Cabinet Door Styles | Consumer Guide | StarCraft Custom Builders: Design/Build Kitchens, Baths, Addition and Home Remodeling.

Cabinet Door Styles
Our fully equipped door shop can make just about any cabinet door style you or your decorator can imagine. Our only requirement is that it be made of some kind of wood. We will not as a matter of policy use any wood that is endangered or threatened, but that still leaves a vast selection. Our "standard" woods are Birch, Maple (hard and soft), Red Oak, White Oak, Cherry, Hickory/Pecan and Walnut. We also frequently build in Alder, Poplar, European Beech, Pine, Ash, Lyptus, Red Elm, Mahogany, Douglas Fir, and Butternut. And we have recently added Bamboo. Alder and Poplar are used primarily for painted cabinets since they take paint very well. But if you must have Ipe, Rosewood, Chestnut or Catalpa, we can do that.

If you don't see the door style you have in mind, send us a picture. We can tell you within 24 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) if we can make it.

Our normal finish is a fourteen-step process end with three coats of crystallized polyurethane. This is an exceptionally durable hand-applied finish that resists just about any chemical and will look new after years of service. However, we also do hand rubbed lacquer, glazes, painted (including milk paint), glazed and distressed finishes. Show us what you want, our finish crew can probably match it.

The Three Basic Cabinet Door Styles

Cabinet door styles

The three basic door styles: flush (or slab), flat panel and raised panel. Virtually all cabinet doors are variations of one of these styles. Some Door Talk: There are two basic kinds of doors: flush (or slab) and framed. These days a slab door is usually a piece of cabinet-grade plywood with a decorative edging — usually veneer. In former times, they were made of boards pegged together. These tended to warp and twist, so elaborate measures were used to keep them straight, including steel or aluminum T-bars buried in the top and bottom edges.

The other style is framed. This is a flat or raised panel inserted in a frame of solid lumber. The door parts have names. The horizontal pieces at the top and bottom are "rails", and the vertical pieces on both sides are "stiles". There may also be stiles or rails in the middle of the door. These are naturally called "middle stiles" and "middle rails". Styles overlap rails, originally so they could be easily planed down to fit without hitting end grain which is very hard to plane. Nowadays saws cut very accurately and planing is rare. We still follow the traditional technique because, well, it's traditional. There are also mitered doors on which the corners are cut at a 45� angle, just like a picture frame. These are usually considered premium doors.

The piece in the middle is the "panel". This is usually high-quality plywood, but some panels, particularly beaded panels are made of solid wood. The panel may also be glass, including stained or other art glass, metal, lattice or grillwork.

Door Grids: If the door has a grid, its parts also have traditional names going back to the Middle Ages. The vertical strips are "mullions" and the horizontal pieces "muntins". If there is a diagonal piece such as in a diamond grid, it will usually be called a "diagonal", although terminology differs from place to place and it may be called something else where you live.

Arts & Crafts Styles: Prairie, Craftsman, Mission and Shaker
The defining feature of these doors is their simplicity. There is no shaped moulding on any edge. All edges are cut square. If the edges are moulded, then they are called "flat panel" doors, but are not considered Shaker or Arts & Crafts doors, but more colonial or traditional styles (see below).

If you are wondering what is the difference between Shaker, Mission and Craftsman styles, frankly, so do we. There are certain door styles that are easily identifiable as Craftsman or Prairie because of their gridwork patterns which are adopted from traditional Craftsman or Prairie windows. But for plain panel doors, the task of distinguishing between the styles is much more difficult. Any plain, flat panel style that is thought of as a Craftsman style here in the Midwest is likely to be called Shaker or Amish on the East Coast and Mission in California. Shaker is traditionally made of maple, and generally a maple door is identified as a Shaker style. Craftsman or Mission doors are traditionally of of quartersawn oak. But there are also pine, elm, fir, hickory and painted doors in both Shaker and Craftsman kitchens. So your guess as to these doors is as good as ours. Whatever you think it is: Shaker, Craftsman, Prairie or Mission, we'll go along with it.

In our shop catalog we have specifications for over styles of 350 Arts & Crafts or Shaker-style doors and drawers. We obviously cannot show them all. The table below displays just a few representative samples. Any one of these styles will work well in an Arts and Crafts kitchen. If you have in mind a door not shown here, send us a picture or drawing. We probably already have a shop specification for it, but if not, we'll make one just for your doors.

