Cabinetry 101

A Simple, Clear Guide to Understanding Your Cabinetry Options

Designing custom cabinetry for your home is far more than just choosing a door style and finish. Customizing your home's cabinetry not only involves designing both a functional and aesthetic layout, but also making numerous selections including: manufacturer, wood species, cabinet construction options, door style, stain or paint, finish selections, hardware, customized inserts and accessories, and much more. While our professional Kitchen & Bath Designers will educate and help guide you in your decisions each step of the way, this helpful guide walks you through the basics so you can feel confident and prepared when meeting with one of our designers. There is no single “best” cabinetry option or selection, only what best aligns with your design vision, functionality needs, and investment comfort. 

Semi-Custom vs. Full-Custom

Semi-Custom

Semi-custom cabinets start with standard cabinet boxes but allow modification within a manufacturer’s limits. Semi custom is often considered the “sweet spot” between cost and personalization.


  • You want personalized cabinetry that still fits a budget.
  • Your layout is relatively standard.
  • You want more design choices but not unlimited complexity.
  • You want faster production and installation.

Full Custom

Full custom cabinets are built specifically for your space from the ground up. Full custom cabinetry is ideal for unique layouts, historic homes, highly tailored designs, or clients wanting full creative control.


  • You want unlimited design flexibility in style, materials, hardware, and function.
  • Perfect fit for unusual or architectural spaces.
  • You want the ability to create specialty storage solutions.
  • Your budget and lead time are flexible.

Semi-Custom

VS.

Full-Custom

Semi-Custom cabinets are designed and constructed specifically for your home, however start with standard cabinet sizes from a manufacturer's spec book and then allow for a multitude of modifications within each manufacturer’s limits. Semi-custom is often considered the “sweet spot” between cost and personalization. 

  • You want personalized cabinetry that still fits a budget.
  • Your layout is relatively standard.
  • You want more design choices but not unlimited complexity.
  • You want faster production and installation.

Full-custom cabinets are designed and built from the ground up; each cabinet is specifically designed for your space. They are ideal for unique layouts, historic homes, highly tailored designs, or clients wanting full creative control. 

  • You want unlimited design flexibility in style, materials, hardware, and function.
  • Perfect fit for unusual or architectural spaces.
  • You want the ability to create specialty storage solutions.
  • Your budget and lead time are flexible.

Cabinet Construction

After deciding the scope of customization you need for your cabinetry, you will choose your cabinet construction. This will dictate how the cabinet box is built and how the door attaches.

Frameless

Diagram of a door with top and front views, showing minimal face frame visible.

Removes the face frame entirely. Doors attach directly to the cabinet box, creating tighter seam lines and a cleaner look. Because there is no face frame taking up space, frameless cabinets often maximize storage.


Benefits of frameless cabinetry:

  • Slightly more usable interior space
  • Sleek, modern aesthetic
  • Clean, tight reveals between doors

Full Overlay

Diagram of a door frame, showing top and front views with some face frame visible.

The cabinet doors sit on top and fully conceal the face frame except for a minimal 1/4" reveal around the sides of the doors, providing a clean, custom-built look. This adds structural rigidity and durability to your cabinetry.

Why clients love full overlay cabinets:

  • Classic and traditional appearance
  • Strong structural support and durability

Inset

Diagram showing top and front views of a full face frame visible cabinet

Inset refers to the door sitting flush inside the face frame opening rather than overlaying it. This style feels tailored and elevated. Inset cabinetry is often considered premium because of the precision required in manufacturing and installation.


What to know about inset cabinetry:

  • The reveal (gap) around the door is intentionally visible
  • Precision installation is essential
  • White finishes make reveal lines more noticeable

Door Construction & Styles

Cabinet door construction refers to how the door is built. While it is partially aesthetic, door construction mainly determines functionality and structural strength. Most cabinet doors are constructed using five pieces: top rail, bottom rail, left stile, right stile, center panel. However, there are exceptions and differences between your options.

Close-up of a light brown wood-grain surface.

