KITCHEN CABINET TERMS & GLOSSARY
Last Updated: August 20, 2024
Traditional Face Frame Cabinet Style
The traditional cabinet face is constructed of vertical "stiles" and horizontal "rails" that reinforce the cabinet structure and provide mounting support for doors and drawers.
European Frameless Cabinet Style
The frameless cabinet is constructed without any face framing. Doors and drawers are mounted to the sides of the cabinet. Fully concealed hinges are used for the doors. This type of cabinet is also referred to as "full access" because there is no face frame to restrict access to the cabinet.
Full Overlay Cabinet
Cabinet doors and drawers are sized large enough to cover the cabinet face with only minimal clearances between them.
Full Inset Cabinet
Cabinet doors are fitted into the face frame and are flush with the frame.
Ready-to-Assemble
Factory manufactured and finished cabinet components shipped with all parts, fasteners, and instructions necessary for complete assembly of one cabinet. No power tools should be necessary for assembly.
Integrator
Companies who manufacture over 50% of their own components
A
Accessible
Cabinets directed to aid in independent living for people with special needs. The accessible base cabinets are 32 ½” high and have an 8 ½"" x 6"" toe kick allowing for wheelchair access. Cabinetry Solution Active Living Line extends past those with disabilities; it also be used in aging in place and multigenerational home designs.
Accessories
Supplemental parts of the cabinet referred to as bells and whistles. Any nonessential components such as rollouts, pullouts, tilt-outs, hardware, etc.
Adjustable Shelves
Moveable shelves that can be placed in a wide range of layouts using shelf pins inserted into pre-drilled holes.
Air Dried
Lumber stacked and stored so that it is dried naturally by the exposure to air.
Angled Corner
Any cabinet type designed to fit on an end of an upper or lower cabinet creating a fixed angle.
Arch
A curved shape similar to an eyebrow, often used on cabinet doors.
Assembler
Manufacturing companies that buy component parts and assemble them.
B
Back
Rear vertical panel of a cabinet.
Base Cabinet
A cabinet installed on or near floor. Usual depth, 24 inches. Usual height to top of countertop, 36 inches.
Bead Board
Panels with vertical grooves to give a decorative appearance. Beadboard panels have from 1" to 2" spacing between the beaded grooves.
Blind Corner
Any cabinet type, upper or lower, designed to install into a corner of a room. Another cabinet will install directly adjacent to it hiding the blind portion. This gives access to an otherwise dead corner providing more storage.
Blind Mortise and Tenon
A joinery method for joining two perpendicular cabinet members where the end of one cabinet member is machined on all edges to form a projected tongue (tenon), and the edge on another cabinet member is slotted (mortised).
Bottom
Lowest horizontal storage surface of a cabinet.
Bun Foot
A round decorative furniture foot.
Butt Doors
Two cabinet doors covering a single opening, normally too large for one door. The edges of both doors nearly meet. The opening does not have a center mullion.
Burnishing
A technique where the profile edges have been brushed with a dark glaze to create an antiqued effect.
C
Cathedral
A curved shape similar to church windows, often used on cabinet doors.
Center Stile
A vertical strip of hardwood that is a component of the face frame. It usually divides a cabinet opening equally. Also referred to as a mullion.
Character Cherry
Emphasized by randomly occurring various sized knots, pitch pockets and small streaks of gum. Cluster knots and open knots could also be a feature. The amount of character will vary from each door making each kitchen unique.
Cherry
Cherry is synonymous with luxury. The rich red highlights give the wood a distinctive appearance. Cherry is a close-grained wood with fairly uniform texture which will occasionally have tiny pin knots, pitch pockets and very small, dark streaks of gum.
Concealed Hinge
Door hinges that are attached to the back of the door and to the inside edge of the face frame that is not visible from the outside of the cabinet.
Concealed Two-Way Adjustable Hinge
Concealed two-way hinge is not seen when cabinet door is closed. It provides side adjustment which regulates the gaps between the cabinet door and cabinet frame perfect parallel alignment.
Cope and Tenon
A joinery method commonly used for joining two perpendicular members of cabinet door frames. Ends on one member (rails) are machined (coped), to match the profile of the other member (inside stile profiles). The rails also receive a projected tongue (tenon) that fits into the groove in the stiles."
