Our First Choice When Selecting Cabinet Door Styles
the pros and cons of inset and overlay cabinetry
Many people don’t realize that there are different cabinet door styles out there, but once you get familiar with them, you’ll start noticing the differences right away. In today’s post, we’re going over the different options and the pros and cons of each. While cabinetry can be very complex and involves a great deal of technical craftsmanship that goes into it, we’ll just be covering the basics in this post.
inset
Inset cabinet doors are set into the cabinet frame and sit flush with the face of the cabinet box when closed. Not every cabinet shop offers this option and for those who do, it is often more expensive. This is typically our first choice for our clients if the budget allows.
overlay
Overlay cabinet doors give a similar appearance to that of inset doors without the higher cost. They completely cover the cabinet face, providing the flat cabinet front desired with inset cabinets. These doors can be built to look like inset doors by pulling forward the end panels. This would be our second choice for clients.
partial overlay
Partial overlay doors are the most common and the least expensive option for cabinets. This is when the door sits on the cabinet face, leaving a “gap” of usually 1-1 1⁄4 inch between the doors, allowing the face frame of the cabinet to be seen.
construction
As you can see in the graphic below, inset cabinets have less interior space than a frameless, full overlay cabinet. If you are especially concerned about storage in your room you may want to go with a full overlay style.
Whether you love the clean lines of inset cabinets, the extra storage of full overlay, or the price of partial overlay, each option has its own benefits. The most important thing is finding a style that fits your home, your budget, and how you live. Thanks so much for reading! Let us know if you have any other questions in the comments below—we’re always happy to help.
For inset cabinets, how much space do you usually have around door and drawers? or in other words, what is the frame width? 1.5"? Thank you!
I remodeled my kitchen and kept the preexisting partial overlay cabinets. Is it possible to change just the doors/drawers and somehow make them inset? Or is that not going to look “right”?