Ours have been in for a bit over two years now, now issues. We did recently slightly adjust a few of the them as they were not perfectly level, but seriously that took about 15 minutes. Still love them, and would do them all over again.

springroz, You do lose some interior space vs. full overlay cabinets (particularly frameless) because the doors/drawers are inset into the frame so obviously smaller. From this standpoint (functionally speaking) they are not as ideal as full overlay.

The manufacturing process is more exacting and thus the price is higher. You can get concealed hinges and therefore have soft close on your doors, but many people like the look of the exposed hinges and if you are among them then you won't have soft close (which is certainly a nice feature).

Who is trying to talk you out of them?

I have them and don't think they are difficult. Well, that's not entirely true. After 100 years, they have so much paint built up on the edges of the doors that they tend to stick pretty badly. Operative phrase in the previous sentence is "after 100 years." I'm pretty sure I could strip the paint and they would be back to working fine.

Inset drawers don't make as efficient use of space as frameless cabinets, so that is one measurable disadvantage. The door openings are also smaller compared to frameless, and the interior depth is less by the depth of the door compared to face-frame or frameless (because the door is in line with the frame rather than being outside it). If you have a tiny kitchen and need every cubic inch, I can see choosing frameless on those grounds.

I think that's right, anyway.

Thanks for the answers! I have had one cabinet builder, and 2 cabinet salespeople tell me how any shifting of the house causes the doors to stick.

I accepted it today, and chose a full overlay. The order is not done yet, so I could still change my mind.....the company had a display kitchen under some sort of leak,and the cabinet was really hard to open and shut.

So, full overlay, I suppose.

I plan to (someday) remove all my cabinet doors and buy or make inset. The look is beautiful and I like the fact that they look timeless to me.

Cabinet makers don't want to make them because you have to be accurate down to 1/16th of an inch, plus your openings must be absolutely square. But I'm an amateur and I've made a cabinet with them my own bad self. Just gotta take the time.,

Full overlay is fine and what I have in another room. For 10 years I couldn't find a door I really liked. I settled. Then, one day of epiphany, I saw a picture of a dresser with 1/4" beaded inset, slab doors. Eureka! I knew I couldn't decided because that is what I want. So I'm going to learn to use the router...

Don't settle. You'll always wish you had gone with something that speaks to you.

Christine

We have had them for a little over a year..... and nothing sticks. That might be more applicable to old homes or specific climates? can anyone else comment on that? We have humidity controlled within our home and live in a dry climate......

CEFreeman - Your statement about the timeless look is my epiphany! That is what I am trying to achieve in our kitchen. A space that will be considered classic and timeless.

Change that order if that is what you want!!! It is YOUR kitchen and YOU are writing the check. :-)

An older home that is still shifting has problems a lot worse than sticking cabinet doors. People who don't want to work hard say anything, say anything, say anything just so you don't make them work. Change your order.

Springoz

Go with your gut and don't settle, or else you'll always wonder

My inset cabs are over 15 years old and in their second house, and still going strong without any issues whatsoever. We certainly never baby them, quite the opposite, I'm a very slapdash housewife.

The hinges are infinitely adjustable, also, so getting them right if they ever do go wonky is no problem (we've never had to do that, though). I'm in a northern climate with no 'climate control' other than heating. I gather that if you live in the center of a ridiculously humid swamp, inset might be slightly more prone to get out of whack -- but do you?

Inset takes more skill, full stop. This is why lazy cabinet makers resist them. But for commercial cabinets inset often requires a big upcharge, so it's funny that kitchen designers etc would warn against them - they make more $$ on them.

Go with the look you love, there is no right or wrong in cabinet design.

If you can fit the Inset Cabinets into the Budget. I would say do it! I will share with you a little secret about the supplier I'm using but try not to tell too many people(I don't want them to get so busy they can't handle my projects!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Inset Cabinets

I still say y'all are the greatest! I could understand the cabinet maker who built my island telling me, like you said, because it IS more work, but the other two are just taking the order!!

My new kitchen will be smaller in real estate, but MUCH more usable!!

I will address this in a new thread, where I will have two "before" sequences, just because the one I live with now is sooo laughable, and has a not-so-funny story behind it.

Looking forward....thanks again, everyone!

I always had inset in my last house, 30 years & no problems. I have inset in this house. We are in a very damp, humid area - the first year my cab maker came back and made a couple adjustments and no problems since 3 1/2 yrs. I love period looking cabs and my furniture also has inset.

