What Thickness Is Best For A Cabinet Stretcher?

The thickness of a cabinet stretcher can have a major impact on the cabinet's rigidity and structural strength. However, before delving into the subject in more detail, perhaps the best place to start, for those who don't already know, is to explain what a cabinet stretcher is. Stretchers can actually be found in all kinds of furniture. They are the bars running horizontally between chair or table legs, for example. In cabinets, stretchers likewise offer lateral support, preventing the side panels from pulling apart or canting sideways under a load.

Where most people come across cabinet stretchers is probably in ready-to-assemble kitchen units. They don't have solid tops because a countertop will cover them, but they still need something to hold the sides together. So, cabinet stretchers run horizontally across the front and back. Although some are now steel, wooden ones are usually 3 or 4 inches wide and ¾ to 1 inch thick. This thickness seems to be something of an industry standard for cabinet stretchers.

The backs of these cabinets are often very thin plywood or hardboard. So, you may also find similar-sized stretchers hidden behind them, again to give adequate structural support. It's something that's particularly important if, in addition to the items that will go in the cabinet, you're going to increase the load by utilizing the bare side of your kitchen cabinets to maximize storage.

One reason for having cabinet stretchers rather than solid tops or backs is that they don't use as much material, so the finished cabinet costs less to make. That's not normally a problem, but one disadvantage of buying budget cabinets off the shelf can be their poor durability, and if the manufacturer has made the stretchers too thin, the cabinets will have an inherent weakness. Even quality cabinets are often made with a particleboard or MDF core, which doesn't have the strength of solid wood. In these cases, the thickness of stretchers has a huge impact, particularly in load-bearing areas, when you want to utilize every inch of storage space. This importance is underlined in comparatively small cabinets like bathroom vanities, where you usually see that the ¾- to 1-inch stretcher thickness is still maintained.

The size and purpose of the cabinet, plus the material it is made of, dictate the required stretcher thickness. Apart from adding strength, stretchers should prevent racking (when a piece of furniture leans to one side). In many cases, as with kitchen cabinets, the stretchers may be invisible. Other times, aesthetics play a part in how thick they can be — rigidity has to be balanced against visual appeal. In Queen Anne-style cabinets, for example, stretchers are often omitted entirely to maintain that delicate appearance. The flip side, of course, is that those cabinets can't withstand substantial loads and must be treated with great care to avoid damage.