kitchen cabinet handle location on upper and lower doors

[branimal]

I've got 5" handles for my cabinet doors. I think I'm going to center the handle on the rail. How far off the bottom of the upper cabinet door should the handle be? Measured from the bottom of the door to the bottom of the handle. Anything more than 1" seems to be off to me.

On the lower cabinet doors, I could see that measurement being somewhat greater. Maybe 2".

 

[branimal]

How do you guys space handles on drawer cabinets with different sized drawers? Putting the handle in the center of the each drawer might look weird.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Doors-The bottom of the handle should be at the line where the stile and rail meet.

Drawers- Handle at center of top drawer.
Center of the upper rail on remaining drawers.

 

[CraigStu]

On the wall cab I'd center the bottom standoff of the handle in the lower rail and center the handle in the style. ( I had to look up the name of those parts - https://triangle.cabinetcures.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cabinet-anatomy.jpg ). On the drawers I assume you will install the handle horizontally so centered in the rail both vertically and horizontally. BTW, if you have any wide drawers just use one centered handle. We have a couple of 42 inch wide drawers and made the mistake of installing two handles. Problem is that when you grab just one handle the drawer tries to go cockeyed on you when you pull it out.

 

[billconner]

wall

 

[billconner]

base

 

[mogandave]

The above suggestion sound good. Put strips of 1/2" tape where each of the handles go (all of them) and see how you like it.

 

[branimal]

wall

Bill this looks centered on the stile and 1" off the bottom of the rail. This looks good.

 

[branimal]

For drawer cabinets: Just watched a this old house video and Tom suggests putting the handle in the center of the top drawer. 1/4" above center for the 2nd drawer & 1/2" above center for the bottom drawer. Some kind of visual affect where if you actually center the handles the bottom 2 handles look below center.

Took this screen grab off wayfair. Looks about right.

I have one long handle for my 36" drawer cabinets.

 

[ace10]

What kind of joints.. mitered or ****?

You got a jig for the drill?

 

[billconner]

Bill this looks centered on the stile and 1" off the bottom of the rail. This looks good.

Bottom hole of wall cab handle at intersection of stile and rail centerlines. Base drawers - and all base cabs are all drawers, nor doors, center in top rail.

Questionable choice was where two or three drawer fronts were joined - recycle center is three high, under sinks and a tall drawer for sheet pans and cutting boards, etc are two high - handles on them? I have not but one of those things I look at.

btw the Kroeg jig for drilling for handles was fantastic.

 

[Toolfool]

Center pulls on top drawers of base cabinets. Larger lower drawers same height from top of drawer as top drawer, OR 1/3 down from top of drawer for BIG drawers. On base full height doors, align top of pull with top drawer pull. Wall cabinets same placement as where base doors ended up, only reversed. Symmetry. (my system for 35 years and over 200 kitchens. )

 

[billconner]

We spent a long time looking at wall cab handle horizontal like base or vertical. We think the vertical, though different than base, functions and looks better (and I'm not tempted to dry dish towels from them).

liked this

 

[branimal]

What kind of joints.. mitered or ****?

You got a jig for the drill?

Looks like **** joints with a bevel. Not visible at every stile and rail joint. Meaning they conceal it well.

Yeah I bought the Kreg Kitchen cabinet hardware jig.

 

[branimal]

I was about to start drilling the one cabinet drawer where everyone was in agreement and I noticed the drawer itself is not level. The drawer face sits lower on the left side. I can raise it up by hand to a level position.

The rails are slightly off level as well. The left rail has a lot of wiggle in it, where as the right is a bit firmer. It looks like the back of the rail has an adjustment index. The grey plastic bit in the back.

Any idea how to tighten things up and get it level before I drill?

 

[Sumboodie]

base

I'd put those in the center of the drawer.

 

[billconner]

I'd put those in the center of the drawer.

I know. I've looked and like them much more on top rail. Surfing images on line, still prefer on rail in just about all cases. Practically, I like bending over less.

My favorite pull out is recycle center. Electric. Bump with knee and it opens. I'd think about that on all of them it it weren't $100+ per drawer. But really nice when hands are full of garbage or cuttings.

I guess it's s classic vs contemporary design issue, with classic in center of panel. like my 3 drawers at 10" vs 5, 10, and 15" drawers.

 

[engineer2]

I did mine the conventional way.
Lower screw of the bar handle located where the rail and stile meet.
Centered on the drawer fronts.
Centered on the upper rail for the garbage pull-out.

One of those Cabinet Hardware Jig Tools you can buy on Amazon was a real time saver.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

The bottomline is- put them where you like them.

