Glossary of Common Cabinet Terms
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A cabinet overlay refers to a cabinet door or drawer that lays over the opening of the cabinet. No part of the door or drawer goes into the opening because the door or drawer is larger than that opening for an overlay cabinet. A 1″ overlay refers to the amount of cabinet frame that is covered by the door or drawer. For a 1″ overlay cabinet, 1″ of the frame is covered up by the door or drawer when closed.
A 1/2″ overlay is when the doors and drawers of a cabinet run extend half an inch over the frame. This traditional style for cabinets leaves approximately 2″ of an exposed frame in between the cabinet doors. The 1/2″ overlay gives a uniform look when accurately installed. This type of overlay allows you to choose between a beveled grip into the cabinet doors frame or using door handles. These options are not possible in other overlays because of their reduced amount accessibility around the edge of each door.
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An accent is a stylized piece of woodwork added to a kitchen cabinet in order to enhance its design. Generally speaking, accents do not alter the basic structure of a cabinet – their purpose is usually wholly aesthetic. Though cabinet handles and hinges can be considered accents, those elements are typically regarded in categories of their own as both feature a wide variety of styles and models. Molding, likewise, is sometimes relegated to its own category and other times is considered an accent because of the aesthetic value associated with carved-wood enhancements.
Though accents can come in a great number of shapes and styles, they generally share the feature of being made from softer woods. That’s because accents are not meant to bear loads or contribute to the structural integrity of the cabinetry to which they’re attached. If you’re considering adding an accent to your cabinetry, be sure to finish it separately before doing so. Pre-finishing will give you the opportunity to ensure proper absorption and to see whether its final color and composition complements your cabinetry. Valances, rosettes and corbels are all established and popular cabinet accents.
Cabinets with adjustable shelves offer the ability to move the shelf platforms up and down to increase the vertical height in between levels of the cabinet. Adjustable shelves include pegs that can be inserted into pre-drilled holes on the sides of the cabinets which hold up each of the shelf platforms. Buying cabinets with adjustable shelves allow for more flexibility when storing items throughout your cabinets. If you need more space for a wine glass or mug, merely move your shelves up to create that opportunity.
Initially used as an affordable replacement for cherry (which earned it the nickname “poor man’s cherry”), the popularity of alder has grown in recent years to the point where it’s specifically requested by many homeowners and remodelers. This is because alder possesses qualities that are unusual to wood, so much so that its popularity continues to grow despite becoming prohibitively expensive for many cabinet makers and carpenters.
Probably the most significant of those unusual qualities is the fact that alder can take on a different natural color depending on how it’s finished. Alder finished with a water white lacquer and a blonde shellac, for example, will exhibit a light golden color. This style of finishing is particularly popular for pieces of alder that prominently feature knots, as the combination of color and knotting lends the resulting product a warm and rustic style. Finishing alder with an amber-toned finish, meanwhile, brings out a reddish color in the wood that resembles the hue of cherry. Unlike cherry, however, red-finished alder does not darken as it ages.
Antiquity glass is designed to add a decorative flair to the style of home design elements ranging from doors to windows to cabinets of all kinds. Defined by its mimicry of the texture and flaws of glass sheets made in the 18th century, antiquity glass is often used to lend a sense of rusticity to the pieces in which it is installed. That mimicry replicates the imperfections of blown, colonial-era products while offering the durability of modern glass, providing designers with the best of both worlds.
The imperfections in question (referred to as “seeds”) typically take on a teardrop shape and are caused by the presence of small air bubbles within the glass. Whereas these flaws were an unavoidable result of the colonial style of glass creation, modern creators of antiquity glass are able to introduce and control the presence of imperfections in order to create an intentionally “flawed” look. Though sought after for its appearance, antiquity glass also has the benefit of being clear tempered, which makes it strong enough for daily use while retaining its crystal clarity. Some designers and artists even use it to restore pieces of stained glass, as antiquity glass serves as a fine substitute for sections that have broken or gone missing.