I don’t really get it. It seems like an American thing. . . The market around here is almost exclusively frameless.
A couple things do come to mind:
1. White melamine edge-banding yellows over time. Not good. Buy more expensive cabinets with wood edge-banding. 🙂
2. Failing hinges. Yeah, ok, sometimes they can wear out over time. But it’s not a significant problem with high quality hinges. Is everyone cheaping out on hinges?
3. People call them “European,” and we all know Europe is so damn un-American.
Replies
You are right about it being an American thing.
Today's overall view in the U.S. is that the market is about 55 percent faceframed, but that figure goes really up when you get into the backwaters away from the major metro areas.
For whatever reasons (short view of history, lack of inventiveness, etc.) many people think of faceframed cabs as "traditional."
With large overlays and relatively small reveals, I don't see why cab makers just don't go completely frameless. For me, the only way I would do faceframes is to do inset doors and drawerheads. That is what I would call traditional. Make 'em look like the built-ins in a 19th century Shaker house.
For that 55 percent of the U.S. cab market that is faceframed, what you get behind the fronts is usually 3/8 or thinner melamine-faced particleboard, so I don't know what is so "traditional" about that.
Since you are here at Fine Homebuilding's web forum, check out their recent issue focusing on kitchens and baths. Shot all in the U.S., I would presume, with just a couple exceptions, all the magazine photo shots are showing frameless cabinetry. For me, the words fine and frameless seem to go together. The majority of my countrymen feel otherwise, though.
Edited 12/15/2007 11:02 pm ET by Gene_Davis
I agree with you 100% , if ya have a ff, inset is the way to go.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"People that never get carried away should be"
I am not a fan of face frame cabinets as I think the frame-less give cleaner lines and there is no small corner return inside the cabinet where the frame covers the edge of the cabinet sides.
Having said that, however, I do agree with you about the edge banding. On my cabinets I take the time to glue on 3/4" square stock to the front edge of the cabinets. This gives a more material for the hinges to grab on to.
Also, Although I have used malemine board I won't use it anymore on my cabs. The edges are much more fragile than plywood. There is also the question of off-gasing. I am not sure if plywood is any better in this respect but I suspect that it is.