The Benefits of Frameless
(full-access) Cabinets

When homeowners start their search for kitchen cabinets, the usually focus on the look and door design. People rarely stop to think about what else cabinets consist of, which is actually the most important part of cabinets. The structure to which the doors are attached is the main component of kitchen cabinets. With the thousands of cabinet styles on the market, there are really only two types of cabinet box construction- framed (face-frame) and frameless. Each style represents a completely unique way of constructing the cabinet. The overall appearance and functionality is distinguished as well. Framed construction is more traditional method of cabinet construction. It consists of a front frame with rails and stiles around the cabinet opening, to which the door(s) is attached.

Frameless ("full-access") cabinets utilize the carcase side, top, and bottom panels in place of a face-frame. It consists of a box without a front frame. This makes for a more contemporary style. Also, There are no rails or stiles blocking the way so access is made easy. Pin and dowel is used in the construction. In general, frameless cabinets provide significantly better utilization of space than do face-frame cabinets. A preference for frameless cabinet design developed in 1950s and 1960s Europe following the devastation of World War II. A burgeoning market for reconstructed housing in Central Europe provided a fertile environment for introducing improved hinge and cabinet designs. Frameless cabinets use modern manufacturing techniques for sophisticated metal-based assemblies (hinges and slides) and engineered wood products (for strength, dimensional tolerance, and stability). The intent of the frameless design is to achieve a more streamlined appearance but also a more efficient use of space, a proliferation of well-designed moving components such as drawers, trays, and pull-out cabinets providing better access to interior components.

Space-utilization

Since typical face-frames are 1½" wide and frameless side panels 5/8", access to the cabinet interior is 1½" wider for a typical frameless cabinet as compared to a face-frame cabinet. A 12"-wide cabinet accommodates a 10"-wide drawer in frameless construction or an 8½"-wide drawer in framed construction. Frameless wall-oven cabinetry further saves 3" of wall space as compared to the same wall-oven installed in a face-frame cabinet: Many, if not most, contemporary ovens (and other cabinet-front-mounted major appliances) have been designed with the space-utilization advantage of frameless cabinets installation in mind. The oven is dimensioned, and thermally insulated, to fit within an industry-standard external width (e.g., 27 or 30 inches) cabinet cavity, less two standard 5/8-inch cabinet side-wall thicknesses while providing for a small space between the oven box and the internal cabinet wall. In ovens, the bezel is sized to fit the full external cavity width and overlay the cabinet side wall. Such an installation avoids any unused lateral space around the oven. (While, hypothetically, ovens can be installed similarly in face-frame cabinets, such an installation may requires cutting away all but 5/8" of each 1½" face-frame - specifically not recommended by vendors as it may weaken the joint between side-wall and face-frame - and buttressing face-frame cabinet side walls accordingly.)

Wood options

Frameless cabinets, which exhibit a modern appearance in keeping with the design movement of "minimalism," are typically constructed of particle board, which features a high degree of dimensional stability, adherence to dimensional standards, absence of warping (as supplied), and uniformity. Accordingly, the so-called European hinge includes a 35-mm-diameter cup press-fit to a bored recess particularly well-suited to particle board construction. By virtue of the 35-mm "European" cup design, European hinges avoid reliance on screws as a primary mechanism holding door to hinge.

Plywood and/or solid wood can also be used in frameless cabinet construction, generally at higher cost.

Hinge design features

Those European hinges intended for use with frameless cabinets afford a quick-release mechanism enabling a door to be removed and replaced without the use of tools. Such hinges typically afford six-way (three-axis) positional adjustment by screwdriver for door alignment. Some accommodate complex motions, e.g., to avoid interfering with interior cabinet components while fully overlaying the carcasses (e.g., permitting the full-interior-cabinet-width dimensions for pull-out trays). Scissors-type articulating hinges support wide-angle non-interfering adjacent doors. Drawers

A functional design objective for cabinet interiors involves maximization of useful space and utility in the context of the kitchen workflow. Drawers and trays in lower cabinets permit access from above and avoid uncomfortable or painful crouching.
In face-frame construction, a drawer or tray must clear the face-frame stile and is 2" narrower than the available cabinet interior space. The loss of 2" is particularly noticeable and significant for kitchens including multiple narrow (15" or less) cabinets.

In frameless construction, drawer boxes may be sized nearly to the interior opening of the cabinet providing better use of the available space.

Regardless of whether you are looking for the modern look of European frameless cabinets, or the traditional look of framed cabinets, it is important look beyond just the doors and see what the cabinet is really made of.

 
Cabinet Construction

We manufacture frameless cabinets which give you more usable space. This makes for easier access to the interior of your cabinets without bulky horizontal rails and vertical stiles.