Hardware for Cabinet Doors

While picking doors that go well for a room are important when designing cabinets, it is usually the small details that can make or break the design that you’ve envisioned. These small details are found in the hardware that you pick to use on your cabinets. If you walk into a hardware store and go to the cabinet section, you’ll find dozens of different pieces of hardware to choose from for your cabinets. However, you can break the different types of hardware down into four different types. The four different types are:

1. Knobs
2. Pulls
3. Hinges
4. Handles

Each piece of hardware has its own appeal and look to it that makes it perfect for the cabinet. However, picking the right one might seem a little difficult because there are so many to choose from. Here is a description of each.

• -Knobs: These are the most well known type of hardware for a cabinet door that is used to open it. They are typically shaped in a round or circular way that don’t take much space on the cabinet door. These are so often used because they are small, but look nice and add a little something to the design of the cabinet. However, if small isn’t your style, you’ll want to go with a pull.
• -Pulls: These are much larger pieces of hardware used to open the cabinet. Unlike the knob which is attached to the cabinet door with one screw, the pull requires two because it is a longer piece of hardware. These are typically available in two ways: cup pulls and bar pulls. A bar pull looks exactly like a bar while a cup is shaped like a half moon. Both are great looking pieces of hardware, but it is important to take the design of the cabinet into consideration when picking the pull for it.
• -Hinges: An effective cabinet typically swings open and closed. For this to happen and for the door to stay in place against the rest of the cabinet, there needs to be hinges on the door. These are metal pieces that screw into both the door and the cabinet which hold it there. There are two types, though. Mortise hinges which are permanently placed on the cabinet door when constructed and non-Mortise, which are only put on with screws and can therefore be removed if so desired.
• -Handles: If knobs and pulls aren’t your style, you can get a simple handle for the cabinet. They are not as aesthetically pleasing, but they do the job. Instead of grabbing the actual cabinet, you’ll be holding onto the handle when opening it. This makes the cabinets last a little longer than they would if you were opening the cabinet right on the wood and, furthermore, adds a little design to it.

The hardware for cabinets is incredibly important and deciding what kind to get can be difficult. Some people prefer the small, simple, traditional porcelain looking knobs while other people like the much larger and sometimes gaudy looking pulls. Whatever is your decision is entirely up to you; however, it is important to once again take into consideration the design of your room and what you are hoping for. A poor hardware choice can often times be noticed by people who have any sense of design and therefore, you want to make the right choice. See what the hardware on other pieces of furniture in the room looks like and then pick what is most appropriate for you based on that. You might be able to make things match after all.