Home Improvement Kitchen Remodel & Repair Cabinets

Slab Cabinet Door Basics and Pros and Cons

Slab cabinet doors often mean that the cabinets are basic, utilitarian, and inexpensive cabinets. Or slab cabinet doors signify the other end of the style and pricing spectrum: high-end modern, contemporary, or mid-century cabinets, with equally high-end pricing structures.

Wooden slab cabinet doors in modern kitchen

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

Slab cabinet doors have enjoyed a renaissance recently as homeowners have come to love their uncomplicated style, along with just how easy they are to clean and keep maintained.

What Slab Cabinet Doors Are

Slab cabinet doors are flat panel doors that have no ornamentation or beveling. Most cabinet doors use a form of contoured design, in which frames and panels are constructed so that the cabinet faces are dimensional rather than flat. This raised panel design, such as is found in Shaker-style cabinets, gives the cabinets a traditional look.

Flat-panel doors, otherwise known as slab cabinet doors, lend a modern look to any kitchen or bathroom. The front of the door is completely flat, with no bevels. The edges are 90-degree corners. There is no ornamentation, other than the cabinet pulls.

Slab Cabinet Door Construction

As with raised panel cabinet doors, slab doors can be constructed in many ways, and the construction methods largely dictate the cost of the cabinets. One constant is the fact that slab doors have no frames; they are solid slabs.

  • Solid hardwood: This is the most expensive but also the most durable and solid construction. These doors are formed from solid hardwood boards glued up edgewise. These are found in only the most custom installations.
  • Class A, furniture-grade plywood: These are finish-grade plywood panels in which the face layer is a high-quality hardwood applied over cheaper ply of pine or other softer woods. The edges of the slabs are covered with hardwood veneer tape.
  • MDF particleboard: Medium-density fiberboard is a standard material used for doors that will be painted or as the core layer for doors covered with plastic laminate or thermofoil. These doors can also be coated in a melamine exterior.
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    Pros and Cons

    Modern Kitchen with Slab Cabinet Doors

    Camilo Morales / Getty Images

    Pros
    • Smooth look

    • Easy to clean

    • Timeless appearance

    • Blends with other styles

    Cons
    • Warping possible

    • Cracks more visible

    • More difficult to find

    • More expensive

    Slab cabinets not only look clean and smooth but also they do stay clean better. With the lack of ornamentation and beveling, slab cabinets can easily be wiped down. Slab cabinets have a timeless aesthetic that resists most trends.

    Slab cabinet door may warp, especially if they are built from single pieces of wood. Plywood-core doors, though, are dimensionally stable. Even single slab MDF will resist warping as long as the laminate or thermofoil covering remains intact. Solid hardwood, too, if properly sealed with stain or paint, will be less prone to warping.

    Though slab cabinet doors have become more popular, they are still more difficult to find than other styles like Shaker, raised panel, or recessed panel cabinet doors. These three cabinet styles dominate the semi-custom cabinet market and often crowd out slab cabinet doors from the lists of door styles.

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    Slab Cabinet Aesthetics

    Kitchen With Slab Kitchen Cabinet Doors

    Glow Decor / Getty Images

    Slab doors can paradoxically create two different looks in a kitchen or bathroom: one of sleek modernity and the other of plain utilitarianism.

    If you're remodeling a modern kitchen or changing your kitchen/bath into that style, consider using solid hardwood or wood veneer slab doors on your cabinets. Slab doors create the smooth, clean, uncomplicated lines of contemporary design.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum, doors composed of MDF (particle board) and covered with rigid thermofoil (often white) are some of the cheapest you can find. This may be entirely appropriate for a rarely used bathroom or laundry room, or if your budget is very modest.

    Slab cabinet finishes tend to be either natural wood or a bold, dramatic color such as red, purple, or black.

    Tip

    One riff on slab cabinets is the high-gloss look, often found in Euro-style kitchens. While considered premium cabinets, they are migrating into more affordable territory.

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    Slab Door Sources

    High Gloss Slab Kitchen Cabinet Doors

    Spaces Images / Getty Images

    Most major cabinet manufacturers offer cabinet lines that feature slab doors in thermofoil and wood veneer in a variety of solid colors and stains.

    To search for slab-door cabinets, use terms such as "contemporary," " Euro," "modern," or "mid-century," as these styles always make use of slab doors.

    • 27estore is a Las Vegas-based online retailer that specializes in contemporary kitchen and bath styles, and slabs are the only type of cabinet doors that it offers.
    • IKEA sells stand-alone drawer and door fronts or entire kitchen or bathroom cabinet units.
    • Craftspeople make and sell slab cabinet doors on Etsy, to spec.
    • With some woodworking experience, you can build DIY cabinets, complete with slab doors.