Here are cabinetry terms that can feel confusing at the start of a kitchen project, but are cabinet words you may see in quotes, drawings, and conversations with designers or showrooms.
Understanding the basics helps you ask better questions, review information with clarity, and feel more confident in your decisions.
Use this guide as a reference while you plan, compare options, or review your cabinet layout, plus we’ll include a few tips for you along the way as you plan your dream kitchen.
Cabinetry Terms Glossary: A Simple Guide
Adjustable Legs
Adjustable from 3-3/4″ to 4-3/4″ high. Cabinets come with 2 legs for the front of the cabinet 1 leg for every finished end.
Homeowner Tip:
Adjustable legs are a great option that is easier for installation and raises your cabinet up off the floor, protecting it from water damage.
Antique Distressing
Presents the appearance of aged wood with aggressive sanding on the corners, rasping and denting.
Antique Wear
Available only on certain opaque stains, it combines the aggressive sanding, rasping and denting of antique distressing with the additional wear through the finish on the corners and rasped edges.
Beadboard
Beadboard is tongue and groove boards, 3″ wide x 3/8″ thick with a 1-12″ bead on on center. Boards are installed together to create a decorative look. These boards can be used in the backs of cabinets or assembled on site for the backs of islands or peninsula areas.
Beaded Panel
A solid flat panel on a door that incorporates a vertical beaded texture into the panel.
Bevel
The angle or inclination of a surface that meets another at any angle but 90°
Black Glaze
A black glaze which is sprayed onto an entire piece and wiped off. Glaze is then applied with a bottle into all corners and profiles. Glaze procedures add more depth and character and often changes the overall look of the base color.
Chocolate Glaze
A brown, chocolate glaze which is sprayed onto an entire piece and wiped off. Glaze is then applied with a bottle into all corners and profiles. Glaze procedures add more depth and character and often changes the overall look of the base color.
Doorstyle
Used to define the door and drawer front type used on a particular order. It is the combination of various door rail, stile and panel types and sizes.
Edgebanding
A thin piece of either PVC or veneer used to cover the edges of a panel or cabinet side.
PVC banding is used to cover the edges of an unfinished or melamine cabinet side. When butted up against a finished piece, the edgebanding is matched as closely as possible to the cabinet finish.
Veneer banding is used on pieces that are finished to match doors and is stained/painted in the finishing process.
Homeowner Tip:
Edgebanding can match the door or the cabinet box (case) material. We recommend case match edgebanding on our frameless cabinets, since the door covers the banding. This looks clean and allows you to easily change the doors in the future.
Fibreboard
Fibreboard is made out of wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat and pressure.
Types of fibreboard:
- HDF or High Density Fibreboard
- MDF or Medium Density Fibreboard
- Particle board or Low Density Fibreboard
Homeowner Tip:
Decor Cabinets uses HDF for painted cabinet doors for a smooth finish.
Fixed Base
4-1/2″ high raw particle board attached to bottom of cabinets, recessed 2-1/8″ from front, back and both sides.
Flat Panel
A recessed center panel on a door made from strips of solid wood glued and clamped together. A flat panel has its visible face flush with the front of the groove in the frame. This gives the panel an inset appearance.
Flush Base
Cabinet sides go down to the floor and are flush with the front of the cabinet. A finished 4-1/2″ high x 5/8″ toe kick is applied to the front toe section of the cabinet, between the cabinet sides.
Frameless Cabinet
Also referred to as Full Access Cabinet or European Style Cabinet.
This style means that the doors are attached directly to the sides of the cabinet box, having hidden hinges. This cabinetry style allows you full access to the entire cabinet without being hindered by a bulky frame.
This style means that the doors are attached directly to the sides of the cabinet box, having hidden hinges. This cabinetry style allows you full access to the entire cabinet without being hindered by a bulky frame.
Furniture Base
Cabinet sides go down to the floor. A 4-1/2″ high x 5/8″ toe kick is recessed into 2-1/8″ from the front of the cabinet. a 7/8″ solid toe kick with the top, left & Right edged profiled to match doors may be attached flush with the doors.
HDF (HDF or High Density Fibreboard)
A composite wood product, it is made from wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat and pressure. HDF has a higher density than MDF. It will not expand and contract causing joint fractures like solid wood does. Smooth and uniform surface, there is no visible grain making this substrate ideal for painted finish doors.
Heavy Distressing
Visible from across the room, this procedure involves heavy cutting and denting, along with simulated cracks and worm holes.
Invoice
An invoice is a bill sent by a provider of a product or service to the purchaser. The invoice establishes an obligation on the part of the purchaser to pay, creating an account receivable.
Job Completion
Product that was not on the original order but is required to complete the job.
Joint Lines
Wood, when exposed to air, can lose or gain moisture to match the environment that it is in. Even when stained and top-coated, this does not prevent this natural process, it merely slows it down. Over time, visible seam lines can be seen at the joints. This does not diminish the finish or the reduce the strength of the joint in any way.
Light Distressing
Visible only when standing close to the cabinets, this procedure involves light dents and small cuts on edges.
Light Rail
Installed onto the bottom of wall cabinets, it is an “L” shaped moulding used to hide under-counter lighting and create a decorative look.
MDF
MDF or Medium Density Fibreboard
A composite wood product, it is made from wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat and pressure. Used as a core for slab veneer doors. It will not expand and contract like solid wood does. Smooth and uniform surface, there is no visible grain.
