If you’re planning to replace your cabinet hardware, you might wonder if they come in standard sizes, so it’s only the matter of walking into a home center to choose the design of your choice.
But here’s The Truth about Kitchen Cabinet Universality
Kitchen cabinet hardware are not universal, and therefore do not come in standard sizes. Pulls, knobs and hinges all come in various shapes and forms to match a specific type of design and application in a kitchen, although certain measurements find more applications in the kitchen than others, for instance, the 5” and 12” pulls as well as 1-1/4” and 1’5/5 knobs.
Are Cabinet Knobs Universal?
Kitchen knobs do not have a universal or common size. They come in various shapes and forms to match the design of your cabinetry.
Knobs can even have back plates attached to them to boost the detailing of the cabinetry as well hide imperfections caused by screws.
By far, the most important dimensions for cabinet knobs are the length and width which are described as the horizontal and vertical distance from one end of the main head to the other, respectively.
The length and width is what ultimately determines how big a knob is for a particular application, and is what you should always use to gauge the size of a particular knob.
Because knobs come in different shapes and forms from round, square, rectangles to rings, bars and even fuller shapes, the length and width will actually vary a lot.
However, the most popular length and width used for cabinet knobs, especially for round knobs spans between 1.25” to 1.7”, with the exception of the ring and bar nobs that can have a much greater length and width by virtue of their extended design.
Also, each knob can have a specific size of wood required to fasten it tight against the wood.
Are Cabinet Door Pulls Universal
Cabinet pulls do not also have a universal dimension. Cabinet pulls, like knobs come in different shapes and forms (that vary based on manufacturer) in order to carter for the huge variance that occur in the world of kitchen décor.
The basic and most important dimension on a pull are the projection which is how far the pull projects from the surface of the wood when installed, and also the center too center length (ctc), which is the distance between the two screw slots.
This distance is of uttermost importance when replacing cabinet pull as the new hardware would have to match the existing pull’s center to center distance in order to mask out any imperfections caused by the screws.
Alternatively, pulls with backplaates can be used to cover up, but they have to be of a larger ctc distance that the original.
Are Cabinet Hinges Universal?
Hinges too come in different shapes and forms and thus aren’t universal.
The category of hinges used on cabinet doors are mostly of the concealed type, but even within this category, so many variations exist primarily presented by brands such as salice, grass, hafele, SOSS, and Mepla among a few others, and each have their own unique designs that makes hinges impossible to become universal.
What Is The Rule Of Thumb For Cabinet Hardware?
There are many things to consider when choosing and installing hardware for your cabinet.
The most important include:
The Larger the Hardware, The better.
The larger the pull or knob on your cabinet drawers and doors, the more power it has to command attention in the kitchen.
This is why smaller pulls (of 3” to 5” length) are not advised to be used on drawers larger than 22’’, because their details will be drowned in the vastness of the drawer, and the cabinet would lack the extra detail that comes with having a cabinet hardware.
Larger Is Easier To Put To Practice
No brainer, the larger a pull or knob is, the easier it is to grab.
When you have large sized hardware installed on your drawers, you’re not only intensifying the visual appeal of the kitchen, you’re making access to the drawer easier for people, especially those with wider and bigger hands.
Smaller Drawers Should Have Smaller Pulls and Larger Knobs
For some reason, larger knobs look clean and sleek on small drawers. And by larger, I mean knobs that are longer than 1.25” in length and width.
These may not provide greater visual appeal than smaller knobs when installed on a small drawer, but they look really good nonetheless.
You can get away with using larger knobs on kitchen drawers that are less than 13” x 5” in length.
When it comes to the pull size however, stick with smaller pull sizes, those in the range of 3” to 5” inches for a 13” x 5”.
This is because larger pulls, except when used on an appliance, don’t look good on smaller drawers because they end up overwhelming them, although they’re highly effective for the main purpose they serve which is to grant access to the storage inside.
Pulls and Knobs Can Be Mixed
If you thought a kitchen must either be all knobs or all pulls, then you’ve thought wrong all along.
Both pulls and knobs can be mixed on cabinets to achieve an impressive cohesiveness.
You can have all pulls on the upper cabinet then knobs on the lower.
And if you want to get even more adventurous with your style, you can have a single cabinet unit accommodate both pulls and knobs by having the top drawer installed with a pull, and the doors right underneath fixed with knobs. Or otherwise.