I LOVE my inset cabinetry. It really sets a kitchen apart from the typical Home Depot type. We went with sapele frames and anegre inserts with beaded openings. Everyone who has seen them (and we are only half installed) say they look like fine furniture. I would not hesitate for a minute...

My parents' house had them. They bought it around 1966 when it was probably ten or so years old. The doors and drawers never gave a problem, and last time I was there (late 1980's) everything was still operating just fine. They have exposed wrought iron hinges. As you can tell, they never remodeled their kitchen! So no paint build up issues, but at least I can say there was no sagging or other issues.

I agree with others that the cabinetmakers in question are just trying to talk you into something that's easier for them. Get the recessed doors if that's what you want. Why settle, when you're getting everything brand new?

I was wondering if inset cabinets would work as well in a bathroom where the humidity was higher?

Travis, I love you. So now you know that some one, some where in the world holds you dear! :)

Would you be open to questions about building insets, perhaps on the Woodworking board so I don't hijack this thread?

springroz! I want to know what happens and what they say. I find it to be ... amusing.

Christine

Yes, Travis, I love you, too! And you, Christine! This is starting to feel like a Barney episode!!

I was looking at Shiloh cabinets, but there is a Mennonite cabinet maker close by that I MUST look at before I decide....They are not a progressiive order, so their shop is powered by horses.

I will let everyone know what happens.

My bathrooms have always had inset cabs without problems.

Do you have a bathroom fan? An externally vented range hood? Do you use AC in the summer? Have a humidifier in the winter? Wood is comfortable in the same temperature and relative humidity as people and if you keep it comfortable it has minimal expansion and contraction. If your home is a hot and sweaty place during summer and your skin dries out and cracks in winter, then your wood---including floors and cabinets---will have issues. Get that fixed and you won't have a problem.

We have inset cabinets in both bathrooms...no fans. Never had to adjust the drawers or doors.

I'm just wondering what time period actually had inset cabinets in the kitchen? My ridiculous collection of kitchen images shows a few from the twenties although most were overlay even then (usually the partial-inset lipped style).

I think it's more of a classic furniture look than a classic kitchen look.

I do like inset, but they don't make a kitchen look authentically old. But since nobody does the lipped cabinets anymore, they're probably the best available option for old-timey.

I have flat panel, inset cabinets in my basement that we think were originally in the outside kitchen, built in 1858. They are no boxes - simple shelves framed between a fireplace & an end wall with the face & door attached to side pieces & no back. They fit floor to ceiling with the lower doors being approx 3' high; one side has glass panes in the upper & one has wooden panels.

'20s cabinets had plenty of inset shaker cabinet doors; it was usually the drawers that were lipped overlay. Lipped overlay doors appeared in the '30s-'50s.

Lots of 19th century built-ins were inset.

Before they were called "inset doors" they were called "doors". It was the original way of hanging a door; inside a frame, like a house door in miniature. With Butt Hinges or "H & L" hinges.
It was only when new forms of hinges came into use could a door be surface hung or partially inset (lipped).
Casey

We have some built-in inset cabinets in our home, built in 1940. They are located in the dining room and living room. Never had a problem with sticking. I'm in MN, we do not have air conditioning and summers are humid, but absolutely no sticking problems. We also have settling issues, but no problems with our cabinets. So our new kitchen will have inset cabs, too.

legallin, we have inset vanities in our bathroom without any problems.

I love my inset cabinets!

I would love to talk inset with you...either start another thread and I will chime in or call me direct at 910-639-3553 or travisalfreywoodworking@gmail.com and we can discuss. I hope this is not a violation of the forum to give out my number or email.

Travis Alfrey
Aberdeen, NC

Travis,
I'm going to drop you a quick email.
It's not a violation, but you could start getting an ugly amount of spam and phone sales. Arrrrghhh!

Thanks,
Christine

i live in RI and go to the Newport mansions often. all of those timeless kitchens have inset cabinets and they seems to be just fine after 100 years :)

My 6 yr old Wood-mode cabinets are beautiful. No sticking or any such issues. Make sure your cutlery and utensil drawers are deep enough (top to bottom). The dings on the top of the frame from careless dishwasher emptiers (my kids) will not be covered by those inset drawers. I have been lurking lately because we are about to embark on another build. inset again?with kids, I don't know. Definitely creamy white still.