Do your cabinets have center stiles?

15 years ago

We will be placing our cabinet order with Kraftmaid this week and am just noticing all of their cabinets have center stiles in the catelog.

I really don't want the nuisance of trying to get to something that is behind the stile. It just limits your storage options.

Does anyone know if Kraftmaid sells anything without a center stile? Should I look at another cabinet company or do they all need a stile for a 33" cabinet?

Featured Answer

User

15 years ago

Just be aware that with butt cabinets, the two doors will have a small visible gap between them that is needed in order to open without rubbing each other. That's one of the very few "bonuses" to a center stile cabinet. If the gap bothers you enough, you can have a dust strip applied to one side of the cabinet, but you will always have to close that cabinet door first. Most people don't bother with a dust strip unless the cabinet has interior lighting in it and the light shines out of the gap. But, it is a surprise to many to get their cabinets with that gap and many think there is something wrong with them when there isn't.

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Comments (11)

raehelen
15 years ago
The old framed kitchen cabinets we replaced had the centre stile. One of the Cabinet people who came out, said he doesn't see that much anymore. Our frameless cabinets (largest is 36") do not have the centre stile.

Sorry can't help you with the Kraftmaid issue.
jimandanne_mi
15 years ago
We did KM cabs and I purposely chose certain sizes for some cabs where I didn't want stiles. If you have their catalog showing the various choices, look for the word "BUTT". That means there is no style, and the doors will meet with a small space between them.

Anne
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It's going to depend upon your doors. If you're going with your original doors, which sound like a standard overlay (means you can see the rails and stiles around your doors) you will probably have to attach that center piece to one of the doors to block the space. It'd look pretty bad, IMHO, if you just had them hanging there, not meeting. If you get new doors, full overlay, butt doors, you won't see the space. It's less expensive to buy doors than it is to buy whole new cabinets. I recently asked people who have the butt doors if they can see in the spaces. The answer was no. I am considering removing some of those center pieces myself. I dislike the constriction of access. But my evil plan is to buy some doors from the Door Stop that I really, really like. We'll see! :) Christine
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dglmichelle
Original Author
15 years ago
Oh, thank you! They do show the cabinets with BUTT in them.
lowspark
15 years ago
Only cabinets over a certain width really need a center stile. Probably over 33 or 36". I would NOT buy cabinets (smaller than that) with a center stile. No way. We saw some frameless cabinets with a center stile back when we were looking, and I thought, what's the point of frameless if you're going to have a center stile which to me, is WORSE than a frame?
nomorebluekitchen
15 years ago
I would not buy cabinets with a center slide either.

My old kitchen had them in the two main large uppers and it seemed to make the cabinet have less usable storage for some reason.

I accidentally got one in my laundry room (which was done before my kitchen and I wasn't paying close enough attention to detail then) and it made the 36" cabinet so much less useful. Very difficult to get my storage bins in and out of the cabinet. Ick.

Anita

Anita
charlikin
15 years ago
I have Kraftmaid cabinets. I was careful to specify that I didn't want center stiles, but the cabs over the fridge and over the OTR microwave do have center stiles - that's the only way those particular cabinets came. I was told they needed the extra support - the fridge cabs because they're 24" deep, and the m/w cabs because the m/w is attached to it.

My other cabinets are BUTT cabinets. I kind of like the dark line between the doors. :-)
rtmom2
15 years ago
I just finished having Merillat cabinets, installed in my new kitchen. I specically asked not to have the styles in the center. Anyway 2 of my uper cabinets (27") have them and my sink base. Know I have to watch what goes in them. They where on my old, cheap kitchen and hated couldn't what to get rid of it. Now those cabinets will be for glasses and tupperware storage. Not my plates.
jimandanne_mi
15 years ago
Sheesh--I do know that it's "stile"!

In our remodel as well as the new house, all of our butt doors were on 27" wide cabs.

Anne
nalcar
15 years ago
I had thought that my 30" upper cabinets would be structurally stronger with the stile so I ordered mine that way. Now, I've come to dislike the way the stile reduces accessibility. I called Kraftmaid and talked to a specialist who revealed to me that both varieties are constructed the same, just that the stile is "added" (and could even be removed if absolutely needed) so I'd say get them without the stile if you don't mind the door gap or adding a dust strip.
maydl
15 years ago
I chose frameless cabinets and specifically ordered no cabinet wider than 36" in order to avoid center stiles. Then, I realized I needed a 42" cabinet to go over my range hood. I expected a center stile, but it was constructed without one! So, no center stiles anywhere in my new kitchen--HEAVEN!

Do your cabinets have center stiles?

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raehelen

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Do your cabinets have center stiles?

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