Inset Kitchen Cabinets: The Furniture-Grade Door and What It Costs

Inset cabinets set the doors and drawer fronts flush inside the face frame instead of over it. In our catalog, all 9 inset door-and-color variants are semi-custom. There's no RTA or stock inset.

All 9 of our inset door-and-color variants are on the semi-custom line, and none are RTA or stock. Here's how inset sits next to the full overlay door we use on our framed lines.

Every inset door in the catalog lives on our semi-custom line. For custom cabinets, ask our designers about inset. For current prices, see pricing.

Frameless is the one build where inset can't happen. Our frameless slab line has no face frame, so there's no opening for a door to sit in. It uses a ¾-inch engineered furniture board box with lacquered MDF-core slab doors. Want flat, modern doors? Look at slab or the frameless line. Want a framed classic? Shaker is the usual starting point.

For context, HomeAdvisor's national figure puts inset at roughly 20% more than comparable overlay designs, and broader estimates run from 20% to 40%.

Until they're up, browse our projects in the project gallery.

Our catalog offers 5 door styles: shaker, slim shaker, slab, raised panel and inset. Inset itself has a few variations. Here they are, defined one by one, so you know the terms before you meet a designer.

Flush inset

The door sits level with the square-edged frame opening.

Beaded inset

A small decorative bead runs around the frame opening.

Inset shaker

A five-piece shaker door set inside a framed opening. Read more on our shaker style page.

Inset slab

A flat door set inside a framed opening. See the slab style for the door itself.

Inset doors can show the hinge as a design detail or hide it. Our catalog construction lists soft-close concealed hinges and undermount full-extension glides. Pulls and knobs are on the hardware page.

Our 9 inset variants split into 4 white-family finishes and 5 natural-wood finishes. Two families, nine variants.

The white family: Origami White, White, Pearl White and White Oak. The natural-wood family: Truffle Brown, Hazelnut Oak, Brown, Oak and Mahogany. By species, the inset variants run to oak (2), mahogany (1) and white oak (1). A custom paint color is available on the semi-custom line, which is the only line where inset is offered in our catalog. No navy, sage or black.

Browse by white or natural wood, or go by species: oak and white oak.

One construction note, and it differs line by line, so read the painted and stained descriptions separately. On our painted lines the door frame is solid wood or HDF with a ⅜ to ⅝-inch MDF center panel. On our stained lines the stiles and rails are solid wood and the center panel is plywood or MDF.

Inset has three questions to settle before you order: wood movement, storage, and price.

Wood movement first. Solid wood moves with seasonal humidity, and an inset door has very little gap to absorb it, so a door can rub.

Storage next. The door sits inside the frame opening instead of over it.

Then price. Bring your budget to the design session. Production time is quoted per project, because it depends on the design. For context, HomeAdvisor's national figure is roughly 20% more than comparable overlay designs.

Are inset cabinets high end?

Not by the door style alone. Inset describes how the door sits in the frame, so judge the box too: on our main lines it's ½-inch plywood with ¾-inch plywood adjustable shelves.

A free 3D design stays valid for 10 days, and you can ask for changes by one message. Here's the path from first photos to finished kitchen.

1. Free design: send photos from all sides, ceiling height, wall lengths, and where windows, plumbing, fridge and gas sit.
2. Showroom: visit us on Hwy 9 and see full kitchen displays.
3. Measure: inside 100 miles of Alpharetta we measure the kitchen ourselves.
4. Sign-off: we draw the design with dimensions, you confirm it, we send the payment link with the spec, and you re-check and sign. Then it goes into production. No cancellation, return or exchange after payment.
5. Delivery and install: delivery usually comes within about 10 days of shipment, and we warn you early about changes. Our crew installs within 100 miles. Elsewhere in Georgia we deliver, and we help a customer outside Atlanta find an installer.

Every kitchen is designed per project. We ship across the US on request, but our focus is Georgia. Delivery is $300 curbside or $450 to the garage or driveway up to 50 miles; farther is quoted per order. A standard 10x10 averages 3 to 5 working days of installation by our crew.

Prime Cabinet Store, 4700 Atlanta Hwy, Alpharetta, GA 30004. Call (470) 460-6180. Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 6 PM Google rating 4.8 from 103 reviews.

Homeowners send photos and measurements. Our designers will draw your kitchen with inset doors, free, and you can look at it on your phone. A dream kitchen, a kitchen renovation, a kitchen remodel or full kitchen remodeling: all of these kitchens start with the same kitchen design. We handle kitchen and bathroom work too, from cabinets and countertops to bathroom vanities, custom cabinetry and bathroom remodeling, so one project covers the whole job. Start with a design consultation on the design page. Or contact us.