Click any image to enlarge.
C-112 Quaker/Amish Wide-Frame Single Panel Natural cherry.	C-123 Shaker/Mission Single Panel Poplar.	C-125 Mission Oak Single Panel Natural white oak.	C-221 Shaker/Mission Single Panel Dyed cherry. Framed 5-piece drawer front.	C-223 Pegged Craftsman Single Panel Stained red oak. Three-piece pegged drawer.
To Peg or Not to Peg	Most of Arts & Crafts styles are available with pegged joints. In the days when cabinets were built with hide glue, pegs added substantial additional strength to the door. These days the new synthetic glues are not greatly strengthened by pegs. Nevertheless, our pegged joints are not just simulated with veneer or stain. They are actually pegged through and through for additional strength. Available with round pegs, square pegs and with square and round flush pegs.
C-301 Craftsman/Prairie Split Panel Stained quartersawn white oak. With center stile.	C-312 Shaker/Mission Single Panel Sealed and Washed knotty pine.	C-341 Shaker/Mission Single Panel Washed #2 (rough) cherry.	C-349 Craftsman/Mission Single Panel with Vertical Grid Stained red elm.	C-355 Prairie 9-Piece Single Panel Natural rift white oak. Shown with matching 9-piece framed drawer front.
Glass Panels	An inexpensive way to add variety and interest to your cabinets is to mix glass panels in with your wood panel cabinet doors. If you want to display the contents of a cabinet, use clear glass and even add a small light inside the cabinet. If you like the idea of glass, but still want to hide the mess in the cabinet, use textured or stained glass. We provide the framed door suitable for glass, and you have the glass installed locally. For art glass, our artisans can create the glass from your design or you can select one of our stock designs. Almost any panel door can be converted to glass, so a glass door to match your craftsman, mission or arts and crafts door selection is virtually guaranteed. We do not recommend glass on lower cabinets. In most jurisdictions such glass would have to be tempered. But, having said that, we have built some beautiful contemporary kitchens with frosted glass in lower cabinets for the ultimate Euro-kitchen look.
C-357 Craftsman/Mission 7-Piece Split Panel Painted poplar. Shown with 7-Piece drawer front. A middle stile separates two panels.	C-360 Craftsman/Prairie 9-Panel Stained red oak. Shown with framed drawer front. The panel is one piece. The grid is installed in front of the panel to give the illusion of 9 panels. This is the way most of the original Craftsman doors were made.	C-363 Craftsman/Prairie 4-Panel Unfinished rift cut white oak. Shown with 3-piece flush-pegged drawer front. The panel is one piece. The grid is installed in front of the panel to give the illusion of 4 separate panels. This is the way most of the original Craftsman doors were made.	C-371G Shaker/Craftsman Glass Unfinished red cherry. We make the door and you add glass from your local glass supplier or glass artisan. Or, our glass artists can create beautiful glass art from your design.	C-371PG Craftsman/Prairie Glass Stained white oak. We make the door and you add glass from your local glass supplier glass artisan. Or, our glass artists can create beautiful glass art from your design.
Imitation Cherry	Cherry is usually a premium cabinet wood. It makes beautiful cabinets, but sometimes the budget just is not there for the real thing. Careful staining and finishing can turn inexpensive alder into a very convincing cherry-look cabinet. Alder is a standard cabinet wood, and therefore less costly than cherry.
C-375G Prairie 13-Lite Glass Panel Washed Cherry. For upper cabinets only. Combine with any Craftsman or Prairie style.	C-376G Prairie Floating Grid Glass Panel Washed Cherry. For upper cabinets only. Combine with any Craftsman or Prairie style.	C-378G Craftsman Grid Glass Panel Painted Maple Combine with any Craftsman or Prairie panel style.
Traditional, Colonial & Victorian Panel Styles The traditional raised panel door style often associated with colonial or traditional kitchens is actually a modern invention. Colonial kitchens did not have cabinets, but they did have doors. So kitchen cabinet designers simply adopted the raised panel door style of colonial houses to use in cabinet doors. Colonial doors can be painted or stained. The usual paint in colonial times was milk paint, a surprisingly durable coating comparable to modern paints. It has a matte finish that is very hard to duplicate with modern water or oil based paints. The traditional colonial woods are maple, cherry, red and white oak, walnut, and mahogany. Poplar and alder are often used as a substitute cherry, and elm sometimes replaces oak. Walnut was a premium wood even in colonial times, and still is. For a Victorian kitchen, the fancier panel doors are usually the choice. These often feature elaborate mouldings and fine finishes. Darker stains are characteristic, although these tend to make a small kitchen look even smaller and probably should not be used. For more of a Victorian County look, beadboard panels are the preference. Usually these are painted. Raised panel doors are made in square top, arched and arched cathedral patterns. If arched doors are used, they are used on upper cabinets and square tops on on base cabinets. There are not particular rules, though, so you can mix and match arched, cathedral and square tops to create a unique look for your kitchen. We have in our shop catalog, specifications for over 200 raised and beaded panel doors and drawers. We obviously cannot show them all. The table below displays just a few representative samples. Any one of these styles will work well in an colonial or Victorian kitchen. If you have in mind a door not shown here, send us a picture or drawing. We probably already have a shop specification for it, but if not, we'll make one just for your doors.
Click any image to enlarge.
