How to Edit Cabinets in Mozaik – Phill Anton Consulting

Q: Why is a cabinet's size field grayed out in the quick access bar?

Stretching is turned off for that dimension. On the Size tab, the OK box for width, height, or depth is unchecked, so the cabinet comes in at a fixed size. You can still change it by reopening Edit.

Q: Should I rotate a cabinet to make it face a different direction?

No — reassign the shape edges instead. In Edit > Shape tab, set the new front face, ends, and back. This keeps the cabinet built correctly rather than just spinning it on the plan.

Q: What's the safest way to notch a cabinet around ductwork or a buildout?

Add it as a T-wall, then either right-click the cabinet and choose Notch for T-wall, or use Edit shape on floor plan to split edges, snap them to the T-wall, and extend each edge back for clearance. Editing the part shapes directly is the last-resort option.

To edit a cabinet in Mozaik, select it and use the quick access cabinet editing bar at the bottom of the screen for fast, job-only changes like width, height, depth, elevation, outset, and finished ends; for deeper customization, click Edit to open the product editor, where you can rebuild the face, interior, parts, parameters, and shape of that one cabinet. Changes made in the job affect only that cabinet unless you save it back to your library.

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

You can also reference it inline as Mozaik's official video. This guide walks through both levels of editing, from positioning cabinets to building custom products like a microwave base.

What's the difference between job edits and library edits?

This is the most important distinction in cabinet editing, so get it right before you start:

Edits in the job (via the quick access bar or the Edit button) affect only that one cabinet in that job.
Edits saved to the library become permanent. From the product editor you can hit Save to library, and Mozaik asks whether to overwrite the current product or add it as a new product (a new product needs a unique name).
You can also edit a library product directly: Libraries > Products > [select library] > [select cabinet]. It's the same cabinet editing dialog, but anything you save there is locked permanently into your library.

Rule of thumb: a one-off change stays in the job; a change you want every time goes to the library.

How do I quickly resize and position cabinets?

Select a cabinet and use the quick access cabinet editing bar at the bottom. From there you can change width, height, depth, elevation, outset, set finished ends, and choose which wall the cabinet sits on.

When you change a width, Mozaik decides how to grow the cabinet:

If a cabinet is touching one side, Mozaik stretches it toward the open side automatically.
If nothing is touching it, you get a popup asking whether to stretch left, right, or equally on both sides.

To position cabinets precisely:

Clearance values let you set the exact gap on an end (for example, set a left clearance to hold space for a filler against a wall).
Bump buttons push a cabinet until it collides with the next product or the wall.
You can select multiple cabinets (left-click and drag a selection box) and edit them as a group — change height, elevation, or clearance for all at once.

How do I keep cabinet faces aligned when depths differ?

If you need clearance behind a cabinet (for example, an obstruction on the wall), reduce its depth, then add the difference to the outset box so the cabinet pushes back from the wall while the face line stays even with its neighbors.

Breadcrumb: Quick access > Depth = reduced value, then Quick access > Outset = the depth difference.

How do I make several cabinets equal width across a run?

Select the cabinets you want to match (drag a selection box), right-click, and choose Equalize widths. Mozaik makes them equal while preserving the overall run length and your end clearances.

You'll also find an Equal door widths option when editing a face with multiple doors — handy when a single section needs evenly split doors.

What does "finished end" actually do?

Finished end tells Mozaik which end of a cabinet is exposed. How it behaves depends on your construction method / material template. Depending on your setup it may:

change the material used on that end,
change the fasteners (for example, skipping holes on the exposed end), or
apply a door/panel if applied doors on finished ends is enabled.

Because the result varies by construction method, assign finished ends accurately.

How do I open the full cabinet editor?

Select the cabinet and click Edit at the bottom. This opens the cabinet editing dialog. Open the 3D viewer (and switch to perspective) so you can watch changes as you make them. The editor is organized into tabs:

Size — width, height, depth (same values as quick access), plus stretching controls.
Info — properties, snap-to behavior, overrides, hardware, and materials.
Shape — the cabinet's outline and which edges are ends, back, or front face.
Face — the front layout (doors, drawers, panels, openings).
Interior — shelves, partitions, trays, separators, inserts.
Parameters — parameter overrides and custom user parameters for this cabinet.
Parts — every part the cabinet is built from (last-resort, direct part editing).

How do I lock a cabinet to a fixed size?

On the Size tab, under stretching, uncheck the OK box for width (or height/depth). The cabinet then always comes in at that fixed dimension, and its size field is grayed out in the quick access bar. You can still change it by reopening Edit. If stretching stays on, you can set minimum and maximum width, height, or depth to limit how far the cabinet can stretch.

What can I control on the Info tab?

