Cabinet Hardware Explained – From Decorative to Functional
Cabinets today vary in both style and functionality. Although styles can vary widely from simple box-front cabinetry with slab-panel doors to elaborate custom cabinetry intricately carved by the hands of generations of craftsmen, some things just never change. The cabinet hardware that makes these cabinets both functional and decorative is pretty much universal everywhere.
Yes, there are minor differences in cabinet hardware from one cabinet style to another, however, the main types of hardware can be found in any cabinet style or construction. The two main types of hardware are decorative and functional.
DECORATIVE CABINET HARDWARE
Decorative hardware, sometimes referred to as surface hardware, consists of the parts that mount to the exterior surface of cabinet doors and drawer fronts. Not only do they provide the means to open your cabinet doors, but they also give your cabinet that finishing touch. The various types are:
*manage sweaters
*cup sweaters
* knobs
* back plates
* ring pullers, bails and pendants
Cup and handle pulls are rigid and require two mounting screws to attach to cabinet door or drawer front. The stirrup pulls also require two mounting screws; however, they can be rigid or swing type stirrups. The knobs are simple pull backs that require a mounting screw. Ring and pendant pulls can be rigid or swing and typically require one mounting screw, although some may require two with a small center-to-center measurement.
The mounting hole spacing measurement is the most important cabinet handle pull measurement if you are replacing existing hardware. This measurement is taken from the center of one mounting hole to the center of the other, so it is called a center-to-center measurement (abbreviations include: CC, C/C, CTC). Obviously, if you’re replacing existing cabinet pulls, you’ll need to match the new hardware center-to-center measurement to the holes already drilled in the cabinet doors. Common sizes are 3″, 3-1/2″, 96mm and 4″, however there are many more than just those four.
FUNCTIONAL CABINET HARDWARE
Functional hardware consists of the pieces of hardware that make your cabinets do what they are supposed to do. The doors open and close, the drawers slide in and out, giving you access to the items inside. Basically, if your cases didn’t have this kind of hardware in and on them, they’d be pretty useless. These types include:
*door hinges
* drawer slides
Door hinges are simply the hinges that connect your cabinet doors to the actual cabinet, but as simple as their function is, types, sizes, and options abound. The three main distinctive types of cabinet hinges are hidden, semi-hidden and not hidden. All of these can come in a variety of opening angles, swing types (free-swinging vs. self-closing), overlay sizes, inserts, and finishes.
Drawer slides are the pieces of hardware that allow drawers to slide in and out. They are sometimes referred to by other names, such as drawer runners, drawer slides, drawer slides, and drawer rails. The three main types used in cabinets are: side mount, side/bottom mount, and bottom mount. These types can be further classified by the distance they allow a drawer to open, such as extension 3/4, full extension gold overtravel extension.
Cabinet hardware is not very complicated on the surface. It’s the many options that these basic pieces come in that get a little deeper, too deep for this simple primer on cabinet hardware.