Cabinets come in a variety of styles, from
classic, country, or contemporary, and in a variety of colours and finishes to
suit any decorative scheme. Different styles of doors, drawer fronts, and
hardware give cabinets their individual character and personality. Although
cabinets are available in a wide array of shapes and finishes, their overall
basic construction is similar. As is the case in the purchase of all furniture,
good design coupled with expert workmanship and a durable finish should be the
first criteria in selecting kitchen cabinets. Styles and colours should be ones
that can be lived with for many years. The colours that are “in” today can and
should be used in the kitchen but should be limited to wall areas and
decorative accessories that can be replaced easily and relatively inexpensively
tomorrow.
Framed construction
Framed cabinets provide kitchens with a
traditional look. With framed cabinets, the doors are mounted on a frame, which
is then mounted to the front of the cabinet box. They have openings that are completely
surrounded by face frames made of stiles (vertical side members) and rails
(cross pieces). Better cabinets have adjustable hinges that allow door realignment.
With the exception of full overlay doors, the frame is visible from the front
of the cabinet and can be seen as edges around doors and drawers. Full overlay
cabinetry features oversized doors and drawer fronts built around the frame. The frame takes up space; it reduces the size
of the door opening, so drawers or slide-out accessories must be significantly
smaller than the width of the cabinet. The interior size of drawers or roll-out
accessories is usually 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) smaller than the overall width
of the cabinet.
Although some hung cabinets may not have
quite the interior storage space of frameless design they are much easier to
install, therefore saving you time and your customer installation costs. Unlike
frameless cabinets, framed cabinets have some base cabinet units that are only
cabinet fronts. These are most commonly used as sink base where the back of the
cabinet would interfere with plumbing rough-ins at the back wall. They offer
somewhat more flexibility in irregular spaces frameless; the outer edges of the
frame can be planed and shaped, which is called scribing, to conform to unique
discrepancies.
Frameless construction.
Frameless cabinets, sometimes referred to
as European style, provide a more sleek, contemporary styling. With frameless cabinets
the doors are mounted directly to the sides of the cabinet box. Core material
sides to 3/4 inch (1.5 to 1.9 cm) thick
are connected with either mechanical fastening system or a dowel method of
construction. Because of their thickness, these case parts form a box that does
not need a front frame for stability or to be flush. The hinges on frameless
cabinets are screwed directly to the inside of the cabinet, eliminating the
need for face frames (hinges are hidden, providing a cleaner look). Because
they have no face frames, frameless cabinets offer slightly more storage space
than framed cabinets—for example, they permit easier access for storing larger
items, such as platters—and feature a continuous surface of drawers and door
fronts. A simple narrow trim strip covers raw edges; doors and drawers usually
fit to within an inch (0.6 cm) of each other, revealing a thin sliver of the
trim. Interior components, such as drawers, can be sized larger, practically to
the full dimension of the box.
Door hinges are mortised into the sides and
the doors usually fit over the entire front of the case flush with each other
and with drawer fronts. This method dictates a very tight reveal, usually 0.5
inch (.3 cm) or less. Frameless cabinets typically have a separate toe space
pedestal, or plinth, which allows counter heights to be set specifically to the
home owner’s liking, stacking base units, or making use of space at floor level.
Because of absolute standardization, every component (shelf supports and
connecting hardware) is inserted into standard 32-mm (1.4-inch) on-centre
pre-drilled holes. The terms System 32 and 32-millimetres refer to the basic
matrix of all these cabinets: all the holes, hinge fittings, cabinet joints,
and mountings are set 32 millimetres apart. The sizes of European styles differ
slightly from those of standard cabinets. The depth of the wall cabinet may
vary from the 12 to 13 inches (30 to 33 cm) of the standard units.
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