Framed Kitchen Cabinets

Framed kitchen cabinets have a flat frame on the front of them. In producing cabinetry, cabinetmakers have two basic options on how to build their units: frameless and framed. Building with frames is considered the older and more traditional technique, with the frameless variety becoming more popular as more cabinetmakers adopt this method or at least begin to offer it. But there are functional reasons for frames and advantages to this type of cabinetry. To get a more accurate sense of which type is better for you, consider the attributes and characteristics of framed kitchen cabinets.

The front of the cabinet built in this manner has a flat frame on the front of it. Actually, this frame looks a lot like a picture frame. This method of building is the older of the two, but there are some good logical reasons behind it. Some people have a difficult time with frames for a number of reasons. They might have trouble getting a measurement on the placement of their cabinets on walls because of the lip that exists in framed cabinetry. And laying out contact paper, adjusting a shelf, or even putting away the dishes can be a bit of a chore because of that same lip, which extends inside the cabinet opening all the way past its outside edge.

Why Kitchen Cabinets Have Frames

We might grumble about how hard it is to get that casserole dish out because of the lip that exists preventing us from effectively using every single inch of the shelving inside our cabinet, but there are very good reasons why they are often built this way. And it is not just to annoy us or to make the application of contact paper more difficult. Framed kitchen cabinets have existed for many years, and there are many reasons why this design still exists after centuries, and why it will continue to stick around.

The frame itself strengthens the cabinet box and forces it to stay square. Think of the frame itself as a big, perfect square or rectangle, and how its attachment to that box holds the different sides of the box in place. The frame does for the front of the cabinet what the back panel does for the back. Framed kitchen cabinets also have a great flat surface to attach the doors to, and they interact with drawer fronts on lower cabinets in much the same way. With flat front surfaces, sticking doors and other issues from the framed kitchen cabinets will not exists because the units will stay square.

Framed Kitchen Cabinetry Looks Seamless

Another huge advantage of the framed variety of kitchen cabinets is that they can be butted to one another for a nice, flat, seamless look. As a matter of fact, the frame itself provides material for attaching the cabinets to one another without ending up with an exposed screw point inside the unit. Installers drill pilot holes through adjoining units, and then sink cabinet screws into the insides of the frames (often near the hinges to make them less visible with the doors opened).

The surface of framed kitchen cabinets provides an ideal location for strong exterior hinges, capable of holding even the heaviest kitchen cabinet doors. This is in contrast to the relatively flimsy interior hinges necessitated by frameless cabinetry.

A framed kitchen cabinet does have some drawbacks. That lip previously mentioned can be an obstruction and can limit storage. But this impediment is minor and overall, framed kitchen cabinets are an attractive choice that's easy for professionals to install and join to one another.