I've followed an old rule of thumb- "handles on doors, knobs on drawers". Knobs centered on drawer face. Handles on wall cabinet doors- centered on style, bottom mounting hole even with the inside edge of the rail- and kinda up-side-down for base cabinet doors.
basically like bconner's posted diagram of "paneled doors"/"contemporary".

 

[rlitman]

I was about to start drilling the one cabinet drawer where everyone was in agreement and I noticed the drawer itself is not level. The drawer face sits lower on the left side. I can raise it up by hand to a level position.

The rails are slightly off level as well. The left rail has a lot of wiggle in it, where as the right is a bit firmer. It looks like the back of the rail has an adjustment index. The grey plastic bit in the back.

Any idea how to tighten things up and get it level before I drill?

That's off by a LOT. You sure the drawer was resting squarely on both undermount slides? It looks to me like it wasn't seated on one.

Undermount slide systems all have micro adjustments for drawer leveling, but I'd need to see your system up close to know what yours uses. If you can find a part number, google it, and you'll probably find the manual. I've got various generations of Bluhm slides, and they have either knurled nut adjustments, or a plastic cam with click stops. I just can't quite make out your picture well enough.

Forget the back. These should have a track on the back and fit loosely. It allows the drawer to pivot horizontally a little, but is self correcting when closed. If you push on one side of the drawer front while pulling on the other, you should be able to rack everything, causing the slides to shift in their tracks, and when you close the drawer and push it to its stops, everything will realign. It's a REALLY nice system.

 

[jbfsr]

Get one of those plastic guides so all handles mount the same.

 

[rlitman]

Get one of those plastic guides so all handles mount the same.

That's one option. If you want a more generic tool that can be used on other things too, I use an Incra T-Rule:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TRBX/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PoorUB]

Seriously, put them where you want!

We refinished and replaced all the hardware on our kichen cabinets 10 years ago. We have an older home with two differant styles of cabinets in the kitchen, on opposite walls. Not paying attention I mounted the pulls on one set of cabinets and went to to the other style, and they wouldn't work out the same, so I just did them they way it worked for them. If anyone has noticed, in all these years nobody has said anything.

 

[Toolfool]

I was about to start drilling the one cabinet drawer where everyone was in agreement and I noticed the drawer itself is not level. The drawer face sits lower on the left side. I can raise it up by hand to a level position.

The rails are slightly off level as well. The left rail has a lot of wiggle in it, where as the right is a bit firmer. It looks like the back of the rail has an adjustment index. The grey plastic bit in the back.

Any idea how to tighten things up and get it level before I drill?

All the doors and drawers should be adjusted before any drilling . Part of the job. Sometimes the undermounts can be adjusted, sometimes the drawer fronts themselves need to be adjusted for level and to line up with the drawers and doors below them. The bumpers sometimes keep the undermounts from engaging properly. You might have to reach under the drawer and pull the slide forward until it clicks into the mechanism in front. Be careful, they're sharp. Factory assemblers aren't the best and stuff shifts during transport. Can't tell you how many times I've been called to re-adjust doors and drawers because the installer didn't even attempt to.

 

[Sumboodie]

I know. I've looked and like them much more on top rail. Surfing images on line, still prefer on rail in just about all cases. Practically, I like bending over less.

My favorite pull out is recycle center. Electric. Bump with knee and it opens. I'd think about that on all of them it it weren't $100+ per drawer. But really nice when hands are full of garbage or cuttings.

I guess it's s classic vs contemporary design issue, with classic in center of panel. like my 3 drawers at 10" vs 5, 10, and 15" drawers.

I never was a fan of the trash can in a cabinet.

It's too small and gets the cabinet gross and dirty over time.

 

[mikedodge]

Put the knobs and handles where they look and work best you. Most people that see it won't care unless they're obviously not identical and what looks good for one person might not look good for someone else.
I agree about garbage in a cupboard. My grandparents did that and it stunk since it was enclosed and I always wondered what the next person would do with that cupboard.

 

[billconner]

I never was a fan of the trash can in a cabinet.

It's too small and gets the cabinet gross and dirty over time.

Ours has been very satisfactory for a couple years now. The electric opener and good bins. Of course no young kids. Bins for garbage, recyclables, deposit cans and bottles, and a small one for batteries. Thinking about adding composting.

 

[Sumboodie]

Ours has been very satisfactory for a couple years now. The electric opener and good bins. Of course no young kids. Bins for garbage, recyclables, deposit cans and bottles, and a small one for batteries. Thinking about adding composting.

I don't have kids either.

I spent a solid 1/2 hour yesterday cleaning the kitchen trash can and the wall behind it.
Year or two worth of small drips and splashes. It not being an eye level location, I hadn't really noticed it getting dirty.

