Cabinet Doors – Measurement for Half-Inch Overlapping Replacement Doors

In our previous article we discussed the difference between frameless and front-framed cabinets, and then briefly touched on the overlay options for front-frame cabinets. As mentioned there, the two most common overlap options are ½ “overlap and 1-1 / 4” overlap. Here we will discuss the ½ “overlap, which is probably the most popular and by far the easiest.

There are some advantages to using a ½ “overlap over most other options:

– The doors are smaller and therefore a little cheaper.

– In corners or other tight areas, you can sometimes get away with less padding or no padding. (Note: With larger overlays, you can accomplish the same thing by reducing the overlap on only one side of a given door, but that requires more foresight and sometimes requires the purchase of a couple of different hinge sizes.)

– In small spaces like bathrooms, these smaller doors require less space to open.

– It is easier to calculate the sizes.

Let’s say you have a top cabinet that has only one door. For the sake of the example, let’s say the size of the cabinet is 18 “wx 36” h. (This cabinet is commonly called W1836). However, to determine the size of the door, the size of the cabinet is not the important measurement: aperture size is the key. I think the definition is obvious, but the opening is the part of the frame through which the inside of the cabinet can be reached. (Some cabinets have multiple openings, but we’ll talk about that later. the majorityIn cases, the size of the opening in this cabinet will be 3 “less than the width of the cabinet and 3” less than the height of the cabinet. This is because the left, right, top, and bottom framing pieces (called rails for horizontal pieces and studs for risers) in most standard cabinets are 1-1 / 2 “wide. Assume nothing though! Measure the opening!

After measuring the opening, let’s say you find it to be the standard size: 15 “wx 33” h. To size the door for that cabinet with a ½ “overlap, you will need to make the door ½” larger than the opening on each of the four sides: left, right, top, and bottom. By combining these measurements, you will find that the door should be 1 “larger than the opening width and 1” larger than the opening height, or 16 “wide x 34” high. Very easy!

Moving on to a standard door / drawer base cabinet where you have a drawer that opens directly over a door opening with a rail (horizontal frame piece) in the middle, the measurements are the same, assuming the rail is the 1-1 / 2 “wide (or at least 1-1 / 4” wide) typical. Since there is room to place the ½ “overlap of the door and the ½” overlap in the front of the drawer on that rail and there is still room to spare, this will work just fine.

The only tricky scenario is when you have a pair of doors that cover a single opening. For example, you might have a 30 “wide x 36” high wall cabinet with a single opening (commonly W3036BD or W3036BUTT). The two doors are known as “butt doors” because they (more or less) butt together in the middle. Actually, we normally leave 1/8 “space between the doors to prevent rubbing. So when you measure the opening and find that it measures 27” wide x 33 “high, you start with the same calculation that it does. that he set door size 28 “wx 34” h. Since each door will be half the width, divide the width by two, making them 14 “wx 34” h. Then, to leave a 1/8 “gap, subtract 1/16” from each door. This gives you a final door size of 13-15 / 16 “wx 34” h. (If your door manufacturer does not accurately measure doors to the nearest 1/16 “, find another door manufacturer!)

Regardless of your choice of overlap, always keep an eye out for obstacles – walls, corners, appliances, trim, etc. – which could prevent a door or a drawer from opening properly. If you encounter any of these obstacles, you may need to resize the door or front of the drawer accordingly.