skip to main content

Cabinet interior size and minimum door size

15 years ago

I am getting down to the nitty gritty of planning sizes of custom cabinets and every 1/2 inch counts at this point. Could someone tell me if my assumptions are correct and answer some questions.

on a 12 inch upper cabinet, would the interior space be 11 inches if the cabinet had 1/2 inch walls - 11 1/2 inches interior if it was 3/4 inch construction?

On a frameless cabinet, what would be the opening at the door front? Do you have to take the cabinet door width into account so that the opening into the cabinet would be 3/4 inch less? (I'm not exactly sure how those hinges would work

On a framed cabinet with overlay doors, is there a standard frame size? What would be the opening at the door on a 12 wide cabinet. I assume that you wouldn't need to take the door into account here because the hinges are on the outside of the cabinet

Is a framed cabinet with inset doors any different than with overlay doors?

How about with drawers. How much usable space do you actually have in a 12 inch drawer if your cabinets are 1) frameless, 2) framed with overlay doors or 3) framed with inset doors

Also a question about corner upper cabinets. What is the minimum size opening that you want for the door? I'm bringing back my rusty high school geometry trying to figure out how much walls space a corner cabinet would take if I had 12, 13, or 14 inch uppers. I'm just not sure how long the side of the cabinet needs to be that has the door in it.

Thanks to anybody that can answer these questions

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (2)

cheri127
15 years ago
Frameless cabinets will give you larger door openings for both the upper and lower cabinets. The hinges can get in the way of shelf placement (you can't put a shelf right where the hinge is) but otherwise don't take up real space. So, for a 12" cabinet with 3/4"sides, the opening would be 10.5". The back of the cabinet can be 1/4-1/2 thick so the the interior depth of a wall cabinet would be 11.5-11.75" deep.

Framed cabinets usually have a 1.5" face frame so the door opening would only be 9", however, the interior width of the cabinet is the same as frameless. With an inset door, the opening would be the same but the depth of the cabinet would be 3/4" shallower as the door sits in the frame taking up 3/4" of the exterior space. Many companies make wall cabinets 13" for inset to ensure that dinner plates will fit.

The difference between framed and frameless construction can really be seen in drawer sizes, the drawer width being significanly wider in frameless. A twelve inch drawer base with have 9.5 drawer widths for frameless and 8" widths for framed. There's no difference in drawer width for overlay vs inset. I'm assuming 1/2" drawer sides.

A corner wall cabinet requires 24" of linear space on each adjacent wall. A corner base cabinet requires a minimum or 33" however, 36" is much, much better as the door opening is much larger.

I have a small kitchen and currently have frameless cabinets which I love and was determined to get again. However, I ended up surprising myself and choosing form ove function by ordering inset cabinets for my remodel. For a period style kitchen, nothing beats the look of inset. I don't however have any 12" cabinets. I would avoid them if possible. Hope this helps.
surveymom
Original Author
15 years ago
cheril27 - Thanks SO much for that information. That's what I was thinking - just wanted someone to confirm my assumptions. I wasn't positive about the drawer info tho so that's good information to know.

I also have a small kitchen and I REALLY want inset doors. I have been trying to keep all cabinet widths to 15 inches or wider, but I've got a spot that is 12 inches (in an upper), 1 that is 10 inches (in a lower) and 1 that is 6 inches (in a lower).

I thought about using a rev-a-shelf pullout for the 6 inch space. Wondering if the 10 inch space would be usable for a pullout that I could use for vertical storage of cookie sheets and cutting boards. The 12 inch area would be in the message center - So was hoping the opening would be at least 8.5 inches so I could at least stack homework papers and notebooks there.

