After all the hard work of measuring, choosing the right layout, planning lighting and plumbing, it’s time to order the cabinets. Sounds quite easy right? Well it will be if you take a few moments to learn the know-how.

• First of all there are 3 major types of cabinet doors. The main difference is in how the door is attached to the cabinet.
  
  • Face-frame cabinets. Face-frame cabinets have a wooden frame that encase the cabinet box, on which the cabinet door and hinges are installed. Framed cabinets come in Traditional and Full Overlay. Face-frame kitchen cabinets create a more conventional look
    
  • Frameless (or European) cabinets are built without this outer frame, and the cabinet door is hinged right on the cabinet box. Frameless cabinets look more modern and offer the advantage of completely unobstructed access to the cabinet interior. This type of cabinets provides you with the possibility to use both overlay and inset doors.
  • Inset cabinets have doors that are inset in the frame, they tend to be more expensive commanding up to 20% price increase, but if you like their subtle, upscale look it might be worth the price. Drawbacks include reduced interior space. This type of cabinets require a much higher level of accuracy and detail. The installer should be familiar with inset cabinetry, as the hinges and door clearances in inset cabinets provide very little or no room for adjustment. There are two types of inset cabinets: Plain Inset that has a plain opening for the door to inset into and Beaded inset that has a small bead around the opening. Bidded inset cabinet eliminates the possible gap between the door and the panels.

  All cabinet types come in a variety of finishes and vary in quality.

  • Wood stain is a great way to add color to the wood without ruining the beauty of the wood grain. You want to be careful when picking stain colors because manufacturers use all different names. The same name might be a completely different color under another company
  • A glaze is generally applied over a base stain. Once it is applied, it is then wiped off by hand. As you wipe off the glaze, it settles in the cabinets open grain areas and defines its details. Glazes can also be tinted any color. Contrasting the color of the wood with the color of the glaze creates a uniquely attractive look.
  • A lacquer is a clear finish used over wood products.
  • Paint provides an endless array of color choices but conceals the natural grain and beauty of hardwood doors.
  • Laminate covered particle board or MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), lowest quality, inexpensive, easy to peel off, especially when exposed to heat, moisture or extreme humidity. This is not found in higher quality cabinetry.

  One more thing to think about is the door hardware. Which brings us to the world of the knobs and hinges.

  • You might think that hinges are the least of your worries. Wrong! Not only do they define the aesthetic look of your cabinets (yes, even if they are hidden), a good hinge makes a cabinet more functional and will prevent the door from going crooked on you.
    In plain english, from a YOU-ser point of view, there are decorative hinges and hidden, cheap and expensive, easier or more difficult to install.In a professional jargon the hinges are as foolows:
    • Mortised hinge
    • Non-mortise hinge
    • European Style
    • Strap Hinges.
    • Gas spring

  Please read our full guide to hinges here.
  Knobs.