Corbel
An architectural or decorative element used as a support mechanism for mantels, bar tops, shelves etc.
Crown Molding
Decorative molding applied to the top of the upper wall cabinet to provide a finished or decorative look.
D
Dado
A groove cut in the face of a board into which the edge of another board is fixed.
Distressing
A technique where small dents, nicks, scratches, etc. are made in the wood to produce an aged look.
Door
A movable frame or barrier, usually turning on hinges or sliding, by which the cabinet entrance is opened or closed.
Dovetail
A joint formed by one or more tapered projections (see tenon) on one piece that interlock with corresponding notches or recesses (see Mortise) in another.
Drawer
A five-sided, box-shaped container fitting into a cabinet so that it can be drawn out horizontally.
Drawer Front
Finished front panel of a drawer.
Dry Brushing
A technique applying a very dark stain to imitate distressing on the surface of the wood.
E
End Panel
The outside vertical cabinet member that supports the horizontal parts. Often referred to as cabinet side panels, sides or ends.
F
Face Frame
The supporting wood frame attached to the front of the cabinet box to give it structural rigidity and provide mounting support for doors and drawers.
Fillers
Fillers are used between kitchen cabinets or near a wall at the end of the cabinets to cover gaps or as a decorative accents. Wellborn offers plain, fluted, corner, rosette or Full Overlay fillers in a variety of our lines.
Fixed shelves
Shelves that are constructed into the kitchen cabinet. They cannot be moved and provide added stability to the cabinet.
Flat Panel
Recessed center panel to a door or drawer design.
Flute
A concave shallow groove that is routed into a wood surface. Fluting is usually applied vertically. Common use is to overlay on a cabinet stile or filler for a decorative effect.
Framed Construction
Cabinet box that has a face frame. It resembles a flat, empty picture frame attached to the front. Doors are secured to this frame. The frame adds additional strength and rigidity to the overall cabinet.
Frameless Construction
A cabinet box without a face frame. The full overlay doors attach directly to the inside of the cabinet box. Allows for full access to items and space inside the cabinet. Aspire Frameless provides more room for accessibility and storage ang gives a contemporary look.
French Dovetail
A joint formed by a reverse taper edge of one piece sliding into and affixed in a corresponding tapered grove cut into the face of another piece.
Full Access Drawer Guide
Also referred to as drawer slides, cabinet drawer glides that allow the drawer to be extended to the back of the drawer.
Full Extension Drawer Guide
Cabinet drawer glides that allow for the drawer to extend completely outside the cabinet to give access to the full depth of the drawer box.
Full Overlay
Door styles that allow approximately 3/16” of face frame exposed around the sides, tops and bottoms of the doors. Wall cabinets have 7/16” exposed at the tops and bottoms of the doors. Full overlay cabinets are the only doors that can be used in frameless cabinets.
Furniture Board (Engineered Wood / Partical Board)
An engineered wood board substrate that is manufactured using wood particles, adhesives and resins under extremely high pressure to bond the material together.
G
Glaze
An accent stain that is applied over the entire door and when wiped off leaving a “hang up” of light to dark tones in the corners, deep grooves and wood grains, creating an inconsistent light to dark all over glazed look. Glaze adds depth and dimension that highlights door detail, wood color and the base finish color.
Grain
The appearance, size and direction of the alignment of the fibers of the wood.
H
Hardwood
Dense, close-grained wood of a tree, such as oak, cherry and maple.
Heirloom Technique
The Heirloom Technique consists of small dents, worm holes and burnishing.
Hickory
A strong, heavy hardwood known for distinctive graining patterns. Contributing to its dramatic appearance is a wide variation in color and streaking, ranging from white to almost black. This contrast in color can appear in a single door panel. Hickory also contains random knots and wormholes that further contribute to the varied appearance. These exaggerated characteristics are to be expected and are part of the appeal of hickory cabinetry."
Highlighting
A technique which removes some of the dark stain between the grain to highlight the base color.
Hinges
A jointed device which is used to attach a cabinet door to the cabinet. It is attached to the face frame of a framed cabinet or the cabinet side of a frameless cabinet. The hinge allows the door to swing open or closed.