You can also have individual cabinet units installed with either knobs or pulls.
Just make sure that the pulls and knobs are of the same color or finishing, or, of a certain type of characteristics that matches the cabinet and wont clash with the other type of hardware.
Can You Replace Kitchen Cabinet Hardware?
You can definitely replace kitchen cabinet hardware from to pulls to knobs and even hinges, but know that for a smooth replacement of pulls, the replacement hardware needs to match the current hardware in its dimensions.
The reason why there is specific exaggeration for pulls is because they are built with a center to center measurement, which is simply the distance between the two screw holes.
Through this medium: the center to center, pulls are fix onto doors, and unless you have a replacement pull with a similar center to center measurement, the drill holes from the previous screws will become evident.
If you don’t mind that, replacing pulls shouldn’t be a problem for you.
But you can always purchase pulls with decorative backplate in order to hide the screw marks on the wood.
For hinges, they’re built inside, so there’s really not cause for alarm whether or not they match.
Knobs too are very easy to replace because they have only a single screw hole, and some even come with backplate to hide any possible imperfections on the wood caused by the previous installation.
How Do You Measure Cabinet Hardware?
Pulls
Pulls are measured using three main dimensions.
They include:
- Length: The complete distance spanned by the longest side of the pull.
- Center to Center (ctc): The distance between two screw holes
- Projection: How far the pull projects back from the surface of the installed wood.
The length of the pull will tell you how long the pull is, whereas the ctc measurement is necessary when you want need to replace pulls.
The projection will tell you how far the pull projects from the surface of the wood it’s going to be installed on.
Different people prefer different types of projections on their doors, and you should make sure to choose one that suits your need, or would easily carter for the largest hand in the family.
Knobs
Knobs actually have far more parameters of measurement.
These include:
- Length: The horizontal distance or side to side measurement of the longest side of the knob.
- Width: The vertical distance from the two crests of the knob.
- Projection: The depth of the knob measured from the screw-side to the knob head.
- Base Length: The horizontal distance of the baseplate.
- Base Width: The vertical distance baseplate.
Depending on the brand of knob you’re purchasing, you may not have a baseplate, and thus the base measurements will cancel out of the equation.
The length plus width of the knob will tell you how big it is where as the projection will tell you how far the knobs will project after it’s installed on the drawer or the cabinet door.
How Do You Choose Hardware For Your Cabinet?
Design
The design of your kitchen cabinets should greatly influence the style and color of hardware you go for.
Hardware exist in many different finishes from satin nickel, golden brass, matte to champagne bronze among many others.
They’re also texturized in many ways from smooth, rough, striped to knurled, all suited for different applications and preferred by different people.
Make sure to go to a home center and check out the wide variety of kitchen cabinet hardware available out there, and choose one that best suits your kitchen and your needs.
Measurement
Make sure to also consider the measurements carefully.
The projection is how far the hardware will project from the installed surface. You definitely don’t want a larger projection otherwise it can affect the workflow and comfort in the kitchen as well as even cause injury.
Likewise, smaller projections, particularly for pulls are a pain in the neck for people with larger hands as they’ll have a hard time effecting a pull.
Next comes length.
This is very crucial and if you don’t get it right, your kitchen might be the new joke of the neighborhood.
The rule of thumb with regards to what pull size or knob to use on a cabinet is this:
Drawers:
Smaller drawers (13” x 5”) should have knobs of 1.25” to 1.625” installed in the middle of the drawer. The bigger the better.
For pulls, use a 3” to 7” pull.
Medium drawers (22” x 6”) should have one large knob (1.625” or more) fixed in the middle. A 5” or 12” pull would also look great on it.
You can do the double pull or knob design if you want to, and I’d recommend a 5” for the double pull and a 1.625” for the double knobs.
Use pull cups or drops if you want to, but let them not be not larger than 5” in length.
Larger drawers (32” x 11”) should have a large 12” pull installed in the middle. For knobs, use two 1.652” knobs. You can also use double pull cups and drop pull.
Doors
Small doors (13”x 23”) should have a 5” pull or more installed. If knobs must be used, use a large knob. Avoid pull cups and drops on doors.
Medium doors (16” x 39”) should either have a large sized knob (1.625”) or a large pull installed on it, preferably 12”.
Large doors (18” x 60”) should have the 1-5/8” knob installed or a 5” or 12” pull. Smaller pulls or knobs are easily lost in the vastness of the door.