Kitchen Cabinets, Face Frame or Frameless?

The Great Debate over construction of Kitchen Cabinets

When it comes to selecting kitchen cabinets, one of the differences many customers will begin to notice is that they often have to decide between two types of cabinet construction. While in some cases there will be only one option available to you, such as when your preferred builder only offers one style, it is good to be educated on the pros and cons of each offering. Among cabinet builders there is a never ending debate over which is the best method but most consumers are really the most interested in achieving the final look they have been envisioning for their kitchen.

Frameless Kitchen Cabinets

Frameless cabinets are more often referred to as European style cabinets. This style of construction has it’s roots in european countries but has been gaining ground as an option for kitchen cabinets in the U.S over the past couple of decades. This style of cabinet uses no face frame in the construction. This can give a little more access to the cabinet as well as make a tighter look with the doors and drawers having less space between each other. With the doors set on a full overlay, a more contemporary look can be achieved over what is a more traditional look with a partial overlay generally used on face frame kitchen cabinets.

A few other benefits of frameless cabinets include:

• usually can achieve wider drawers over face frame cabinets
• less face surface area means less area to keep clean and minimizes the risk of damage needing touch up.
• full access to the cabinet box versus face frame taking up usually up to 2″ on each side of each cabinet.
• although known for a contemporary look, traditional styling cab still be achieved

Face Frame Kitchen Cabinets

Face Frame cabinet construction is the traditional method used in the U.S. and certainly the most common found here in the South. The strength and structure the face frame adds to the cabinet gives a more study construction. This method offers a cabinet built for long lasting durability. The face frame also allows for a few more custom details than would be possible over a frameless cabinet such as, fluting or columns.

Some other benefits of Face Frame Cabinets include:

• the strength of the cabinet construction allows for larger runs of individual cabinets
• reduce the need for added fillers
• easier to accommodate farm house sinks which are being used more frequently.
• offers a traditional look but can also be made more modern with the use of full overlay doors.

This is in no way an exhaustive list of all the pros of cons for each type of kitchen cabinet construction but I hope to have introduced you to some of the aspects of each. In the future we can take a deeper dive into the construction of each. In the mean time, if you are in the market for Kitchen Cabinets and are in South Mississippi or Louisiana, be sure to contact us for your free estimate and consultation. At Wild’s Cabinets, we proudly serve the gulf South of Mississippi including Hattiesburg, Poplarville, Picayune, Wiggins, and Gulfport. We also serve Parts of Louisiana including Slidell, Covington, Abita Springs, and Mandeville.