What Is The Overlay On A Cabinet Door?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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An overlay door is a door which, when closed, lays “on top” of the cabinet opening (no part of the door goes into the opening since the door is larger than the opening). The overlay dimension is

simply how much bigger the door is than the opening of the cabinet

(as measured on the hinged side of the door).

What is standard cabinet overlay?

Standard overlay cabinets (also called traditional overlay) tend to be

less expensive

and do not require hardware because there is enough finger space on the side of the cabinet door or drawer face. They also have more exposed face frame, with at least 1 1⁄4 inches on all sides of the doors and drawers.

How much does a cabinet door overlay cost?

The industry standard for most is a

1/2 inch overlay

around the cabinet door. To create a 1/2 inch door overlay on all four sides, add 1 inch to your total height, and 1 inch to your total width.

What is full overlay cabinet hinge?

A full overlay hinge is

a type of European hinge with a completely straight arm

which makes the offset much greater than partial overlay or inset hinge styles. This allows the door to completely overlay the cabinet box. Use these for full overlay doors.

What is standard overlay vs full overlay cabinets?

Full Overlay Cabinets

The doors and drawers on a full overlay cabinet cover the face frame almost completely with a

1⁄4 inch of space between the doors and drawers

. This differs from a standard overlay which has at least 1 1⁄4 inches on all sides of the doors and drawers.

Is full overlay more expensive?

That price is

between 15-30% more than overlay doors

. … Full Overlay Doors give a similar appearance to that of inset doors without the higher cost. They completely cover the cabinet face, providing the flat cabinet front so desired in inset cabinets.

How much space do you need between full overlay cabinet doors?

Make sure you have

at least 1/4′′ reveal

(gap between doors). If you go less than 1/4′′, then you may run into problems with the operation of the doors. Some cabinets may have stile and rail widths that vary from one part of the cabinet to another.

How thick should cabinet doors be?

The thickness will depend on your preferences, but

plywood 1⁄2- 3⁄4 inches thick

is a common choice.

How much overlay is a full overlay hinge?

Full overlay doors

cover all or nearly all the front edge of the cabinet side

on a frameless cabinet. Half overlay doors cover a little less than half (typically 5/16′′) of the cabinet side, so that two doors hinging on opposite sides of a 3/4” partition will have 1/8” of space between them.

How much overlay is full overlay?

A Full Overlay door will overlay that same

1.5” face frame 1.25”

, leaving a 1⁄4” reveal on the sides (stiles) and bottom (rail).

How much should cabinet doors overlay face frame?

The correct determination for full overlay is typically

3/4 inch on all sides

. For example, if the door opening in the cabinet face frame is 12 by 18 inches, the size for a full overlay door would be 13 1/2 by 19 1/2 inches.

Are partial overlay cabinets outdated?


Avoid

: Raised panel doors and partial-overlay

Raised panel doors have been a classic look in cabinetry, but they certainly aren't trendy at the moment. In fact, they are the style most homeowners who are upgrading are replacing right now.

Is full overlay the same as frameless?


Frameless cabinets only offer one overlay style, Full Overlay

. The Full Overlay of a frameless cabinet completely covers the entire box, leaving only a 2mm reveal that creates a sleek, seamless appearance, making it a popular choice for modern and contemporary styled kitchens.

Charlene Dyck
Author
Charlene Dyck
Charlene is a software developer and technology expert with a degree in computer science. She has worked for major tech companies and has a keen understanding of how computers and electronics work. Sarah is also an advocate for digital privacy and security.