A composite wood product, it is made from wood waste fibers glued together with resin, heat and pressure. Used as a core for slab veneer doors. It will not expand and contract like solid wood does. Smooth and uniform surface, there is no visible grain.
Melamine
Melamine refers to the finish applied to the particleboard. The finish is heat sealed into the wood for a durable, scratch resistant and easy to clean finish. Melamine is also heat and moisture resistant.
Mitre or Miter
A mitre (miter) joint is made by beveling each of two parts to be joined, usually at a 45° angle, to form a corner, usually a 90° angle.
Modification (Mod)
An item that when added to a product, changes the product configuration in some way. These may be either chargeable or no charge. Examples of modifications are frame doors, door reveals, dovetail drawers, etc.
Motise & Tenon
A mortise is a hole cut into one board and a tenon is a tongue that is shaped onto the end of another board to fit into the mortise.
A through mortise and tenon, used on the majority of our door styles is formed by cutting the mortise completely through the stile and sizing the tenon to match flush with the far side of the stile.
A through mortise and tenon, used on the majority of our door styles is formed by cutting the mortise completely through the stile and sizing the tenon to match flush with the far side of the stile.
Mullion
Horizontal and vertical dividing bars in a framed glass door giving it the appearance of windowpanes.
Nomenclature
The system of names or terms used within the company or industry.
All of our catalogue “codes” are the nomenclature that we use to specify the item being requested.
All of our catalogue “codes” are the nomenclature that we use to specify the item being requested.
Nominal
The default or standard value of an item. eg. The nominal drawer width for a 12″ wide cabinet is 11-7/8″.
Notched Base
Cabinet sides will go down to the floor and are notched 4-1/2″ high and recessed 2-1/8″ from the front of the cabinet.
Notched Left Base
A modification to a standard toe kick which allows the cabinet to be constructed with recessed toe kick on right side and a notched base on the left side for the end of the cabinet run.
Notched Right Base
A modification to a standard toe kick which allows the cabinet to be constructed with recessed toe kick on left side and a notched base on the right side for the end of the cabinet run.
Opaque Stains
Opaque stains are high in pigment content and thoroughly hide the grain and color of the wood. The surface texture is retained, but these opaque stains tend to perform like paint, and do not penetrate the wood so deeply.
Override
A setting within a product or modification that allows the user to change the configuration in some way. If available, it allows the user to make a configuration change at no charge.
Examples of override are turning off shelf holes, reducing number of shelves in a cabinet, removing the cabinet doors, etc.
Oversand
Available only on certain opaque stains, it has a light, weather worn look by slightly removing the finish on most sharp edges and profiles.
Particle Board
Particle board is manufactured from wood particles such as wood chips, sawmill shavings ,etc and a resin or other suitable binder and then pressed and formed into boards. Particle board serves as the core to most of our cabinet cases and is covered with either melamine, laminate or veneer to create a furniture look.
Ply Panel
A recessed center panel on a door made from 1/4″ thick plywood with a 1/16″ thick veneer skin applied to front and back.
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured wood made from thin sheets of wood glued together. The layers are glued together with the grain going in opposite directions to each other for greater strength. Plywood is an optional core for our cabinet cases and is covered with either melamine, laminate or veneer to create a furniture look.
Premium
Premiums globally change all products within an order. These may be either chargeable or no charge.
Examples of premiums include finish sheen, upgrading all drawer boxes, interior finish type, etc.
Pull
On blind cabinets, you are required to pull the cabinet at least 3″ from the wall in order to create a filler type space which will allow the doors and drawers to function properly in the tight corner.
Raised Panel
A raised center panel on a door made from strips of wood glued and clamped together. A raised panel has a profile cut into its edges so that the center portion of the panel is flush with the frame but is recessed around the edges to fit into the groove of the frame
Reveal
The reveal is the gap distance between the edge of the cabinet door and the edge of another door or cabinet case. Standard Decor reveals are 1/16″ on the left, right of door and 1/8″ on the top of the door. Bottom of the door is flush with the case.
Roman Arch
A door style that is semi-circular at the top of the frame with a recessed or raised insert panel.
Rub Through
Available only on certain opaque stains, it provides a heavy worn look on the color revealing the undercoat on all sharp edges and profiles.
Shaker Style
The shaker style is known for its pure and simple lines without any fancy profiles or curves. It is a plain, square paneled door with fairly sharp, well defined edges.
Homeowner Tip:
Shaker style cabinets are one of our most popular door styles.
Stiles and Rails
A door frame is made up of four basic components. The vertical members of the frame are called stiles and the horizontal members are called rails. A basic frame consists of a top and bottom rail and a left and right stile.
Telegraphing
All wood species have grain patterns that are unique to it. The amount of grain visible (telegraphing) will vary by wood species and the type of finish that that is being applied.
Toe Kick
The material used to cover the bottom section of the cabinet to create a finished look. This can be either veneer or solid wood, depending on the look desired.
Veneer
A 1/16″ thick piece of wood used to cover a piece of engineered wood to look like solid wood.
Warp
Any wood product that distorts or twists out of shape. The general cause for warping is excessive heat or moisture.
Warranty
Any product that failed after the end-user took ownership of the product.
Homeowner Tip:
Decor Cabinets has limited lifetime warranty on our cabinets.
Wiggle Board
Wiggle Board is a kerfed particleboard core product that allows a veneer to be adhered onto it and then curved to form a finished radius product.