I
Inset
A framed cabinet with door and drawer fronts set “inside” of the frame itself. The frame is not covered by any portion of the door and/or drawer. The finished design achieves a high quality, “custom cabinets furniture” look."
J
Joint
the place where two or more pieces of wood meet. There are many different types of wood joints, including:
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Dado Joint
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Butt Joint
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Lap Joint
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Mortise and tenon
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Dovetail Joint
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Tongue and Groove Joint
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Miter Joint
K
Kiln-Dried
The process of removing excess moisture from wood to minimize the shrinkage and swelling of wood. All solid woods used in Wellborn cabinets are kiln–dried to remove the moisture to a level appropriate for processing.
Knob
A hardware item, typically round, attached to doors and drawers for function and decoration.
Knot
A hard node in any wood species where a branch once grew.
L
Light rail
Decorative moulding usually applied to the bottom of wall cabinets providing a finished look. Specifically designed to help mask the installation of under cabinet lighting.
M
Maple
A close-grained hardwood that is predominantly white to creamy white in color, with occasional reddish-brown tones. While maple typically features uniform graining as compared to other wood species, characteristic markings may include bird's-eye, fiddle back, mineral streaks and curly grain patterns. These traits are natural and serve to enhance maple's inherent beauty. Maple is a very popular choice for home cabinetry, office cabinetry and flooring."
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)
A composite wood panel made by reprocessing wood fibers to produce a flat stable panel that can be used in laminating or finishing.
Medium Dents
A physical technique of randomly striking the wood surface with a tool to create indentations that mimic the look of aged wood. Medium Dents are larger than Worm Holes and will collect a glaze in varying amounts when applied.
Melamine
A slick plastic-like material used to cover a substrate of plywood, particleboard or MDF. This material is popular because it is durable and easy to clean.
Mineral Streak
A discoloration in any species of wood caused by mineral deposits the tree extracts from the soil. Commonly seen as a blackish-blue streak within the grain.
Miter
A joint made by fitting together two angled pieces to form a right angle.
Molding
A strip of material with a profile cut on the facing edges, used for trimming.
Mortise
A cavity or hole cut to allow a Tenon to pass through to make a joint.
Mortise and Tenon
A specific joining technique. The mortise (groove or slot) is cut into a piece of wood. The joint is made when an opposing piece cut with a tenon (a collared protrusion) is slipped into the mortise.
Mullion
A vertical member between stiles.
Mullion Doors
Also referred to as a divided light door. The solid center panel is omitted and replaced with horizontal and vertical mullions dividing the open panel into smaller panels. This type of door creates a more stylish appearance and the feeling of increased space. Clear, smoked, bronzed, opaque or leaded glass inserts ( provided by the consumer) can fill these panels for the desired effect.
N
Natural Stone
a solid, organic material that is quarried from the earth and used for construction and decoration. It is made up of one or more minerals that were formed millions of years ago when heat and pressure condensed them into solid rock. Some examples are:
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Granite
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Marble
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Limestone
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Travertine
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Slate
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Quartzite
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Sandstone
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Onyx
O
Oak
Is species of wood commonly know as either red or white oak. It features selected subtle uniform grains with straighter grain patterns and limited very narrow cathedrals. Oak is both durable and lasting.
Ogee
In Cabinets it's a S shape that is made by making one cut to produce two identical pieces.
In Countertops it's S Shape profile edge at the front and exposed finished edge.
Onlay
A decoratively carved wood ornament applied to cabinet surfaces. Used to embellish the design. Sometimes referred to as an appliqué.
Overlay Doors/Drawers
Doors and drawer fronts that overlap the face frame when closed -- either partially or fully. These are the most common style in the U.S. as framed cabinet construction.
P
Peninsula
Similar in design to an island except open on only three sides. Often used in “L” shaped kitchens as serving bars that separate the kitchen from the dining or family room.
Plywood
A construction material made of thin layers of wood glued and pressed together.
Pull
The term used to describe the distance a blind wall or blind base cabinet can be moved (or pulled) from the adjacent wall.