Like I said, I really like the look of inset cabinets but am wondering if it would be better to go with frameless instead.
Related Discussions
Minimum patio door size/width
Q
Comments (1)
27" Door would be a custom size and quite expensive. There is no reason you could not use a 30" door as that is a stock standard size for an exterior door.
...See More
Minimum size when deciding between drawers and doors
Q
Comments (10)
Generally speaking, there is no difference in available interior width with pullout shelves vs drawers, regardless of cabinet size. So asking what is the minimum width that makes a difference, doesn't really have to be a concern for you. I'm curious why one of you thinks one way gives more space and the spouse thinks the opposite? A much bigger factor is if you use under-mounted drawer glides or side-mounted drawer glides. And then for slide out shelves, if you have hinges that take up a lot of interior space, that can also take away from the width of a rollout shelf. Are you doing framed or frameless cabinets? With frameless cabinets, you will typically have about 3" more interior space per drawer, than framed. For example, an 18" wide drawer will *roughly* have 15" interior on frameless, and 12" interior on framed.
...See More
Minimum size for walk-in shower?
Q
Comments (9)
You took me too literally there. What I'm interested in isn't the legal minimum but the practical minimum. 30 x 30 might be a legal shower size but for a walk-in shower without a door that's probably going to be way too small because of the overspray. What I'm wondering is what is the minimum recommended size for a rectangular walk-in shower to avoid getting everything outside the shower soaked. And yes, I would also like anyone's thoughts on my specific example with the exterior door on one side of the shower and the walk-in opening on the opposite side. Is this asking for trouble? Thank you for your help.
...See More
Help on Cabinet Hardware Sizing for Various Size Doors and Draws
Q
Comments (13)
Beth this is a huge help! Thanks again, I agree on the knobs for the short cabinets. I think I can get away with using the same size pulls on the draws and doors (middle row) and using a larger pull for the pantry door. My longest draw/door is 30in and my shortest is 23. What size pulls would you suggest? I see a lot of pictures use small pulls and simply use two on the longer cabinets but Im not a fan of that look. Also, I was saving adding glass to the kitchen cabinets for last but now you have me thinking to move it way up on my list! Arcy- I do not have children but even if I did, I would still use pulls on the drawers because my mom had knobs and I still managed to find my way to the counter top, esp for treats :). Also, the top cabinet is not made to push then pop.
...See More

Related Stories

KITCHEN CABINETS 9 Ways to Configure Your Cabinets for Comfort

By Jennifer Ott Design

Make your kitchen cabinets a joy to use with these ideas for depth, height and door style — or no door at all

GREAT HOME PROJECTS Upgrade Your House With New Interior Doors

By Steven Corley Randel, Architect

New project for a new year: Enhance your home's architecture with new interior doors you'll love to live with every day

KITCHEN DESIGN Jazz Up Your Kitchen With Colorful Cabinet Interiors

By Kathryn Peltier Design

Go for the unexpected by treating the insides of your cabinets to color and pattern

DOORS 13 Ways to Paint an Interior Door

By Love Your Room LLC

Turn your interior door into an accent piece, or make it seem to disappear

DOORS Know Your House: Interior Door Parts and Styles

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Learn all the possibilities for your doors, and you may never default to the standard six-panel again

MOST POPULAR 11 Reasons to Paint Your Interior Doors Black

Brush on some ebony paint and turn a dull doorway into a model of drop-dead sophistication

KITCHEN CABINETS Learn the Lingo of Kitchen Cabinet Door Styles

By Ventana Construction LLC

Understand door types, materials and cabinet face construction to make the right choice when you shop

KITCHEN DESIGN Popular Cabinet Door Styles for Kitchens of All Kinds

By The Inman Company

Let our mini guide help you choose the right kitchen door style

STORAGE 15 Ways to Enhance Your Cabinets With Grilles

By Becky Harris

It looks decorative, but metal mesh on cabinet doors has a practical side too

TRIM Interior Trim: 8 Must-Know Elements

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Softening transitions and creating a finished look, interior trim for walls, windows and doors comes in many more options than you may know

Sponsored

NME Builders LLC

2 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Franklin County, OH

More Discussions

What are these above my cabinets?

10

Is my sink too big?

2

Need help with countertops!

11

Faucet help! Rohl Pirellone spray

0

Silestone vs Dekton

0