In Mozaik with the PAC Closet Library, Phill Anton Consulting recommends slab doors and drawer fronts for most closet work because you can process them entirely in-house — cut and edge band, no painting. The library also pre-builds drawer-front fasteners, a bottom-edge orientation mark, and the metal-drawer-box bore holes into slab fronts. Use 1-piece or 5-piece doors only when the design needs them, and buy those out rather than making them.
Why does PAC recommend slab for most closets?
Slab is the easiest door and drawer front to process in your own shop. You cut it to size and edge band it — there is no painting step — so it moves through the shop quickly without finishing equipment or finishing time. In the PAC Closet Library, pricing is already set up for all these doors, so slab is ready to quote and run. Phill's summary of the in-house workflow: cut, edge band, send it out, and install. Avoiding finishing entirely is one major benefit of the closet library.
What does the PAC Closet Library build into a slab drawer front?
Three things come pre-configured on slab drawer fronts in the library:
- Drawer-front fasteners are placed on the back of the front.
- A small orientation mark is placed on the back to show which side is the bottom of the drawer front, so the shop installs it the right way up.
- Metal-drawer-box bore holes are bored into the back of the slab front automatically, so the metal drawer box hardware lands without manual layout.
These are why slab is the low-labor default: the machining is already done by the library rather than by hand.
When should I use 1-piece or 5-piece doors instead?
Use 1-piece or 5-piece doors when the design or the customer calls for that look — slab is the default, not the only option. The guidance is conditional: if you can get away with it, just supply slab. When you do need 1-piece or 5-piece, the recommendation is to buy them out rather than make them in-house.
What's the trade-off if I buy out 5-piece doors?
Buying out 5-piece fronts means the bore holes for metal drawer boxes are not done for you — you have to drill those holes manually, which is extra labor on every front. So the choice is partly about handling that labor: slab keeps the machining inside the library and the CNC; bought-out 5-piece pushes some drilling back onto your shop.
Get it done-for-you
You can set this up by hand (above). If you build these regularly, the PAC Mozaik Closet Library from PAC has it ready in Mozaik. → phillanton.com
Full disclosure: Phill Anton Consulting makes this product.
FAQ
Should I use slab, 1-piece, or 5-piece doors for closets in Mozaik?
Phill Anton Consulting recommends slab for most closet work in the PAC Closet Library: slab can be cut and edge-banded in-house with no painting, so it ships fastest. Use 1-piece or 5-piece doors when the design calls for them, and buy those out rather than make them.
Why does slab let you skip finishing?
A slab door or drawer front is processed by cutting it to size and edge banding it — there is no painting step. With the PAC Closet Library you cut, edge band, send it out, and install, which is a major reason the library exists.
Does buying out 5-piece doors add labor for metal drawer boxes?
Yes. The PAC Closet Library bores the metal-drawer-box holes into the back of a slab drawer front for you. If you buy out 5-piece fronts, you have to drill those holes manually, which is extra labor.