We’ll continue our series “Choosing Kitchen Cabinets” with a brief overview of door trim and support options. Once you are ready to discuss your new kitchen, contact DeLapp Builders at (951)522-4498 to discuss your goals, your current kitchen layout, and the choices available within your budget. We can give you a beautiful, affordable, new kitchen in 2 weeks or less!
Door Trim
Cabinet trim usually consists of wood that has been cut to finish the edges of doors and facing as accents which integrate the cabinet door into the general kitchen design. Custom or semi-custom cabinets may include trim options. Trim and accents may be simple, or ornate; but most importantly should be carefully selected to maintain the overall style your new kitchen.
Door trim styles available include:
Raised Panel
On a raised panel cabinet door, the center panel of the door is raised through contour. The style is traditional, lending a more detailed look to the kitchen.
Recessed or Flat Panel
Minimalistic, clean and simple in design, and lighter than other styles, a recessed panel door is flexible and integrates well with most design themes. The flat center panel of the recessed door is framed by accent wood, in either a simple flat design, or a more ornate wood design.
Door, trim and molding design may also be incorporated into the cabinet end pieces, which cover the exposed side of base and wall cabinets.
Basic Cabinet Door Cut Styles
Full Overlay (Frameless)
Full overlay cabinets may include most cabinet styles, but are cut to cover the wood framing.
Partial Overlay (Face Frame)
Partial Overlay cabinets are cut to expose a portion of the cabinet framing. Partial overlay cabinets are the most commonly used style in kitchen cabinetry.
During your consultation and planning process, DeLapp Builders will assist you in choosing the cabinet styles, trim and accents, that best suit your design goals.
Decorative Cabinet Supports
Decorative supports, brackets and corbels, are used to increase weight bearance of cabinets and add a decorative touch to hanging cabinetry. They may be sophisticated, ornate, or simple and modernistic; complementing the overall design. A well-planned kitchen not only functions well, but is durable to the specific use. Hanging cabinets that are required to hold heavy kitchen ware require proper measurement, installation and supporting features to ensure lifelong quality of your remodel.
Brackets
Brackets are normally separate pieces of wood or metal used for support and less decorative than Corbels, which are generally more decorative, and built as part of the cabinetry design.
Corbels
A type of bracket, Corbels are a common and effective way to increase the value of your home and enhance the well-designed kitchen. Built of wood or synthetic products, Corbles may be ornately carved to add a unique presentation and highlight other architectural features of your home. In the kitchen, they add a touch of elegance to overall style.
Valances
A cabinet valance is a design element used to accent the area between a cabinet or window and ceiling, filling the space to contain the kitchen design and create a finished look. Valances can also be used to disguise unsightly space or flaws. They may be simple, or ornate, and designed, stained or painted to blend, match or contrast the cabinetry.
Aprons
Kitchen cabinet aprons are used to cover open space beneath a cabinet, sink, or countertop. Aprons may be simple or ornate, and are functional as well as finishing to the design. Cabinet aprons ensure unused spaces are closed and supportive of other kitchen elements, and are built to match the overall kitchen décor.
Getting to the Bottom of Your New Kitchen Cabinets
Properly finished kitchen remodeling projects include floor to ceiling attention. Below the functional areas of your kitchen cabinets, Toe Kicks, Legs and Base molding add the final touches that give your kitchen a polished look.
Legs
Some kitchen cabinet designs sit above the floor, in which case legs are used to raise the cabinetry. Legs are also used to raise kitchen islands, which will be discussed later in this series.
Where legs are not built into the cabinetry, some choices may be made to complement the kitchen style.
Kitchen cabinet and island legs will be built from materials matching the cabinet design. They can be square, rounded or tapered, and may include specific tailored elements (flutes, angles, layers or cut-outs) reflected in the kitchen cabinetry.
Proper measurement (exact height, perfect cut) and installation (strength and quality of integration) of kitchen cabinet and island legs is essential to the quality of your final kitchen remodel.
Toe Kicks
Rarely celebrated, but vital, toe kicks recess the cabinetry to allow you to stand close to the countertop or sink. Properly built and installed toe kicks make working in the kitchen pleasurable, avoiding back strain and easing pressure on neck, shoulder and arms. Counter height and kick toe dimensions must be measured and installed properly to avoid problems. It is not uncommon for poorly planned toe kicks to be the catalyst for kitchen remodeling disasters, requiring extraction and reworking of the lower area of the cabinetry. Incorrectly sized cabinets and counters that don’t leave adequate toe kick room are not functional for the chef, and cannot be used without ill effects and damage.
Toe kicks also must be measured to allow enough room for the foot (no matter who’s foot is in the kitchen!) to avoid kick damage to the cabinet base. Designing your kitchen through a knowledgeable, experienced kitchen remodeling company, like DeLapp Builders, ensures vital details, such as toe kick measurement and installation, are covered and handled properly.
In our next installment of this series, we’ll discuss cabinet hardware and handles. If there are topics you would like to see covered in our series, feel free to let us know!
When you’re ready to give your kitchen a facelift, give us a call with your ideas and complimentary consultation!
