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Knobs & Pulls for Cabinet Doors and Drawers

Cabinet doors and drawers need a way to be pulled opened and a knob is both a decorative and functional way to do it. Many door and drawers have a notch carved out for your fingers, but knobs and pulls add to the beauty and style of cabinetry.

If you are ordering new cabinets for your kitchen or another room, chances are you will need pulls for those cabinets. In some cases the cabinets come with a specific knob, but often you have a choice. Sometimes the choices are limited and so we think you should consider another possibility: ditching the pulls that come with your cabinets and choosing ones that are just right for you.

Drawer Pull

Kitchen cabinets, for instance, often include drawer and door pulls; often from limited range of selections. If none of the offered hardware is to your liking, see if you can have the hardware deleted and a credit given. Then take that money saved and possibly some more from your budget and find exactly the right look for your cabinets.

The shape, style, material and color vary so widely, that there are tens of thousands of choices out there to choose from. While quality does vary, if your hardware has no moving parts, don't get too hung up on the quality. Hardware with moving parts, such as hinges, latches and swinging pulls will get a lot of use and so quality is an issue for those pieces. Whenever possible, order a sample part in order to both see it in person and to get an idea of the durability.

Common materials and finishes include chrome, nickel, stainless steel, brass, copper, bronze, porcelain, glass and wood. In addition to those are variations such as polished, satin, brushed, lacquered, oil-rubbed, antiqued, aged and hammered. One important note, if you want something to show its age and wear, that is, develop a patina, then choose an unlacquered finish. Lacquered finishes protect the shine of pieces, usually brass, chrome and nickel.

Cabinet Latch

You can update or change the look of cabinets by simply changing the hardware. Rather than replacing old cabinets, considered updating the hardware...read more.

Other hardware includes latches, catches and hinges. The hinges that come with cabinets sometimes come in a range of choices, but that isn't so common. Fortunately, most hinges are not very prominent and so the included hardware is often fine. However, if you are selecting a finish for your knobs that differs from the visible hinges, or you want something more prominent, you might want to replace the hinges as well.

Hinges typically are either visible or concealed. Many new cabinets use concealed hinges, such as European hinges. In this case, the finish isn't terribly important; typically they are available in chrome and occasionally white. If your cabinet uses exposed or visible hinges, then you might want to choose something that has a decorative pattern in the hinge plate or finials on the barrel. Finials are decorative shapes the fit onto the top and bottom of the exposed portion of the hinge.






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