Slab

A flat, one piece panel, often used for modern or minimalist designs.
Vertical close-up of a light wood cabinet door with recessed panel detail

Flat Panel

Typical 5-piece construction with flat center panel. This is a versatile, popular choice that blends traditional and modern styles.
Light wood cabinet door with recessed rectangular paneling

Raised Panel

The center panel is raised, surrounded by a profiled frame, typically used in traditional or formal designs.
Close-up of wood flooring sample showing front and back finishes in different tones

Reverse Raised Panel

This construction method allows for the look of a flat center panel but the heavier weight of a thicker piece of wood, providing more stability and weight to the door. 

Once you choose both your cabinet and door construction, you can decide on a door style. Door style refers to the purely aesthetic design of the door front, with options such as shaker, microshaker, reeded, etc. Door styles are highly customizable, and there are countless options depending on the manufacturer you choose.

Wood & Finish Options

As the final step in building your cabinetry (before selecting hardware) you will choose the wood species and finish. Cabinet finishes are highly customizable, with countless paint and stain options available depending on the manufacturer. This flexibility allows cabinetry to be finished in virtually any color or stain to achieve the desired look.

Banner reading “Paint vs. Stain: What’s Right for You?” on a blue gradient background
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Paint is often chosen when you want a specific color and a smooth, uniform finish, making it ideal for designs where cabinetry plays a strong role in the overall palette. Stain highlights the natural beauty and grain of the wood, creating a warmer, more organic look. Many designers also combine painted and stained finishes to add contrast and visual interest within a space. There is no universally “best” option, only the choice that best supports your design vision and the look you want to achieve.

For Paint

MDF and maple are commonly used for painted cabinets because they provide a light-colored, smooth surface for paint.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is an engineered product made from compressed wood fibers.


Despite misconceptions, MDF performs very well for painted finishes.

Painted wall panel diagram with arrows noting smooth surface, sound reduction, and stability benefits
Light maple wood grain background with the word “MAPLE” at the bottom

Maple is a very durable, versatile choice with a light, creamy color, fine texture, and minimal grain pattern, often used for clean, modern looks or painting.

For Stain

Solid woods such as walnut, oak, cherry, hickory, and alder are typically chosen for stained finishes due to

their distinctive grain patterns and unique natural character.

Walnut wood grain sample with the label “WALNUT” at the bottom.

Walnut

A premium, fine-grained wood with a rich, dark brown color that provides a smooth, luxurious look.

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Cherry wood grain sample with the label “CHERRY” at the bottom.

Cherry

A warm, reddish wood with a smooth, uniform grain that darkens over time with exposure to light.

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Oak wood grain texture with the word “OAK” in the bottom left.

Oak

Features a distinct, open grain pattern and natural variation ranging from white to red; known for being very durable and traditional. Has different grain cuts shown below.

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Hickory wood grain sample with light tan and brown streaks, labeled “HICKORY” at the bottom.

Hickory

Extremely strong and durable, featuring dramatic color variations from blonde to deep brown, ideal for rustic or rustic-chic styles.

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Alder wood grain with warm brown tones and visible knots
Diagram comparing plain sawn, rift sawn, and quarter sawn wood grain patterns

Transforming Your Finish

Glazes, color matching, antiquing, and specialty finishes can transform cabinetry by adding depth, dimension, and character, enhancing the final finish beyond a standard paint or stain.

Glazes

Glazes are a semi-transparent coating applied over paint or stain, then wiped off, to highlight the details of cabinet doors and profiles. The glaze settles into corners, grooves, and edges, adding depth, contrast, and a slightly aged or dimensional look.

Color Matching

Color matching allows cabinetry to be finished in a custom color selected by the client or designer. Manufacturers can match many paint colors from popular paint brands or physical samples, helping cabinetry coordinate with walls, trim, or other design elements in the home.

Antiquing

Antiquing is a finishing technique designed to give cabinetry a gently aged appearance. This process often includes light distressing, glazing, or subtle wear on edges and corners to create a timeworn, character-rich look..

Specialty Finishes

Specialty finishes include unique decorative treatments that go beyond standard paint or stain. These can include techniques such as distressing, wire brushing, layered finishes, cerusing (liming), or textured effects that enhance the natural grain or create a more customized aesthetic.