The cabinet industry, like all crafts, has its share of technical terms. We want each of our customers to know exactly what we mean when we talk about the features of your custom cabinetry. Read the top cabinetry key terms here.
Accessibility
This is how much “openness” that your cabinet has. We use frameless cabinets because of their look and their high level of accessibility.
Accessories
Anything other than the cabinet
Adjustable shelves
Adjustable shelves are installed within a cupboard to provide ample storage for whatever items you may need. These shelves can be adjusted and placed where they are needed by using pre-drilled holes in the supports of the shelf that allow pegs to be removed and repositioned as desired.
Adjustable Hinge
A majority of modern cabinets are fitted with three directional hinges. These include up and down, left to right, and in and out (or depth). The side-to-side adjustments on most hinges can be accessed via their screws that attach them to the cabinetry while those adjusting in or out use knobs mounted on the surface of the cabinet.
Arch
The arch is traditionally used in cabinetry to describe the design of an arched or curved cabinet door. The most common use for this type of cabinet door would be decorated with a valance above or etched into the top of the front surface.
Back
The rear of the cabinet that will be mounted to the wall.
Base Cabinet
A kitchen or bathroom’s base cabinet is the one that sits under a counter. A typical depth for a base cabinet is 24 inches, and it houses the largest storage in a whole cabinet system. When looking for kitchen base cabinets, you should aim to buy them with accompanying cupboards sold as an adjoining set.
Bead Board
Beadboard cabinetry is made from slats of wood that are joined together on their long edges in an interlaced manner. This type of cabinet has traditional origins, as it was once often applied to wainscoting for old houses and buildings.
Blind Corner
A Blind Corner Cabinet is where the cabinet at the end of a row cannot be seen from the next row, as it hides part of one front face. This can make opening and closing this cabinet difficult.
Blind Mortise and Tenon
The mortise-and-tenon joint is often found in doors, cabinets, or furniture.
Bottom
The bottom of a cabinet. On a wall and tall cabinet, the same part is used as the top.
Box Construction
¾’ Plywood or melamine frames create the structure of our cabinets.
Butt Doors
Instead of one door or two doors next to each other, butt doors means two cabinets opening towards each other. This configuration is often found on either side of a hall, or wallpapered in the place where two walls meet.
Cabinet Carcass
A kitchen cabinet is often made of wood, and provides storage in the kitchen.
Cabinet Drawers
Cabinet drawers come in a variety of styles and configurations. The kind you need for your kitchen, bathroom or other room depends largely on the space.
Cathedral
Cathedral doors are a classic, rounded arch. They may also be used to cover rectangular boxes, or other openings for decorative purposes.
Center Panel
This is a section on the rails and stiles of cabinet doors. which can be flat or raised.
Center Stile
A center stile is a strip of wood or metal which divides the area in-between two pieces of a doorway, cabinet, etc. It may be removable and is often used for large doors or spaces.
Cherry
Cherry wood is a hardwood typically extracted from cherry fruits. It has a beautiful color and is well-known for both its durability and variability in hue.
Concealed Hinge
A concealed hinge is a type of cabinet door hinge that bridges the gap between a cabinet and door to mask its location. This type of hinge often resembles European-style hinges in cabinetry because it provides smooth lines for where cabinets meet doors in kitchens.
Cope and Tenon – technique cabinet with a stabilizing dowel
Miter cope and mortise tenon assemblies are both ways of connecting a stile (a horizontal cross piece) to a rail (the vertical crosspiece) in an mitered cabinet door. The joint is secured by using laminated pieces that have the same size inner holes, with the tenon passing through one hole and the mortise fitting.
Corbel
A corbel is an element of craftsmanship that looks like it contains ornate decoration, but originally these were structural elements used in classical architecture. Corbels were created to hold up support for overly heavy architectural components such as roofs or ledges.
Crown Molding
Crown molding helps boost the appearance of open soffits in wall cabinets, giving them a fine carpentry look even if you are no more than a beginner at working with wood.
Dado
A dado joint is a type of joint made at the top and bottom of a piece where one piece rests on the other. A traditional method to prevent the weight from causing the pieces to shake when they are put together, it is often found in bookshelves or cabinets.
Dentil Mould
Dentil molding is a type of wooden trim, traditionally used in both interior and exterior decoration. Funnelling blocks that are shaped like teeth, dentil molding features pieces that resemble the shape of human teeth.
Dovetail
A dovetail joint is a type of interlocking wood joint in which two pieces of wood are fastened together. As a result, dovetails are very strong and secure and are often used to attach the front of a drawer to its box.
Dovetail Joint
With great strength and durability, an interlocking drawer joint is where a pin on one component fits into a socket on the other. We recommend dovetailed corners for drawers instead of pinned or stapled models.
Drawer Box
Drawer boxes provide a strong frame for drawers. They are designed to contain the drawings when left open and come in different configurations to create the true size of a drawer. Comes with panels containing front, back, and bottom panel as well as two side panels that are combined together at right angles.
