Frameless or framed? Which style of kitchen cabinet?

[Scrit]

I just thought I'd poll members about which style of kitchen cabinet they prefer. Are you a fan of the ubiquitous frameless cabinet as proferred by the big box stores? Do you (or your significant other) hanker after the frame-fronted cabinet so popular in the USA - and if so are you a lay-on or an inset door afficianado? Or are you a traditionalist who thinks that kitchens should be unfitted?

Scrit

 

[Jake]

Frameless, for me. I probably shouldn't admit this here, but I don't particularly like wooden doored kitchens either. I prefer a mimimalist slab door, in high gloss. Going to be doing our kitchen next year in polyester by these guys http://www.londonpolyester.co.uk/. Not much woodwork involved, just chopping some MDF to size, rounding the edge and a quick sanding. Shame on me.

 

[Gill]

Frameless for me. Much easier to keep clean.

Gill

 

[martyn2]

what ever i am ask to put in by my much much better half the ones i have just fitted are Mdf molded

Martyn

 

[Chris Knight]

I don't actually like the look of frameless but practicality and keeping things cleans tilts me in this direction. What I actually like is the sort of Victorian era kitchen found in a "modernised" manor house, complete with dairy, scullery etc. etc.

 

[frank]

frameless for me ,just started on redoing the doors with a 6mm mdf skin and routed to the lomls specifacations have primed them with mdf primer just need to paint them with satin re decorate make mdf panels for the lower half of the wall (to match the doors) oh yes and relay the laminate floor with the tile boards and the wife wants to know if it will be done for christmas. well of coarse it will just not this one :twisted: :wink:

frank

 

[dedee]

In the 8 or so years I have remodeled our frameless fitted kitchen 3 times in order to accommodate additional white goods or just to make better use of the existing space. As a result of all this shifting around it is know looking a bit untidy.
I guess what am saying is that fitted frameless kitchens are fine if you can get it right first time and future proof the design and layout. For that reason I (& the missus) would be happy to have an unfitted kitchen.

Andy[/i]

 

[LyNx]

I voted for the "non of above" as i'm well into the modern design that calls for a bit of imagination. (but i still love the traditional element)

Jake, have you got any prices for the finish. We use a company for ours some times and it's around £180 a square metre. :shock:

Andy

 

[Waka]

I quite like the framed doors, a lot more work involved but I think they look a lot better than unframed, only my opinion.

 

[gidon]

I'm quite surprised at the poll results - most people here prefer a slab of painted MDF to a traditional wooden framed door? Or am I not undertanding what the frameless cabinet is?
Is dust really such a big issue? I know my sister had a custom fitted kitchen - with framed maple doors, shaker style. To get around any potential dust problems the carpenter made a curved edge on the bottom of each frame.
Anyway I voted for the framed lay-on.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Scrit]

...Or am I not undertanding what the frameless cabinet is? Is dust really such a big issue?

Frameless means no face frame, i.e the standard Euro box construction. The way any lay-on doors are done (framed or frameless) there is a slight gap between the door and the frame/carcase assuming that you are using generic Blum/Hettich/Salice-type hinges. As to dust being a problem, I don't see kitchens being a particularly dusty rooms. When you take old ones out they are mainly greasy.

Scrit

 

[gidon]

...Or am I not undertanding what the frameless cabinet is? Is dust really such a big issue?

Frameless means no face frame, i.e the standard Euro box construction.

Yep - I was being dumb - I was talking about the doors not the box's and referring to panelled doors as opposed to moulded MDF doors. Hence why I was so puzzled everyone preferred the latter :?.

Cheers

Gidon

 

[Jake]

For my part, Gidon, I don't want any mouldings either. Just a plain flat panel.

I don't like kitchens that try to look like regular furniture, because for my taste there's just too much of a kitchen and I find the overall effect very fussy and overbearing, even with the simplest shaker door. It is a matter of scale, I think.

I do like framed doors on regular furniture, and wood obviously.

It's all a matter of individual taste in the end - the kitchen Chris described as his favourite aesthetically is the polar opposite for me. Also a matter of setting - you couldn't stick the sort of kitchen I like in a thatched cottage, it would just be wrong. But I would never dream of buying a thatched cottage.

 

[Scrit]

I was talking about the doors not the box's and referring to panelled doors as opposed to moulded MDF doors.

That might make an interesting poll....... It was mainly the construction aspect I was interested in at this point, although the way you make the carcases has some impact on the overall design, it's probably less than you'd think

Scrit

 

[Real wood]

I prefere the framed lay on style. Im just building one at the moment which has maple carcasses/frames and doors. Im having top work all weekend so that my customer can have it b4 xmas. 5am i started this morning. The things we have to do to please customers lol.