Kitchen Cabinet Doors: What You Need to Know

by Kelly Richardson
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

Unless you know the finer points of kitchen cabinet door construction, you won't know what to look for when you upgrade. Cabinet doors come in a variety of materials, designs, and treatments. Here's a brief overview of what to look for when ordering.

When most homeowners go shopping for new kitchen cabinets, they simply aren't savvy enough to know quality, or a lack thereof, when they see it. Maybe you're in the same boat. You browse the aisles at your favorite home and garden center, or peruse the online kitchen cabinet selections, and you're just not sure what you're looking for.

The Basic Kitchen Cabinet Door Types

• Slab. Flat door styles are constructed of several pieces of solid stock lumber joined with adhesive, then cut to size. These doors are also available in laminate with detailed or plain edge profiles.
• Recessed. This style has a picture frame design that uses miter or mortise and tenon joints with one or several flat panels centered and secured. The flat panels can feature one of any number of designs and can serve as an easel for wood carvers.
• Raised. Made in a similar fashion to raised kitchen cabinet doors, this style has a raised, solid stock lumber panel and comes in laminate and plywood.

That 'Good' Cabinet Wood

This depends on your lifestyle. Of the more popular types, oak and maple are the sturdiest while pine and poplar are a bit more delicate. Your choice should reflect the amount of traffic and wear and tear in your kitchen.

Like most home improvement items, the cost of new kitchen cabinet doors dictates their quality and uniqueness.

About the Author
Kelly Richardson covers the home improvement scene in between his seasonal projects. His articles appear wherever intelligent interior design is valued.