Cabinet Door Overlay Explained: Full vs Partial

Teaching My Son About Overlay

My boy was helping me on a jobsite last summer when he asked why some cabinet doors almost touched each other and others had big gaps between them. Good question. I'd been doing this so long I forgot that overlay isn't obvious to everyone.

"See how much the door covers the frame?" I showed him. "That's called overlay. More coverage means less frame showing."

He nodded like he understood. Then he asked, "So why don't people just cover all of it?"

Smart kid. The answer is: some people do. Others don't. And getting it wrong means doors that don't fit, gaps that look wrong, and hardware that won't line up. Here's what you need to know about overlay, whether you're ordering replacement doors, planning a reface, or just trying to understand what you've got.

What is Overlay, Really?

Overlay is the amount the cabinet door covers (or "overlays") the face frame opening. Think of it as how much the door extends past the opening on each side.

Here's a simple way to visualize it. Your cabinet has a box. That box has an opening where the door goes. The face frame is the solid wood around that opening. When the door closes, it either sits inside that frame, sits flush with the frame edge, or extends past the frame edge. How far it extends past is the overlay.

Example calculation: If your cabinet opening is 12 inches wide and your door is 14.5 inches wide, you have 1.25 inches of overlay on each side. The door extends 1.25 inches past the opening on the left and 1.25 inches on the right.

Opening Width	Door Width	Total Overlay	Per-Side Overlay
12"	14.5"	2.5"	1.25"
12"	13"	1"	0.5"
12"	12"	0"	0" (inset)

Simple math, but it matters more than most people realize. Get the overlay wrong and your doors won't close right, gaps will appear between adjacent doors, and your hardware won't line up. I've seen homeowners spend thousands on beautiful new doors only to discover they ordered the wrong overlay and nothing fits right.

The Three Types of Overlay

Cabinet doors come in three overlay styles. Understanding which you have, or which you want, is critical before ordering anything.

Full Overlay

Full overlay is the modern standard. Doors cover most of the face frame, leaving only a small gap between adjacent doors, typically 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The frame is almost completely hidden.

Characteristics of full overlay:

• Doors extend 1 to 1.5 inches past the opening on each side
• Minimal visible frame between doors (usually 1/4" to 1/2")
• Clean, contemporary appearance
• Most popular in new construction since the 2000s
• Requires specific full-overlay hinges

My son's observation was right: modern kitchens try to hide the frame as much as possible. Walk into any newly built home and you'll see full overlay. It's what designers specify, what homeowners expect, and what sells.

The downside? Full overlay requires more precision. Because the doors nearly touch, any measurement error becomes obvious. You can't hide a 1/4" mistake when there's only 1/4" between doors to begin with.

Partial Overlay (Standard Overlay)

Partial overlay, sometimes called standard overlay, was the norm before full overlay took over. Doors cover less of the frame, leaving 1 to 2 inches of frame visible between adjacent doors.

Characteristics of partial overlay:

• Doors extend 0.5 to 1 inch past the opening on each side
• More visible frame between doors (1" to 2")
• Traditional or transitional appearance
• Common in homes built before 2000
• Uses standard overlay hinges (often easier to find)

If your house was built before the full overlay trend, you probably have partial overlay. Nothing wrong with it. It's a different aesthetic, more traditional, and honestly more forgiving of slight measurement variations.

A lot of contractors prefer working with partial overlay on older homes. The wider gap between doors hides minor imperfections and makes fitting easier. Not every kitchen needs to look like it came out of a magazine.

Inset (Zero Overlay)

Inset doors sit inside the face frame rather than covering it. The frame is fully visible, creating a furniture-like appearance. This is the premium option, the one you see in high-end custom kitchens.

Characteristics of inset:

• Doors fit inside the frame opening
• Frame is fully visible around each door
• Requires precise fitting (1/16" tolerance or less)
• Most expensive option due to fitting requirements
• Uses special inset hinges, often concealed

Inset is beautiful, but unforgiving. Every door has to be perfect because there's nowhere to hide imperfections. The gap between door and frame needs to be consistent all the way around, typically 1/8" or less. Too tight and doors bind. Too loose and it looks sloppy.

We do inset doors at Dumpster Fire Doors, but I always warn people: it costs more and takes longer. If you want inset, you need perfect measurements, and you need to accept that fitting may require some adjustment on site.

How to Measure Your Existing Overlay

If you're ordering replacement doors, you need to match your existing overlay exactly. Here's the process I teach every contractor and homeowner who calls.

Step 1: Close an existing door completely

Make sure it's seated against the frame the way it normally sits. If hinges are loose or adjusted weird, the measurement won't be accurate.

Step 2: Measure from the edge of the opening to the edge of the door

Put your tape measure at the edge of the cabinet opening (where the frame meets the opening, not the edge of the door itself). Measure horizontally to the outside edge of the door. That distance is your horizontal overlay.

Step 3: Repeat vertically

Do the same measurement from the top of the opening to the top of the door. This is your vertical overlay. In a perfect world, horizontal and vertical overlay match. In the real world, they sometimes don't.

Step 4: Measure on multiple doors

Check at least three doors in different locations. I've seen kitchens where overlay varied by half an inch from door to door because someone replaced hinges over the years and adjusted differently.

Step 5: Document everything

Write down what you measured. Take photos. Note any variations. This information saves headaches later.

