Kitchen Cabinet Doors Guide for cabinet makers
Cabinet doors are arguably the most important single decorative feature of a kitchen. They are the first item to greet the eye and, because they are usually so numerous, can also be the most impressive. The style, finish, and construction deserve careful attention.
Once. cabinetmakers were concerned primarily with building simple, sturdy doors that would stand up to the punishment meted out to them in daily use. Form certainly followed function by a wide margin, kitchen cabinets, and especially their doors, were the most utilitarian of furniture. But gone are the days of one-style-fits-all kitchens. Today, homeowners carefully consider the period and sryle of their dwellings before determining the decor of their kitchens.
Once the basic choice is made, door style can be arrived at. Perhaps it is a basic board-and-batten door for a country cottage. An arts and Crafts bungalow might demand finer work, with doors featuring glass panes set in glazing bars . Most homeowners will probably prefer traditional frame-and-panel doors . But even here there are variations, such as arched panel ,veneered.panel, and glass panel doors. This chapter introduces five door styles and the steps to building each, so you can produce doors that will lend character to your kitchen.
Considerations of style should not cloud the need for durability. Kitchen doors work hard and. since wood is prone to swelling and warping, solid doors such as board-and-batten doors should only be installed on small cabinets. Frame-and-panel, veneered-panel, and glass doors are better able to accommodate wood movement caused by fluctuations in heat and humidity.'Also, different doors require different degrees of precision when building them. A flush-mounted door, for example, is cut to close tolerances; an error as slight as 3/14 inch can spoil the look of an otherwise finely executed cabinet. Overlay doors, on the other hand, do not require the same precision as they exceed the size of their openings.
Advances in the manufacturing of door hardware, particularly hinges, have greatly improved both the appearance of cabinet doors and the ease of mounting them. Classic or antique-style doors may still be hung from such decorative and attractive fasteners as surface-mounted hinges that come in polished iron or brass finishes. Other hinge options include the simple but efficient butt hinge for flush-mounted doors, and the piano hinge for corner cabinet doors. European-style cup hinges have virtually become the standard hardware for melamine kitchen cabinets. Not only are these versatile hinges fully concealed; they are also simple to install and easily adjustable.
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