European Cabinets & Hinges
By David Fielhaber

Over the last twenty-five years many new construction techniques and hardware have been coming from Europe. Two items in particular which have been taken to heart by North American cabinet makers are the frameless style of cabinets and the easy installation hinges to go with them. They are simple, clean, fast and easy to build and are perfect for production shops. Now, homeowners and home crafts people are realizing they can easily build cabinets using these same techniques and hardware.

One thing people who are new to cabinetry are having trouble with, is visualizing the difference between traditional face-frame cabinets and European frameless ones. Here is a simplified way of looking at them. Think of both cabinets starting out as the same basic carcass. With the European you would stop at this stage and the doors would either cover the carcass or be inset into it, depending on the look you want. With a traditional cabinet you would attach an additional frame over the entire front of the cabinet and the doors would install onto the frame. This gives it a more of a furniture feel instead of the crisper lines of the European.

European hinges can be used on both styles of cabinets, but because of the lip on the sides of the face-frame cabinets, the hinges must be installed differently. Special mounting plates must be used to attach them to the face-frame of the cabinet instead of the sidewall. There are also European style hinges without separate base plates, which are designed specifically for face-frames. These hinges are lighter duty than the standard European style. All of these hinges can be used for left or right opening doors.

With the standard European hinges the full overlay and half overlay are usually used together, while the full inset hinges are normally used on their own. The half overlay will be used on the majority of doors, except for those at the end of a run. Here, the full overlay is used. By doing this you will maintain a consistent reveal line between all doors and edges. Because the full inset hinges place the doors entirely within the cabinet frame they do not need to be used with any other type of hinge. For a single cabinet it is not necessary to use two different styles.

The face frame style European hinges similarly work in pairs. To leave a wider reveal, use the 8mm hinges for the main run and the 19mm for end cabinets. For a narrower reveal use the 19mm for the main run and the 33mm or 34mm for the end cabinets. As with the standard hinges, for a single cabinet it is not necessary to use two styles.

The following pages are from Hettich International and show installation information on their European and face-frame hinges. This information can be applied to similar hinges, but check the specifications for the brand you are using.