Drawer Face
The drawer face is the part of a drawer you can see even when the drawer is closed. It typically has handles so it’s easier to open.
Drawer Front
This is the part of the drawer that is attached to/goes into the side of a drawer box. It also contains any hardware needed for attaching a handle on it, such as a knob or lever.
Edge Profile
This refers to the contiguous materials that surround the door and prevent any sort of interference.
End Panel
A panel at the end of a cabinet is used to conceal rough substrate and provide an attractive surface. Many cabinets terminate at doorways or kitchen entrances where there are no walls for camouflage; this element was invented as a simple and inexpensive way of concealing these areas.
Exposed Hinge
An exposed hinge is when the hinges protrude from the front of a cabinet, making them completely visible. These hinges are best used for antique design schemes or in kitchens with minimal counter space.
Face Frame
Face frames are framing boards used to complete the appearance of framed cabinets; they are seen from the front, where drawers and doors can be accessed. Face frames create a rigid skeleton for the exposed side of cabinet boxes.
Fillers
A filler is used in kitchens to cover gaps and obstructions between cabinets that inhibit the hinges and drawers from functioning properly. This piece of wood may be necessary if your kitchen has corners, tight spaces, or uneven walls.
Fixed shelves
Fixed shelves are not adjustable, which makes them ideal for storing items that have a standard height such as notebooks, CDs and binders.
Flat Panel
Flat-panel cabinets look quite different than those of the Shaker style. Instead of having a detailed appearance, they are crafted into rectangular slabs instead.
Flute
Cabinet fluting is a type of vertical molding that can either serve decorative or functional purposes. Cabinet fluting will have many shallow to deep vertical grooves against the face of it and this is what makes it “fluted” like the column in ancient buildings.
Framed Construction
A framed cabinet box is the second most common way to make cabinetry. This type of cabinet usually has ¾ inch stiles and rails. Framed construction slightly impacts your storage capacity, so this is something you should be aware of if you plan on storing large grocery bags or water bottles in your cabinets.
Frameless Cabinet
Frameless cabinets are often easier to operate because they do not require trim boards, which gives you an easy access without obstructions. Frameless cabinets were introduced in Europe after the invention of the hidden hinge mechanism, where there is no need for a frame.
Frameless Construction
Frameless cabinets are the most common type of cabinet construction. These types of cabinets provide easy access to all sections because there is no frame around it. Frameless cabinets consist entirely of a door and drawers with no box on the front side.
Full Access Drawer Guide
A drawer with full access is a drawer which opens fully. This can be opened to reveal objects in the back of the drawer.
Full Extension Drawer Guide
Full-extension guides provide a safe and easy way to open drawers that have to be opened completely. They come in two varieties, either mounted on the bottom or on the side of the drawer.
Full Overlay
Full overlay doors are a new kitchen cabinet design in which the door covers the cabinet’s entire face frame, minimizing gaps and maximizing storage space.
Furniture Board
Furniture board is a type of manufactured wood that’s made from ground up sawdust and another material called resin. It’s commonly used in cabinets, furniture, and other household goods because it provides strength and durability to items the same way regular wood would.
Grain
Grain refers to the lines that appear in wood. These lines are created by the tree’s yearly growth rings, which occur when a tree grows each year.
Hardwood
Hardwoods are the most dense and resilient when compared with other wood options. They tend to be more durable and desirable than other woods, including softwoods like Pine or Oak. The hardwood you will find in kitchen cabinets is usually Cherry, Oak, Hickory or Maple.
Hickory
Hickory is a type of wood that possesses the toughness of hardwoods, but without the weight. It is commonly chosen for kitchen cabinets due to its durability and great looks. Hickory is most famous for being used in cooking or smoking meats because it can withstand higher temperatures than other varieties such as oak or maple.
Hinges
Hinges are a necessary component of a cabinet door. Two categories for hinges are visible and invisible. Visible type of hinge relates to the original hinges that were forged by blacksmiths.
Inset
This is the opposite of a cabinet overlay. With full inset cabinets and drawers, it reveals the entire face frame of the cabinet door or drawer. The front fits inside to create an even or “flush” look.
Knob
A knob is a piece of hardware that attached with a single bolt to open and close cabinet doors or drawers. They are different from handles because they only require one set of bolts as opposed to two or more sets needed for handles. There are many styles to choose from including fancy knobs, oval shaped knobs, pointed tips and even old fashioned
Light rail
A molding detail called light rail, primarily functional but also visually eye-catching, hides the fixtures of any top cabinet’s underside lighting system.
Maple
Maple is a type of hardwood that originates from maple trees. It can vary in various shades and patterns, making it an ideal wood for woodworking projects.
MDF – Medium-density Fiberboard
Medium density fiberboard is a manufactured wood product. It consists of pieces of wood that have been mixed with adhesives, pressed into sheets, and then laminated to another layer.
Melamine
Melamine is a synthetic wood which has been manufactured to be stronger than particle board and using better materials. Improvements in the construction of melamine have strengthened the material making it popular for use by large businesses and homeowners alike.
