Unfinished Wall Cabinets

Unfinished Maple Shaker Wall Cabinets

Unfinished Maple Shaker Wall Cabinets provide upper storage for dishes, glassware, pantry items, serving pieces, small appliances, and everyday kitchen supplies while allowing you to choose the final paint, stain, or clear protective finish.

Every American Made Cabinets unfinished wall cabinet is made in Louisiana using solid maple face frames, solid maple Shaker door frames, maple plywood recessed center panels, and durable birch plywood cabinet boxes.

We never use particleboard, MDF, HDF, or other engineered wood products in our cabinet construction. Each cabinet includes finished ends, adjustable shelving, pre-hung doors, soft-close concealed hinges, pocket-hole Ready-to-Assemble construction, and a 20-year warranty.

Design the Wall Cabinets for the Wall

Wall cabinets do not need to match every base cabinet below them. Designing the upper cabinets around the complete wall usually creates a cleaner, more balanced cabinet run than forcing every wall-cabinet door to align with the lower cabinets.

Whenever the layout allows, we recommend using fewer, wider wall cabinets instead of dividing the wall into several narrow cabinets. Wider cabinets reduce the number of visible door gaps and often create better symmetry around windows, appliances, range hoods, and other fixed elements.

Begin with the entire wall rather than selecting one cabinet at a time. Identify the corners, windows, door trim, appliances, ventilation, plumbing, and other fixed conditions. Then divide the remaining space into the largest practical equal-width cabinets.

For detailed help arranging cabinet widths, fillers, corners, appliances, and clearances, review our Cabinet Layout and Design Guide.

Choose the Right Wall Cabinet Height

The correct wall-cabinet height depends on the ceiling height, room use, required clearance, storage needs, and the appearance you want to create.

30-Inch-Tall Wall Cabinets

Unfinished 30-Inch-Tall Wall Cabinets are commonly used for headknockers above toilets, laundry rooms, utility rooms, garages, rooms with ceilings under 90 inches tall, and other applications where a taller cabinet may not fit comfortably or may be unnecessary.

42-Inch-Tall Wall Cabinets

Unfinished 42-Inch-Tall Wall Cabinets maximize vertical storage and are our preferred choice whenever the ceiling height and layout allow.

When installed at the standard wall-cabinet height, the top of a 42-inch cabinet reaches 96 inches. This makes 42-inch cabinets especially useful in renovations with standard 8-foot ceilings where the cabinets can often be installed directly to the ceiling without crown molding.

If crown molding will be used, determine the required space from the actual molding profile, projection, and spring angle before finalizing the cabinet height. Different crown profiles require different installation clearances.

Plan Specialty Wall Cabinets with the Complete Run

Specialty wall cabinets should be selected as part of the complete upper-cabinet layout rather than added after the surrounding cabinet widths have been chosen.

• Unfinished Wall Bridge Cabinets provide storage above refrigerators, microwaves, range hoods, desks, windows, and other openings while helping create a finished, built-in appearance.
• Unfinished Wall Corner Cabinets turn an upper corner into usable storage and affect the cabinet widths on both adjoining walls.

Plan bridge and corner cabinets before dividing the remaining wall space. Their dimensions influence the balance, symmetry, door clearances, and cabinet widths throughout the entire run.

Ready for Glass Door Options

Selected wall cabinets are available with Ready for Glass doors.

Instead of a recessed plywood center panel, the center of the door is left open and the back of the solid hardwood door frame is factory-notched for glass installation. The cabinet can be painted, stained, or clear-coated before the glass is installed.

American Made Cabinets does not supply the glass. We recommend using tempered safety glass, allowing you to choose the clear, textured, decorative, or privacy glass that best fits your project.

Partial-Overlay Shaker Styling

Partial-overlay construction leaves more of the solid maple face frame visible, giving each cabinet opening clear definition and adding a classic, furniture-inspired appearance.

This style works especially well in traditional, Craftsman, farmhouse, cottage, and transitional kitchens.

No Center Stile on Double-Door Wall Cabinets

All American Made Cabinets double-door cabinets are built without a center stile. When both doors are open, the cabinet provides one uninterrupted opening for easier access to dishes, serving pieces, small appliances, pantry items, and other wide objects.

Plan the Finish Before Assembly

The maple doors, face frames, and exposed exterior surfaces arrive unfinished and can be painted, stained, or protected with a clear finish. The birch plywood cabinet interior already has a clear natural protective finish and should not be painted or stained.

Maple has a tight grain and smooth surface, but the final appearance depends on the preparation, finishing products, application method, and test samples. Always test the complete finishing process on a sample before applying it to the cabinets.

Before beginning, review our Cabinet Finishing Guide for Unfinished Maple Cabinets.

Measure the Complete Room Before Ordering

Wall-cabinet planning depends on more than the length of the wall. Record the ceiling height, windows, doors, trim, appliances, range hood, refrigerator height, soffits, plumbing, electrical locations, and any other feature that affects cabinet placement.

Start with our How to Measure for Cabinets guide to determine which measuring process applies to your project.

For an open room, new home, or complete renovation, follow How to Measure for New Construction or Total Renovations.

If the existing flooring will remain, review How to Measure for Cabinets When Keeping Existing Flooring.

Prepare for Assembly and Installation

Unfinished Maple Shaker Wall Cabinets are Ready-to-Assemble and use our pocket-hole construction system to help align the cabinet components before fastening.

Finish the exterior components according to your chosen finishing process, inspect all parts before assembly, work on a clean protected surface, and confirm that each cabinet is square before installation.

Wall cabinets must be securely attached to suitable structural framing with fasteners appropriate for the wall conditions and cabinet load. Plan the installation sequence before lifting taller or wider cabinets into position.

Review our Cabinet Installation Tips and Professional Advice before beginning assembly and installation.

Choose Wall Cabinets as Part of the Complete Layout

Select the wall-cabinet height first, position corner and bridge cabinets, account for windows and appliances, and then divide the remaining wall space into balanced cabinet widths.

You can find more guidance on cabinet planning, measuring, finishing, construction, assembly, and installation in the Cabinet Learning Center.

For help turning your measurements into a complete cabinet arrangement, submit your project through our Free Cabinet Design Service before ordering.