Cabinet Knobs

Cabinet knobs are part of the builder's hardware segment known as decorative hardware. These knobs are used on your cabinet doors for both decorative and functional aspects. They facilitate easy opening and closing of the cabinet doors and drawers as well as offering a focal point and sometimes a conversational piece to your kitchen cabinet and bathroom vanity decor.

Cabinet Knob Selection

When selecting cabinet knob styles, it is important to keep in mind the setting... you would not select an ostentatious cabinet knob for a plain utilitarian style decor, a more traditional knob would best be suited for that purpose as well as for the more intricate cabinet woodwork as a flashy cabinet knob selection could take the focus away from the craftsmanship.

On the flip side, if you wish to spice up your cabinets and drawers, a bold or even fun selection of cabinet knobs can be quite a conversation starter and make a plain looking kitchen or bathroom more interesting. But which ever knobs you wind up choosing, keep in mind that they should have the same finish or complimenting finish to the cabinet hinges on your cabinet doors.

Cabinet Knob Installation

Though it may not seem so, placement of cabinet knobs is important, especially in an overlay situation where the cabinet door overlaps the cabinet frame. In cases like this be sure your screw holes are not in the frame area as the exposed screws on the back of the door can cause damage to the cabinet frame. For example, if the door overlaps the cabinet frame by 1/2 inch, you should drill the hole for your cabinet knobs 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch in, allowing for clearance for the screw at the back of the door.

If you do wind up needing to install the cabinet knobs closer to the edge of the door, then you will need to countersink the screw holes so that the screws do not cause damage to your cabinets.

Installation of cabinet knobs on drawers does not vary much... in most cases, you would drill a single screw hole in the exact center of the drawer front to install the knob. There a few exceptions to this, such as odd configuration of a specialized cabinet knob or for artistic impact.

Cabinet Knob Handing

Most cabinet knobs are round and can be used in any orientation, however, some of the more creative or eccentrically shaped knobs need to face a particular direction. These are knobs are "handed" meaning there is a right hand (facing right) and left hand (facing left) version of these knobs.

The most common use for handed cabinet knobs is where two cabinet doors meet. You would have a left hand knob on one door and a right hand knob on the other to compliment it.

Cabinet Knob Handing Example