Frameless Wall Cabinet Construction

Frameless cabinets have a more contemporary look but can be dressed up with trim and more elaborate.

Frameless wall cabinet construction.

Frameless cabinetry is sometimes called full access cabinetry because it offers greater accessibility by eliminating the face frame. The goal was to produce attractive and flexible cabinetry inexpensively. One of the easiest cabinet carcasses to build is an upper cabinet and to make it even easier there s no face frame. Frameless construction frameless construction developed in post world war ii europe.

As a result the front edge adjoining the wall had a 3 16 in. For example the first wall cabinet we hung photo 8 wouldn t fit tight to the wall because of the drywall and tape buildup in the corner. Frameless cabinet construction is a european way of manufacturing cabinets that has become popular among american homeowners seeking simple more contemporary cabinet designs. The cabinet boxes are completely undifferentiated.

A frameless cabinet also has a sleeker look to it with seamless lines and the doors attached directly to the box. By using nicer doors adding some crown molding and light rail trim you can achieve a more traditional look. In frameless cabinet construction the door and drawer faces are nearly the same size as the cabinet box leaving only the smallest portion visible. These basic wall cabinets have a very clean contemporary look but frameless cabinets are versatile.

Standardization of cabinet dimensions of joinery of fittings and features is the linchpin. Frameless cabinets tend to have a modern clean line appearance while face frame cabinets tend to look more traditional. While the lack of face frame does allow for the possibility of racking face coming out of square during installation it does allow for a more efficient use of cabinet space. These offer a streamlined appearance and must be very carefully installed to ensure the doors and drawer fronts do not bind into adjacent cabinetry or walls.

To build matching wall cabinets see my post on how to build frameless wall cabinets. The most difficult aspect is planning and sizing which will make up a good bit of this post. Construction of the base cabinet is relatively straight forward. This style is referred to as frameless or european style cabinet.