Cabinet Face Frame Material

Prepping face frame material for use.

Cabinet face frame material.

Face frames on sides of kitchen cabinets should overlap 1 4 in. On the outside edge. It is available in 1 8 3 16 1 4 5 16 3 8 thicknesses at any width between 5 8 6. Solid wood refacing stock rfs100 is the closest match to the grain of new doors and is ideal for face frame applications.

A face frame is basically a frame usually made of hardwood in a species for the final finish of the cabinet. I use wood glue and my k5 kreg jig set for 3 4 material and use 1 1 4 coarse thread pocket hole screws. This keeps the costs down think about how expensive it would be to build solid walnut cabinets and the labor less you only have to finish the face frame. All natural wood characteristics are acceptable on the inside edges.

I generally always build my face frames out of 1 2 poplar when painting. A face frame does a better job of this if it overlaps the box edges a bit. While it doesn t matter what you build your carcass out of finish wise hidden behind face frame and doors drawers the material you choose for your face frame is the finished look of your cabinet. You guessed it nobody.

Standard stile rail dimensions for face frames is 1 1 2. If staining your piece you want to match your face frame wood as closely as possible to your carcass lumber. Who wants to sand saw marks off the edge of the face frame in a finished cabinet. To remove saw marks or other imperfections rip all face frames to 2 1 8 wide on your table saw.

Now is the time to be lazy if you have the tools.