Frameless Kitchen Cabinets - The Trend is Here to Stay

There is much discussion about the pros and cons of various types of cabinet construction designs in cabinetmaking forums. Many traditionalists discount the viability of frameless cabinets on the basis of structural integrity. While it's true that the addition of a face frame to cabinet boxes adds a degree of rigidity and resistance to racking, frameless construction is strong enough for the task at hand. After all how many times have you ever seen a cabinet failure occur?

In my experience, most consumers are not concerned with the details of the cabinet carcass construction. They are primarily concerned with the esthetics, and in particular the door style. Other factors that seem to matter to consumers are the drawer box construction (are they dovetailed), in some instances the type of drawer guides, and of course the drawer and door pulls. In short the end user is mainly interest in the visual aspects of the finished cabinet.

There are actually some selling points in favor of frameless construction. Clever marketing people have actually coined the phrase "full access' cabinet because the opening to the cabinets is not reduced due to the presence of the face frame.

In my view, the trend is definitely in favor frameless construction due to the efficiencies that are achievable in the construction process. While regional preference may still favor the more traditional face frame construction, the numbers are slowly changing. Besides, a well executed frameless cabinet design can share the share look of the more traditional construction methods.