Measurement	Where to Measure	What You're Looking For
Horizontal overlay	Opening edge to door edge (left or right)	Typically 0.5" to 1.25"
Vertical overlay	Opening edge to door edge (top or bottom)	Should match horizontal
Gap between doors	Space between adjacent closed doors	Reveals overlay type

I've seen kitchens where the horizontal overlay was different from the vertical. Usually because someone replaced hinges at some point and adjusted the fit. Measure both directions.

Why Getting Overlay Wrong Hurts

Order the wrong overlay and you're looking at problems that range from annoying to expensive.

Doors that won't close properly

If your new doors have more overlay than your old ones, they may interfere with adjacent doors or with the cabinet frame itself. The hinges can only adjust so far.

Uneven gaps between doors

Mixed overlay in the same kitchen looks awful. If you order full overlay doors for a partial overlay kitchen without accounting for the size difference, you'll have some doors nearly touching and others with huge gaps.

Hardware that doesn't line up

Hinges are designed for specific overlay ranges. A full overlay hinge won't work right on a partial overlay door, and vice versa. You'll end up buying new hardware or dealing with doors that don't sit right.

Failed installation

In extreme cases, wrong overlay means doors simply won't fit. I've seen jobs where someone ordered inset doors for full overlay openings. Those doors were useless. Complete remake on someone else's dime.

A homeowner in Bradenton called me frustrated because his new doors looked "off." The gaps between doors were uneven, ranging from a quarter inch to over an inch. Turns out the previous owner had mixed partial and full overlay doors in the same kitchen during a partial renovation. Looked fine until you really looked. We replaced everything with consistent full overlay, and suddenly the kitchen made sense.

Converting Between Overlay Types

Sometimes people want to change their overlay style during a reface or renovation. This is possible, but it requires planning.

Partial to Full Overlay Conversion

Going from partial to full overlay means every door gets bigger. Where you had 1" of frame showing between doors, you'll now have 1/4". The door needs to grow to cover that difference.

What changes:

• All door dimensions increase (calculate new overlay per side)
• Hinges must be replaced with full overlay hinges
• Drawer fronts also need to increase
• May need to adjust hinge placement on frame

Watch out for:

• Doors meeting at corners (need to calculate carefully)
• Doors meeting appliances (may need filler adjustment)
• Drawer stack heights (all fronts get taller)

This conversion is common and usually worth it for the modern look. Just don't assume you can use the same measurements with bigger doors. You need to recalculate everything.

Full to Partial Overlay Conversion

Going the other direction is less common but sometimes necessary, usually when matching an addition to an existing partial overlay kitchen.

What changes:

• All door dimensions decrease
• Hinges must be replaced with partial overlay hinges
• More frame becomes visible

Watch out for:

• Existing hinge holes in the frame (may be visible)
• Matching the frame finish if more shows
• Intentionally looking dated

I don't recommend this unless you're matching existing cabinets. Full to partial is moving backward aesthetically for most kitchens.

Either Direction to Inset

Converting to inset is a bigger project. The doors change size, but more importantly, the fitting requirements change dramatically. Inset doors need to be perfectly flat, perfectly square, and fitted to each opening individually.

Unless you're doing a high-end renovation with budget for the precision work, I'd steer away from inset conversions.

Our Overlay Options

We build doors for any overlay specification:

Full overlay (our standard): 1.25 inch overlay is our default. This works with most modern full overlay hinge systems and matches what's commonly used in new construction.

Partial overlay: We can produce at 0.5 to 1 inch overlay. Specify your exact requirement when ordering.

Custom overlay: Need something specific? We'll build to your dimension. Some older cabinets have non-standard overlay that doesn't match either category.

Inset: We produce inset doors, but they require precise opening measurements and typically some on-site fitting.

If you're not sure what you have, send us photos. We can usually tell from pictures whether you're looking at full or partial overlay. Include a shot showing the gap between two adjacent doors, that's usually the clearest indicator.

Common Overlay Mistakes to Avoid

After years of fixing other people's mistakes and occasionally making my own, here are the overlay errors I see most often:

Assuming all your cabinets have the same overlay

In kitchens that have been partially renovated, you may have mixed overlay. Measure multiple doors.

Forgetting about drawer fronts

Drawer fronts have overlay too. If you're ordering door replacements, make sure your drawer front overlay matches.

Not accounting for hinges

Different overlay requires different hinges. If you're changing overlay, budget for new hinges.

Ignoring corner cabinets

Where two doors meet at a corner, overlay affects whether they'll interfere with each other. Full overlay corners need careful planning.

Ordering before measuring

The number of people who order doors based on guesses or "it looks like full overlay" amazes me. Measure first. Order second.

Avoid common measurement mistakes by following our detailed process.

FAQ

How do I know if I have full or partial overlay?

Measure the gap between adjacent closed doors. If it's 1/4" to 1/2", you likely have full overlay. If it's 1" to 2", you likely have partial overlay. If doors sit inside the frame, you have inset.

Can I change my overlay type?

Yes, but it requires new doors sized for the new overlay and usually new hinges. It's a common part of kitchen refacing projects.

What overlay do new homes typically have?

Almost all new construction uses full overlay. It's been the standard since the early 2000s.

Does overlay affect hinge selection?

Absolutely. Full overlay, partial overlay, and inset each require specific hinge types. Using the wrong hinge means doors won't sit properly.

Get Your Overlay Right

Need help figuring out your overlay situation? Call 941-417-0202 with questions. We verify overlay before production starts because I'd rather spend five minutes confirming measurements than five days making replacement doors.

Visit our cabinet door measurement service page for more resources.

My son gets it now. Last week he looked at a kitchen and said, "That's full overlay, right?" He was right. Proud dad moment. The next generation of trade knowledge, one jobsite at a time.