My brother's in laws have the trash can in the cupboard setup. The couple times I've been there, I found it to be a PITA and not overly practical.
It is nice the can it out of sight though.


No recycling here. All is trash. I either burn it or dumpster it, depending how I feel.

 

[yeldogt]

I like knobs on any traditional type cabinets .... normally in a kitchen with modern glides -- only one is needed. Less is more.

here is part of my new build .. I'm on the fence with one or two on the larger .... we are setting up for one

 

[Bert_]

I like knobs on any traditional type cabinets .... normally in a kitchen with modern glides -- only one is needed. Less is more.

here is part of my new build .. I'm on the fence with one or two on the larger .... we are setting up for one

Those are very nice looking cabinets.

 

[Jeff C]

Don’t overthink it. No one but you will ever notice where they are located. That being said here’s how ours were done by the cabinet maker.

 

[yeldogt]

I like knobs on any traditional type cabinets .... normally in a kitchen with modern glides -- only one is needed. Less is more.

here is part of my new build .. I'm on the fence with one or two on the larger .... we are setting up for one

It's all part of a bedroom bathroom suite .... It's a wall of cabinets vs having a closest ..... hidden door to a bathroom. I like using the same detail on everything when doing a project ..... this house has the same bead on all the cabinets -- doors, inside/ outside trim, windows ... makes for a cool project. Lots of color .... I'm into color .. as long as it's not gray. I did pebble glass in some of the lower level to let light through. Place is all pocket doors ... Into pockets as well. All simple knobs on the cabinets ..... the smaller doors have touch catches ... so nothing at all visible. On the ones that do ---- they will go noticeably above the rail. I like my stile/ rail a bid wider so it does not look like shaker and more english .... no toe kicks either.

 

[HenryAZ]

Doors-The bottom of the handle should be at the line where the stile and rail meet.

This is how I always did it. We made all of our doors with mortise and tenon joints, and this keeps the handle/knob above/below the joint. Drilling through a joint weakens it and you could hit nails/brads, too.

 

[acer66]

I like knobs on any traditional type cabinets .... normally in a kitchen with modern glides -- only one is needed. Less is more.

here is part of my new build .. I'm on the fence with one or two on the larger .... we are setting up for one

Those look great, what is the reason for the small drawers?

 

[billconner]

My recycling center. We haven't cleaned this much in 2 years. I wouldn't do it any other way in future. The hands free electric opener is a key to it - maybe moving can away from everything.

 

[jar944]

I was about to start drilling the one cabinet drawer where everyone was in agreement and I noticed the drawer itself is not level. The drawer face sits lower on the left side. I can raise it up by hand to a level position.

The rails are slightly off level as well. The left rail has a lot of wiggle in it, where as the right is a bit firmer. It looks like the back of the rail has an adjustment index. The grey plastic bit in the back.

Any idea how to tighten things up and get it level before I drill?

These are the base model blum locking devices on what I assume are blum 563h slides. Slide this toward the rear if the drawer to raise that side.

 

[yeldogt]

Those look great, what is the reason for the small drawers?

Looks really ..... It's a full wall and the bedroom is longer than wide -- did not want furniture in the room so this is the dresser/ closets. I'm having a bed made as well. Typically --- it's nice to have some small storage areas. I wanted the wall to have some interest. The hidden door is not installed .... still work to be done to the unit. The two larger spaces are really closets w/ bars not the shelfs ..... it will get an internal pull out shelf on the bottom of each

 

[branimal]

Got the handles installed. For wall cabinets and base cabinets with doors, I centered the handle on the stile and centered the bottom of the handle on the rail.

For my recycling pullout I centered the handle on the upper rail.

I bought a Rev-a-shelf undersink trash pullout for my two door sink cabinet. There is an optional door kit that attaches the pullout to the door for $25. If I go this route, I'd need to center the handle on the upper rail of one door. For symmetry, I'd have to install the opposing door handle the same way, but it won't have a pullout feature. Would pulling from the center of the cabinet door screw up the hinges??

As far as keeping the sink base cabinet clean, I'm thinking about installing a cabinet liner on the floor.


@jar944 You're correct, theres a little tab the clicks forwards and backwards to level the drawer. Thanks

 

[jar944]

Is that trash pullout going to clear your sink/dw plumbing?

 

[jar944]

I never was a fan of the trash can in a cabinet.

It's too small and gets the cabinet gross and dirty over time.

You are stuck putting it somewhere. I'd personally rather have it in a cabinet rather than sitting out.. Size wise you are only limited by the cabinet. You could fit a 30 gallon can under there if you wanted to.