Real Estate & Home Staging FYI

On a recent project I learned that all hinges and cabinet doors are not created equal.  This may be something that many of you already know, but for those who are involved, or will be involved, with projects that require updates to cabinet doors and hinges, I hope this is helpful.

Cabinets are made with a "Face Frame" or "Frameless".  Face Frame Cabinets have a wood frame attached to the front edge of the cabinet.  A Frameless Cabinet doesn't have the wood frame attached to the cabinet.   The choice between the 2 types of cabinets really is just a matter of preference or personal choice.  The overall look of the Face Frame and Frameless after the cabinets are installed and the cabinet door is attached is pretty much the same. 

So, if they're pretty much the same, what's the big deal about the cabinet doors and the hinges?  Well, because the added wood frame on the Face Frame Cabinets adds another dimension to the cabinet edge, the cabinet doors and the hinges are different than the doors and hinges used for a Frameless Cabinet.  The cabinet, cabinet door and the hinge must be compatible with one another.   A hinge that is made for a Frameless Cabinet isn't compatible with a hinge that is made for a Face Frame Cabinet.  The same is true for the cabinet doors. 

For a recent project, the client's kitchen cabinet doors were being upgraded to glass cabinet doors.  A lot of time was wasted on ordering incompatible cabinet doors and purchasing incompatible hinges.  After numerous delays and unsuccessful trips to the local building supply store, the Sales Associate at a local hardware store was kind enough to provide the necessary information and guidance and the correct cabinet doors and hinges were ordered and soon thereafter successfully installed. 

A couple of tips:

- Always take the existing cabinet door and or hinges with you to the hardware store or manufacturer when ordering or purchasing new cabinets.

- If taking the existing cabinet door isn't feasible, make sure to take numerous pictures with you when you go to order the new doors and hinges.

- Talk to someone at your local hardware store who understands the difference between Frameless and Face Frame Cabinets and the compatible hinges for each. 

Upgrading cabinet doors can be very easy and the result can be dramatic, as long as you take the necessary steps on the front end to make sure everything will be compatible when it's time for installation.