T-029 Two-Panel Colonial Brown-washed hard maple. This door can also be made with one panel appropriate for narrower doors. Matching drawer front.	T-034 Flat Panel Colonial Cherry stained cherrywood. This is a standard economy colonial or traditional style. The slightly blotchy appearance is typical of dark stained cherry and maple. Framed 5-piece drawer front.	T-112 Low-Arch Raised Panel Colonial Walnut stained cherrywood. The low arch accents the door without overwhelming the design. Appropriate for both base and upper cabinets. An optional matching framed 5-piece drawer front is available. A flush drawer front is standard.	T-119 Painted Flat Panel with Applied Moulding Painted Maple. This door can be finished in modern or authentic milk paint. Matching framed 5-piece drawer front with applied moulding.	T-121 Square Raised Panel Natural alder. The finish is polyurethane finish without any stain or wash. Alder makes a good substitute for cherrywood.
Milk Paint	The original colonial paint was milk or casein paint. This is a surprisingly tough and durable paint for interior use. A lot of original milk paint still clings to antique colonial furniture after 250 years. The recipe is simple: milk, lye, linseed oil, salt and pigment. But we don't usually mix it ourselves, we buy it from milk paint companies. In powdered form, it has a very long shelf life as long as it is in an airtight container. But after it's mixed with water, it needs to be used in two days or so. Virtually any colonial cabinet door style can be finished with milk paint for that ultimate in colonial looks. Milk paint even carried over into the early Victorian years, and is wholly appropriate in a Victorian kitchen. Milk paint has virtually no volatile organic compounds, so it does not outgas into the air (low VOC). It is safe to use around food. It dries very quickly - usually in under an hour, and can be convincingly distressed and crackled to look really old. It has a matte finish, but if you prefer semi-gloss, a clear coat can be applied on top of the color coat. Cleanup is with water.
T-133 Cathedral Arch Raised Panel Natural Cherry. This style of door is ordinarily paired with a matching square-top panel door used on base cabinets. Suitable for a colonial or traditional kitchen, arch tops are generally not found in Victorian kitchens.	T-134 Square Raised Panel Unfinished natural red oak. Completely at home in a traditional or Victorian kitchen, this is one of the most versatile door styles.	T-139 Split Raised Panel Cherry stained birch with glaze. This is a 25/75 split door. 50/50 and 75/25 splits are also available. This door is suitable for a colonial or Victorian country kitchen.	T-142 Square Raised Panel Red-stained mahogany	T-154 Wide-Stile Square Raised Panel Alder with walnut wash. This is a mitered door. The corners are joined at a 45-degree angle to look more like a picture frame. Suitable for a Victorian kitchen.
T-155 Victorian Wide-Stile Beaded-Frame Panel Door Glazed natural cherrywood. The glaze is just dark brown paint which highlights the recesses in the door. A matching drawer front is available.	T-158 Victorian Square Raised Panel with Applied Moulding Brown-stained cherrywood. Matching drawer front available.	T-159 Victorian Square Panel Alder stained with light walnut. Alder is often indistinguishable from cherrywood and is less expensive. This door works in either a traditional or Victorian kitchen. The T-029 drawer front shown is a good match for the door. A flush drawer front or any of several panel styles could also be used.	T-160 Arched Split Panel Natural walnut. Generally used on wall cabinets in colonial and traditional kitchens.	T-163 Double Arched Panel Walnut stained clear pine. This type of door is usually used on wall cabinets in colonial and traditional kitchens.
T-166 Cathedral Arch Split Panel Natural, unstained hickory. Hickory generally shows the most variation in color of all the usual cabinet woods. This type of door is usually used on wall cabinets in colonial and traditional kitchens.	T-170 Square Panel with Applied Moulding Cherry stained birch. Birch can often substitute for more expensive cherrywood. This is a mitre door style. the frame is cut like a picture fame with 45-degree corners. The heavy applied moulding separating the panel and frame make this door suitable for any Victorian kitchen.	T-173 Colonial Square Panel Door (Ash) Washed ash. Ash, oak and elm are all woods with a similar, ring-porous, grain structure. They are much alike in appearance.	T-173 Colonial Square Panel Door (Red Oak) Washed red oak. Ash, oak and elm are all woods with a similar, ring-porous, grain structure. They are much alike in appearance.	T-173 Colonial Square Panel Door (Birch) Washed birch. This is the same as the previous two doors, but in birch. The detail of the millwork shows up better when the grain of the wood is less pronounced.
S-005 Wide-Slat Louvered Door Natural walnut. Useful in any style kitchen when ventilation is required. Use to hide vegetable bins and fresh storage. Also perfect for closet cabinets.	T-007 Narrow-Slat Louvered Door Natural walnut. Useful in any style kitchen when ventilation is required. Use to hide vegetable bins and fresh storage. Also perfect for closet cabinets. Matching raised drawer front.	S-010 Beaded Panel Door Stained walnut. An ideal door for a Victorian kitchen. Mix and match with raised panel doors. Use the same beadboard as a backsplash for the essential Victorian look.	S-023 Glass Panel Door with Applied Moulding Natural walnut. We make the door and you add glass from your local glass supplier or glass artisan. Or, our glass artists can create beautiful glass art from your design.	S-025 Glass Panel Door Natural walnut. We make the door and you add glass from your local glass supplier or glass artisan. Or, our glass artists can create beautiful glass art from your design.
S-041G French Glass Arch Cherry stained cherrywood. Used in pairs for a sophisticated, urban look. Suitable for colonial and Victorian kitchens.		S-042 French Arch Panel Cherry stained cherrywood. Used in pairs for a sophisticated, urban look. Suitable for colonial and Victorian kitchens.

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