overlap the opposite side panel when closed. Some sort of handle is necessary to open the door. Hinges are concealed.
Framed
Framed cabinets on the other hand, allow four different types of door mounting options:
- Inset
- Lipped
- Overlay
- Full Overlay
Inset Door/ Drawer
An Inset door sits within the face frame and is flush with the front edges of the cabinet unit. Inset doors are most often used to achieve a formal colonial look or a rustic farmhouse style kitchen. Door Handles are needed to open the doors and drawers. Hinges are exposed.
Lipped Door
The lipped door has a groove cut all the way around the door on the back edge. This cut allows part of the door to go back into the cabinet and leaves the remaining part resting on the cabinet or face frame. Because the door sits tight in the frame, some form of handle is needed to open the door/drawer. When viewed from the front, this door appears to be an Overlay door. Only when the door, or drawer, is opened will you see that it is actually a Lipped door.
Traditional Overlay Door/Drawer
The traditional overlay door is the most common type of cabinet door. The doors and drawer fronts are mounted so they rest against the face frame The term 'Overlay' refers to the amount of front frame covered by the door and drawer.
Full Overlay Door/Drawer
A full overlay is where the door and drawer are mounted to completely cover the face frame. Full overlay doors have less than 1/8" between them. Handles are necessary to open the door. Hinges are concealed. This type of door is also used on frameless cabinets. To tell whether a cabinet is framed or frameless, open the door and check for rails and stiles.
Cabinet Door Styles add even more options to the final look of your kitchen.