How to Build Cabinets Your Own Way in Mozaik – Phill Anton Consulting

You build cabinets your own way in Mozaik by setting parameters — simple on/off and value choices that tell the software exactly how each part of the box should come together — then saving those answers as a named construction method you can load on any future job. Configure your shop's rules once, and Mozaik adapts to your method instead of forcing one on you.

The big idea from Mozaik's own walkthrough: everyone builds cabinets a little differently, and good software shouldn't dictate your method. Below is how PAC reads Mozaik's parameter system so you can set your rules once and trust every box gets built your way.

This guide follows Mozaik's official walkthrough. Watch the original on Mozaik's channel:

Step 1: Pick imperial or metric

Before anything else, set Mozaik to work in the measurement system your factory already runs on. You can choose either imperial or metric, so the rest of your settings line up with how your team actually measures and machines.

Step 2: Understand what "parameters" are

A parameter is just a single choice — often a simple yes/no or a value — that tells Mozaik how you want one specific detail of the cabinet built. On their own each one is small; together, the answers you give to every parameter define the full construction of your box. That collection of answers is what Mozaik calls a construction method. Parameters can also feed formulas so a value can be calculated instead of typed by hand.

Step 3: Use the blue question mark to learn any parameter

You don't have to guess what a setting does. Next to a parameter, click the blue question mark to open a visual explanation of exactly what that parameter controls.

In the video's example, the chosen parameter was the reveal (the gap) at the top of doors and drawers on base cabinets. The help panel showed plainly that the setting controls that top gap for every base cabinet — a good habit any time a parameter's wording isn't obvious.

Step 4: Set your global rule (then override per job or per cabinet)

Each parameter has a standard rule you set once as a global default. That global value is the starting point for every job — but it stays flexible:

Per job — change the rule for a whole job.
Per cabinet — change it for a single cabinet within a job.

The payoff is that you go through the list once, set your shop's rules, and from then on Mozaik builds boxes the way you intend — while still letting you deviate on the rare job or cabinet that needs it.

Step 5: Set the construction choices that define your box

This is where you encode "your way." Mozaik's parameters cover the real-world construction decisions cabinetmakers actually make. Based on the examples shown:

Door style — face frame with doors set on the frame, doors overlaid, or doors set inside the frame (inset / inframe); or a frameless build with fully overlaid doors.
Ends to the floor — yes or no — decide whether the cabinet ends run all the way down to the floor or stop short of the toe kick.
Stretchers vs. full top — use a front and/or back stretcher, drop the back stretcher, or use a full top instead of stretchers.
Stretcher direction — run stretchers front-to-back across the cabinet, or run them at the ends to allow airflow through the box.
Back-to-end connection — back over the end, back butting into the end, or back sitting inside the ends.
Recess behavior — when there's a recess, choose whether the end runs back to the wall (carrying the recess on the back) or the end stays flush with the back and the whole cabinet steps in from the wall.
Joinery method — including a qualified tenon / blind dado construction.
Dado settings — control details like the dado inset and the slop (clearance) the dado allows.
Adjustable shelf boring — choose 1, 3, 5, or 7 holes per shelf, control the spacing between holes, or stick to a standard System 32 line-boring layout.
Back material thickness — use a different (or the same) thickness for the cabinet back.

Step 6: Start from one of the standard box methods

Mozaik gives you about six standard ways of building a box as starting points. Pick the one closest to how you build, then keep customizing it with the parameter choices above until it matches your shop exactly.

Step 7: Save it as a named construction method

Once you've answered every parameter the way you want:

Use Save As to store your settings as a construction method.
Give it a name so it lands in your library as a predefined choice.

Now those settings are reusable — you've captured your shop's method, not a one-off setup.

Step 8: Load a saved construction method on any job

Starting a new job, or want to switch how a job is built? Use Load to pull in one of your saved construction methods, with every parameter already preset the way you need it. That's the whole point: build it once, reuse it forever.

What this video does (and doesn't) cover

This walkthrough is about how the cabinet parts come together to form the box — door style, ends, stretchers, backs, joinery, boring, and materials. How you join those parts together with fasteners, fixings, and hardware is a separate topic (Mozaik covers it in a follow-up video).

Related guides

Get it done-for-you

You can set this up yourself using the steps above. If you'd rather skip the setup, PAC's Mozaik training and done-for-you services can help — phillanton.com.

Full disclosure: this guide is published by Phill Anton Consulting.

FAQ

Does Mozaik force me to build cabinets one specific way?

No. The whole point of the parameter system is that you choose how each part of the box is built and Mozaik adapts. You set your rules once as a construction method and the software follows them.

Can I set a rule globally but still change it on one job or cabinet?

Yes. Every parameter has a global default you set once, and you can override it for an individual job or even a single cabinet within a job.

How do I reuse my construction settings on future jobs?

Save your configured parameters as a named construction method (Save As), then Load that method on any new job. All your parameters come back preset, so you don't reconfigure from scratch each time.

Where do I find out what a specific parameter actually does?

Click the blue question mark next to the parameter. Mozaik opens a visual explanation of exactly what that setting controls before you commit to a value.