#PARTIAL VS FULL OVERLAY CABINETS INSTALL#

Second, house shifts will disrupt those nice gaps following in the months and years after installation. That price difference could be as much as 30-40%. Time is money, so expect to pay more for inset cabinets. Consequently, carpenters must spend much more time tweaking the fit to restore even spacing. Those once perfectly symmetrical gaps around each door and drawer are no longer perfect. However, you should be aware of some potential issues and think practically before choosing inset cabinets.įirst, when carpenters make the previously described onsite installation adjustments, inset cabinets are impacted more significantly. In truth, the aesthetic appeal is the only real benefit to inset cabinets, if you like that distinct look. They believe inset cabinets, with completely flush doors and drawers, provide a more upscale look of custom furniture. Some homeowners prefer inset cabinets primarily based on the appearance. Lastly, overlay cabinets provide for easier accessibility behind cabinet doors and slightly larger drawer boxes for more storage space. Otherwise, doors and drawers may not open smoothly.

Overlay cabinets provide forgiveness for such movements. In addition, wood expands and contracts with changes in the surrounding air temperature and moisture content, which can really come into play in bathrooms. Similarly, the look and functionality of overlay cabinets will not be impacted by subtle shifts in your foundation due to climate and soil type. Properly installed overlay cabinets mask the impact of the adjustments. Those adjustments can affect the precise fit of cabinet doors and drawers built offsite. Therefore, when installing cabinets between walls, carpenters must make some adjustments to achieve the proper fit. The walls and ceilings in most houses are rarely, if ever, built perfectly plumb, level, and square, as a good set of cabinets should be. TriFection recommends overlay cabinets because they facilitate easier onsite adjustments during installation and provide allowance for potential for shifts in your home over time. An approximate 1/8” gap or less surrounds each door and drawer, allowing them to open and close.Īs Houston’s premier remodeler and custom cabinet maker, TriFection designs, builds, and strongly recommends overlay cabinets in our remodeling projects for a number of reasons. TriFection does both based on client preference.Ĭonversely, inset cabinet doors fit inside the cabinet opening, and therefore flush with the face frame. Full overlay reveals less face frame compared to partial overlay. With a face frame comprised of 1 ½” solid wood vertical stiles and horizontal rails that form the openings, the result is ½” of exposed face frame between doors and drawers. At TriFection, we usually size our cabinet fronts to be ½” bigger than the cabinet opening on each side.

Overlay doors and drawers, which are far more common, are slightly bigger than the opening and sit outside the face frame. Inset Cabinets: For BeginnersĮssentially, overlay and inset refer to the size of the cabinet doors in relation to the actual cabinet opening. The kitchen remodeling experts at TriFection can help you understand the difference.

#PARTIAL VS FULL OVERLAY CABINETS INSTALL#

There are two basic ways to install doors and drawers on framed cabinets – overlay and inset. Style includes the wood species, profile of the fronts, and a stained vs. You must choose the cabinet layout that suits your storage and entertainment needs as well as the style of cabinetry. Particularly in a kitchen remodeling project, some of the biggest decisions involve cabinetry. When building or remodeling a house, you must make a large number of important decisions.

Partial vs full overlay cabinets