Pulls, Knobs and Handles
Pieces of hardware attached to a kitchen cabinet door or drawer front, used to open the cabinet and enhance the appearance.
Q
Quartz Countertops
Are engineered stone that is molded into custom shapes. Quality examples contain more than 90% loose quartz, with the remaining 7% being resins, bonding agents and other materials.
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Composition: Quartz countertops are made of about 93% natural quartz stone, polymer resins, and pigments.
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Manufacturing: Quartz countertops are made by mixing the materials, molding them into slabs, and then applying pressure and vibration to the slabs.
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Properties: Quartz countertops are known for being durable, non-porous, and easy to clean. They are also heat resistant and can withstand temperatures up to 400°F.
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Appearance: Quartz countertops can be made to look like other countertop materials, such as marble, granite, and concrete. They are usually lighter in color and have a more uniform design than natural stone.
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Maintenance: Quartz countertops are easy to clean and maintain, requiring little to no upkeep. They do not need to be sealed like natural stone countertops.
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Installation: Quartz countertops should be professionally installed.
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Cost: Quartz countertops can cost between $50 and $200 per square foot.
Quartzite Countertops
A kitchen countertop made from quartzite, a naturally occurring metamorphic rock that's formed from sandstone.
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Appearance: Similar to marble in color and veining, but more durable
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Composition: More than 90% quartzite, and some can be up to 99%
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Hardness: Harder than granite and harder than a common knife blade
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Maintenance: Needs to be sealed regularly with a penetrating sealer to repel liquids
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Uses: Kitchen countertops, backsplashes, and more
R
Rabbet
A recess cut into the side of a face of wood in which the edge of another piece is affixed.
Rail
A horizontal member.
Raised Pane
A term used to describe a door style where a thick center panel is machined to be flush with the door frame, thus giving the depth appearance by the sloping “raise” of the panel.
Rasping
A physical technique using a metal rasp to run over the edges and raised details to mimic severe wear.
Recessed Panel
A term used to describe a door style where a thinner panel is inserted into the grooves of the wood door frame that gives a “recessed” appearance, i.e. flat panel.
Reveal
The amount of space you see around the door and drawer front when the cabinet door and drawer are closed.
Rout
To drill or gouge out an area of wood for decorative or joining purposes.
Rub Thru
A sanding technique used to randomly expose an undercoat or natural wood tone of corners and edges.
S
Shelf
A horizontal storage surface in a cabinet.
Side
A vertical surface on the end of a cabinet.
Stain
A finish applied to natural wood cabinets to enhance color and add protection.
Stile
Vertical outside member of door or front frame.
T
Tenon
a projecting piece of wood made for insertion into a mortise in another piece for joining the two together.
Thermofoil
A tough, scratch resistant rigid vinyl that is thermally formed and sealed to MDF to provide a strong, durable surface, resistant to most household wear.
Toe Space
A recess under face frame or front edge of a base cabinet.
Toe Kick
A term used to describe the recessed cut out area at the bottom of base, tall and vanity cabinets. It is also referred to as a toe space. Finished material attached to the cabinet toe space is referred to as “Toe Kick” or “Toe Space Cover”.
Top
Horizontal panel used to enclose the top of a cabinet.
U
Under-Cabinet Lighting
is typically added under a cabinet, shelf, or similar surface in order to produce localized lighting on a work surface. Under-cabinet lighting can also double as a night light.
Undermount Drawer Glides
Are hardware components that are mounted beneath a drawer box and allow it to open and close. They are attached to the sides of the cabinet and connect to locking devices underneath the drawer.
Undermount Sink
An sink that is installed beneath a countertop, rather than on top of it. The sink's rim or lip is hidden by the countertop, creating a seamless look and making it easier to clean the surrounding countertop.
V
Valance
A decorative hardwood panel installed across an open area, generally used above desks or sinks.
Veneer
Thin sheets of wood which are bonded to a reconstructed wood product.
W
Wood Species
Different types of hardwoods or softwoods. Examples are maple, oak, cherry and hickory.
Warm Holes
A physical technique of randomly placing small round holes that mimics the look of insect penetration that occurs naturally in trees and harvested wood. Worm Holes are smaller than Small Dents and will collect a glaze in varying amounts when applied.