Renovating your kitchen is essential for having a modern house. I have seen a lot of people who want modern kitchen styles to touch up their homes.
You may want stylish, unique but strong kitchen cabinets that will remain with you for a long time. Maybe, you are planning to make some book cabinets in your room. Maybe, you want some special cabinets for your living room.
In this case, you must know about cabinet stiles. This is an essential aspect of a cabinet that every homeowner and DIY person should know.
I am going to tell you the basics of cabinet stiles to help you in making your new kitchen cabinets.
What are Cabinet Stiles?
You all have seen the basic structure of any cabinet. It has four sides; the left and right vertical frames, and upper and lower horizontal frames.
The left and right frames are cabinet stiles. They are attached with rails, the horizontal frames of a cabinet.
These four frames complete a kitchen cabinet and are a part of its renovation. They are mostly made of different types of woods from which you can choose the one. You may see these stiles in built-in and freestanding cabinets.
The vertical cabinet stiles are present in the exterior of the cabinet, but there is a center stile too. It is a famous stile that is present on the inside of the cabinets, and only a few people go for center stiles. They mostly go for outside stiles but rarely want a center stile.
This stile is available either in wood or metal form. So, homeowners choose the material according to their preference.
These center cabinet stiles are present in vertical form in the cabinet, dividing the doorway and opening. They work as a partition and a support beam for the cabinet. They were a must part in the old house kitchen cabinet.
Some homeowners still prefer it in the double-door cabinets and widespread cabinets.
But, modern kitchen cabinets can be without them. Because carpenters have found more durable materials that can easily replace the center stile. Moreover, there are frameless kitchen cabinets in the market too. These cabinets don’t need any type of stiles.
This is the basic introduction of cabinet stiles.
Advantages of Cabinet Stiles
A lot of people go for the vertical stiles for a strong frame but choose to ignore the center stile. Only a few homeowners go for this type of stile due to its positive aspects.
So, I am going to discuss the overall benefits of cabinet stiles. Along with it, I also discuss the exclusive positive points of the center stile in this part.
Structural Support
Cabinet stiles are made of steel and wood, making the cabinets strong. They provide support to the door and don’t let the excessive weight of the crockery negatively affect the cabinets.
The cabinet center stile is exceptionally good when you want to give additional support to the frame of your cabinet. They are best to use in those cabinets that are made of MDF or particle board.
Because these materials are weak and don’t provide any good support. So, the center stile can give them additional support.
Aesthetic Appeal
Cabinet stiles can enhance the aesthetic look of your kitchen. They can make your cabinets attractive.
The center cabinet stiles play a major role in enhancing the beauty of your cabinets. If you want a traditional look of your kitchen, then you should install the center stile in your cabinets.
This center stile gives a sophisticated look to your kitchen. They give a rustic, traditional and cottage look to your place.
So, if you are not a fan of minimalist designs, you can go for center stiles cabinets.
Moreover, the stiles ensure that there is consistent space between the cabinet doors. This consistency gives a neat and polished look to your kitchen.
Customization Options
You can customize your kitchen cabinets with the help of stiles. They are available in different sizes, materials, and colors.
The cabinet stiles can be available in light wood or dark wood. They can be either in wood or steel. You can cut them in different widths according to your preference.
In this way, they can be similar to your house’s interior. Also, you can add different decorative elements to your cabinets with the help of stiles. They can have intricate carvings and moldings to enhance the aesthetic appeal of it.
So, you can have a customized kitchen with the help of cabinet stiles.
Durability
The cabinet stiles are durable and keep your cabinets strong. They make sure that your cabinets remain with you for a long time. They minimize the need to repair cabinets, making them highly durable.
These stiles are a support beam of your cabinet. So, they ensure that heavy crockery doesn’t cause any damage to them. Without these stiles, your cabinet will fall off due to the weight of the pans.
In this case, the center cabinet stile is greatly helpful. It divides the weight of the pans and cooker in the cabinets, preventing any accidents.
Moreover, they don’t let the doors warp and get damaged in any way. It means they are essentially beneficial in those environments where the humidity level is high. They also prevent cabinets from sagging.
So, investing in a center cabinet stiles can be a long-term investment.
Hinge Attachment
The cabinet stiles are ideal for hinge attachments. You can attach deadbolts, shelves, and latches to the stiles. They will ensure smooth opening and closing of the door. This can be done easily with a Screw Driver.
It means they ensure that your door remains durable. Moreover, they can conceal the cabinet’s hinges too, giving a neater look to it.
Better Organization
You can organize the spices and other items in your cabinet with the help of stiles. The center stile is especially helpful in dividing the spaces in your cabinets.
So, you can have an organized pantry with the help of stiles. You can also use them in drawers for organizing things.
Increased Resale Value
If you have a center cabinet stile in your kitchen, it can enhance the resale value of your house. Because it gives a sophisticated and unique look to your kitchen.
Nowadays, standard kitchen cabinets don’t have the center cabinet stiles. So, having them in your kitchen will make it different from ordinary kitchens.
That’s why buyers are eager to give more money for this kitchen than the ordinary ones. This automatically enhances the price value of your house.
Moreover, they will also be eager to buy your home quickly. Because they want a unique style kitchen before this design becomes common.
So, you can have extra money due to center cabinet stiles.
Disadvantages of Cabinet Stiles
Takes up a lot of space
The cabinet stiles take up a major part of space in the kitchen. They are present on both sides of the cabinet, taking up a lot of space.
If you have a center stile, then it will restrict the inner space of your cabinet. It will take some space in the cabinet, leaving less space for large pots and pans.
So, if your kitchen is small, then having cabinet stiles will not be a good decision. If you use large pans in your daily routine, then you can face issues in storing them due to the center stile.
So, you should choose the cabinet stiles only when you have spacious space. Otherwise, having them will not be a good decision.
Cost
The cabinet stiles need more material, time, and labor. You need extra wood to make the stiles according to your cabinets. You need professionals who will cut and install them.
So, it will enhance the cost of installing the kitchen cabinets. It means you can’t have them if you are tight on budget.
Installation Complexity
The installation of cabinet stiles needs a lot of expertise and knowledge. You need to make sure that they are installed at an accurate distance and add beauty and space to your cabinets.
Not Easy Access
The stiles make it difficult to access the products present on the backside of your cabinets.
So, this limitation of accessibility can be quite frustrating in a lot of scenarios.
Cleaning Difficulty
As stiles make it difficult to access different things, they also make it difficult to clean the corners and crevices of your cabinets.
They produce additional space that requires your time and energy to clean. The limited accessibility sometimes makes certain areas nearly impossible to clean. So, dust and grime can settle there.
In this way, those areas will become less hygienic and inappropriate to store your crockery.
Cabinet Weight
It is true that cabinet stiles provide support to your cabinets, making them strong. But, they also add weight to your cabinets.
This additional weight can cause harm in various situations. So, you should consider this aspect if you want lightweight cabinets due to any reason.
Limited Style Trends
It is a reality that cabinet stiles enhance the aesthetic appeal of your kitchen, and increase the resale value of it. But, they are not ideal if you want a minimalist kitchen design.
Also, they restrict different customization options. You may want a unique storage design for your cabinets and stiles may get a hurdle in it. So, you need to go for frame less kitchen cabinets.
This style trend depends on your personal taste. The stiles can give you only a traditional look and restricted customization options.
If you need to install stiles and do not feel comfortable with completing this project yourself, then hire a professional. Find A Pro Near You Here!
