Framed, Inset, Beaded Inset, Frameless…what’s the difference?

A framed cabinet has a face frame that is placed over the front of the cabinet box; the doors are then attached to the frame.  This gives you a reveal of the face frame that is called an “Overlay”. 

A “Traditional Overlay” gives a traditional look of cabinets and shows you ½” on each side of the doors and drawers and leaves a 1” reveal on the top, bottom, and sides of the frame.

A “Modified Overlay” is a more updated look of cabinets, making the doors and drawer fronts larger, so that they show less of the face frame.  They will show 1” of the frame at the top and bottom of the cabinet and just ¼” of the frame on the sides.

“Inset” cabinets are framed so that the doors and drawer fronts are set into the frame.  This shows the entire face frame, with the gap between the doors and fronts just a small 3/32” on all sides. 

"Beaded Inset” cabinets are just like that of inset, but they offer a small groove routed into the face frame, outlining the perimeter of the door and drawer front. 

A “Frameless” cabinet is a more euro-style or modern look, which doesn’t have a face frame at all.  The hinges are secured to the inside of the cabinet and the doors and drawer fronts overlay the cabinet box directly.  Frameless doors and drawer fronts fit securely together, with just a 1/8” gap between them, causing a 1/16” reveal on either side and a 1/8” reveal at the top and bottom of the cabinet.