Kitchen Cabinet Types

Kitchen Cabinets

Your kitchen cabinet doors are often the most prominent feature of your kitchen, so choosing the perfect style and material for your kitchen’s design is essential. Whether you crave a traditional or modern feel, there’s a perfect cabinet door for every home from a hip Soho studio fit with high end glass to a sprawling Bergen County range that boasts boast the classic comforts of natural wood.

Kitchen Cabinet Types

There are three basic types of kitchen cabinets: stock, semi stock and custom made. Stock or prefabricated cabinet doors are the least expensive and custom cabinets, because they’re designed and fabricated specifically for your kitchen, are the most expensive.

Stock Kitchen Cabinets

Stock cabinets are the standard traditional cabinets installed in most homes across America and since they have a short lead-time for both ordering and receiving and are generally inexpensive, they make a wise choice for the budget-conscious homeowner or do-it-yourselfers. Stock cabinets come in a range of styles and materials so chances are you’ll find one that fits your kitchen’s look.

Custom Kitchen Cabinetry

Custom cabinets are designed and fabricated to fit your specific needs. Not only are they perfectly matched in material and color to your kitchen’s design, but they can also be crafted around unusual architectural features or appliances like an oversized fridge or dishwasher. Choose from green materials like bamboo or palm to make your custom kitchen a sustainable as well as beautiful addition to your home.

Semi Stock Kitchen Cabinets

Semi-stock cabinets offer a compromise for those who want the adaptability of custom cabinets with the affordability of stock. Semi stock cabinets are usually about 25% more expensive than standard stock cabinets but offer some flexibility in sizing so you can work around unusual features or appliances. They usually have a lead-time of 5-6 weeks so require a little more planning than stock cabinets.

Kitchen Cabinet Configurations

There are also three ways in which cabinets are configured within in your kitchen: they either sit on the floor with a counter on top, are attached to the wall, or sit on the floor and extend to the ceiling.

Base Kitchen Cabinets

In this type of configuration, the cabinet sits on your kitchen floor with a countertop fastened on top.

Wall-Mounted Kitchen Cabinets

Wall cabinets attach to your wall either flush against the ceiling or as floaters. Typically, wall cabinets are about 12″ deep and about 30″ high but most are also available in height increments of 6″–ie 36″ and 42.”

Tall Kitchen Cabinets

Full-height cabinets extend from your floor to your ceiling and come in several depths, the two most popular being 12″ and 24.” The standard height starts at 84″ and increases in 6″ increments so even taller kitchen ceilings can accommodate these spacious and stunning cabinets.

Traditional Kitchen Cabinets

Framed or American-Style Kitchen Cabinets

Most stock cabinets are traditional framed boxes: the front edge of the framed box is joined to a face frame or door that’s usually made of hardwood. These traditional cabinets fit well into an uneven wall surface as the frame can be shaved to fit. This style also makes it possible to use affordable lower quality material for the sides and a higher quality material for the door, making these pieces even more cost effective. Framed cabinets are also generally considered stronger and more resistant to deformation than frameless cabinets.

Thermo-Foil Cabinets Kitchen Cabinets

Thermo-Foil is a vinyl material used to cover the outside of both traditional and modern cabinet doors. This protective coating is water resistant and makes cleaning a breeze. Because therma-foil covers the entire kitchen cabinet door in one piece, its much easier to clean than high-pressure laminate—no dirt collecting in buckling seams!

Modern / Contemporary Kitchen Cabinets

Frameless or European-Style Kitchen Cabinets

Frameless cabinets are made from finished panels on both sides edged with a laminate strip. In this type of cabinet the door conceals the cabinet box, offering a seamless appearance. The frameless cabinet style originated in Europe and became quite popular in the United States during the 1980’s.

Glass Kitchen Cabinets

A popular decorative detail in modern kitchen design is the glass door cabinet. Glass doors enable you to showcase prized dishes and stemware and offer a sleek urban look.

Kitchen Cabinets with Sliding Doors

Some European designers are now offering sliding cabinet door systems. These doors can move vertically and are usually used in top-mounted cupboard. They’re particularly useful in small urban kitchens that need to maximize space.