Miter
A mitre, also spelled miter, is an aesthetic cut accuracy term that can be applied to the presence of precise cuts. Mitre joints are parts of a functional joint created by these precision cuts and it may also refer to the saw guiding tool used for cutting them in place.
Molding
Molding is a strip of material that covers transitional areas to hide or protect them. It can be made from wood, MDF, fabric, etc., and used in conjunction with other materials such as wall paper or paint so that the transition does not cause any issues.
Mullion
Mullions, also known as cabinet doors that feature glass panels instead of solid wood, are composed of panes. The pane’s dividing bars are the same as those found in windows.
Mullion Doors
A mullion is a type of door composed of glass panes. The dividers between the windowpanes are parallel to one another, like in a window.
Oak
Oak is a type of wood that has been cut from an oak tree. Oak wood is prized for its uniformity, strength, and beautiful grain pattern. The classification name for the type of wood used in this article is “hardwood”.
Onlay
A onlay is a pre-carved or cut decorative piece which is attached to a surface, especially furniture, cabinets and molding. A onlay may be of one solid color or may be made from many pieces in an intricate design. It’s often composed of wood but can also be a material such as stone or plastic.
Overlay Doors/Drawers
A cabinet’s overlay is the amount of the frame that shows on each side. Two types are full-overlay and partial-overlay; these terms aren’t interchangeable.
Panel
Panels are typically used to cover the exposed ends of a cabinet. When a flatpack cabinet is purchased, then only part with colour on it should be the doors. The carcass components – the back, bottom and sides – will all be made from white board.
Peninsula
The term peninsula refers to a counter area that is in the G-shaped kitchen floor plan. A kitchen island is a good addition, but most kitchens do not have enough room to fit one of appropriate size in the center of available work space.
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured wood which is good for construction projects. Typically, when cabinet boxes are assembled the parts that can’t be seen act as an obstacle for decorating.
Pull
Drawer pulls are small fixtures attached to the front face of a drawer that allow them to be pulled open. The defining characteristic of draws is that they connect at one point as opposed to handles, which connect at two or more points. This detail impacts the overall design of any kitchen cabinets, and should be considered carefully during initial design phases.
Pulls, Knobs and Handles
These hardware accessories are typically attached to a kitchen cabinet to open it and provide an attractive finish.
Rail
A rail is a long, slender wood component. It’s often found on kitchen cabinets. A rail in cabinet framing serves as the horizontal part of the frame.
Raised Panel
Raised panels are a center portion of the cabinet door that is slightly raised. Raised panels come in different designs and styles, such as crown molding or pilasters.
Recessed Panel
A recessed panel door is a type of cabinet door with an inner panel that’s slightly depressed. Recessed panel doors often include thinner wood than other types of cabinet doors, and the center panel will likely be lower than the pieces on either side of it.
Reveal
A reveal occurs when part of the frame is exposed after a door has been attached. A reveal overlay occurs for cabinets which does not have sufficient space between individual doors to be completely covered, and in this case, you are able to see the side profile of the cabinet.
Rope Moulding
This moulding is designed to look like it’s twisted up like rope.
Scribe Moulding
Scribe molding is a piece of wood that covers inconsistencies where cabinets meet the ceiling or wall, lending an elegant appearance to the inside of your kitchen cabinetry. Scribe molding is a thin strip of wood that helps cover gaps between cabinet units and ceilings/walls.
Stain
Staining wood is a way to change its appearance or protect it from damage. It’s applied in the finishing process and has different levels of color and finish.
Stile
Stile
A stile is a vertical piece of wood used in the frame of a cabinet. It is combined with rails to complete the frame.
Thermofoil
Thermofoil cabinets are like wood or fiberboard units, but instead of being made from these materials they have been coated with vinyl. This gives the appearance of hardwood or veneer at a smaller cost.
Toe Kick
The toe kick is the space at the bottom of a base cabinet. It’s also sometimes called a toe space.
Traditional Overlay
The traditional style is a classic design that offers comfortable furniture, timeless designs and casual décor. It features warm colors, symmetrical lines and design elements like flowers and animals.
Valance
Cabinet valances are a universal way to accessorize any cabinetry or furniture design. With different styles and designs, cabinet valances can be used for small or large details in your interior design.
Veneer
Veneers are thin, hard pieces of wood that can be embedded into a variety of materials including particle board or manufactured woods. The veneer serves as protection for these surfaces, and does not impede the material’s performance.
Wall Cabinet
Wall cabinets are wall-mounted cabinets that hang on the sides of a counter space to divide it from open space. These attractive pieces of cabinetry do not come with the matching base cabinet sets found in other homes, because this style hangs on walls and so must be installed according to how high your room can accommodate them.
Wood species
Wood species is an important category for identifying different types of trees, based on their characteristics. A wood worker may also use the scientific name to describe what type of wood he or she has, as a way to more easily identify it within their work
Wood Veneer
Woodworking refers to when thin slices of wood are glued and pressed onto core panels. Core panels can be used for a variety of purposes, such as doors, tops and side panels for cabinets, wood flooring or more.