The Info tab holds a cabinet's behavior and overrides:

Properties: Non-graphic (cabinet isn't shown but still cuts parts), No cut list (cabinet is visible but sends no parts — useful for representing an existing cabinet), Autofill, Auto dimensions, Auto numbered (auto-numbered cabinets read 1, 2, 3…; non-numbered come in as N1, N2, N3…), and Allow mirror (turn off for designs that don't mirror correctly).
Grain matching: vertical, horizontal, or none — groups doors and drawer fronts on the cut list (relevant for grained slab, melamine grain, or veneer; not needed for non-grained MDF doors).
Snap to: controls where the cabinet lands on the elevation when dragged in — floor, toe height, top of cabinets, top of countertops, under wall cabinets, at sit height, at ceiling, or above wall cabinets.
Overrides: end/back panel styles, door and drawer front styles, hardware (and hardware texture), and materials.

For materials you can pick a different template from the drop-down, or hit the pencil icon to customize one component (for example, change the bottom material and its texture) just for this cabinet. If the material you want isn't in the list, update your materials library first.

How do I build a custom face (example: microwave base)?

To build a cabinet from scratch, clear the existing layout: Face tab > clear face, then Interior tab > clear interior.

On the Face tab, select an opening and use the splitting tools at the top right — horizontal split, vertical split, or multi-split:

Split horizontally to create a lower section and an upper section.
Select the lower section, set its height (for example, a drawer height), then change its type to drawer. (The slides that drawer rides on are configured separately — see how to set up drawer guides.)
Select the upper section and set it to open (an opening with no face part) for now.

To add a shelf for the appliance to sit on, go to the Interior tab, select the opening, and split horizontally. The default is an adjustable shelf — reassign it to fixed shelf. Use lock to split to tie the shelf to the drawer's reveal (for example, centered on the reveal); once locked, the shelf follows the drawer if you change the drawer height later.

Interior part options when you split include: fixed shelf, stretcher, roll-out tray, roll-out shelf, separator (just a dividing line), and closet rod.

How do I drop in an appliance insert and size it to the opening?

On the Interior tab, select the opening and click Inserts to open the inserts library. Open appliance inserts, then drag the insert (for example, a microwave) into the opening.

To make it fill the opening exactly, select the insert and click Edit to open the insert editor, then click Scale. Instead of doing the math, choose fit opening width and fit opening height. You can also adjust the inset to pull the appliance forward — for example, if you change the face section to a panel, increase the inset by the panel thickness so the appliance sits proud of the panel.

How do I change the material of one part (like a panel)?

Find the part on the Parts tab (double-click it to see its assignment and material). To change just that part's material, go to Info tab > Cabinets > pencil icon (edit one part), scroll to the part assignment (for example, finished exterior), and pick a different material from the drop-down. The material carries its assigned color/texture with it.

How do I make a cabinet face out the side instead of the front?

Don't rotate it on the floor plan — change the shape assignments instead.

Breadcrumb: Edit > Shape tab > reassign the edges (looking at the top shape). Change the current front face to a back, reassign which edges become the left end and right end, and set the edge you want to face out as the new front face. After that you can adjust finished ends, depth, and outset, and add an applied door to the exposed end (Shape tab > select the end > type = applied door) to dress the side.

For fine reveal adjustments on an end part, use Shape tab > Adjust side, pick the end part (for example, the applied door), and subtract a small amount from the appropriate side.

How do I notch a cabinet around an obstruction (T-wall)?

First represent the obstruction as a T-wall: Room > T-walls tab > add a T-wall, choose which wall it sits on, set its width and depth, then position it with the left/right/center position controls.

You then have three ways to notch a cabinet around it:

Automatic: select a cabinet that overlaps the T-wall, right-click > Notch for T-wall. Mozaik reshapes the cabinet to clear it.
Edit top shape (manual): Edit > Shape tab > edit top shape, add points, and type exact positions. Accurate but math-heavy; you can anchor points to a corner so they stay put when the cabinet stretches.
Edit shape on floor plan (recommended): right-click the cabinet > Edit shape on floor plan, then right-click edges to split them, drag the new nodes to the T-wall, and use right-click > Extend edge by with a negative value to add clearance on each face. Click Accept edits when done.

After notching, check the new edges on the Shape tab and reassign them (for example, to the back material) so the joints read correctly. For shaped cabinets, consider switching the top to a full top via the Parameters tab to help hold the cabinet together.

How do I use parameters and custom user parameters per cabinet?

On the Parameters tab, choose Product parameters to bring in parameter overrides that apply only to this cabinet. For example, override the toe height for a single cabinet.

You can also type your own user-added parameters — name them whatever you like (for example, a left-depth and right-depth value to control a corner cabinet's two depths), then reference them in a shape formula via the calculator. A user parameter affects only that product, and if you save the cabinet to the library the override stays with it.

Important caution from the webinar: don't name a user parameter so it conflicts with Mozaik's reserved parameters. Anywhere you see the calculator icon, click it and hit the question mark to open Mozaik's formula help document — it lists parts, materials, and reserved parameters (width/height/depth of product, opening widths/heights, scribes, part length/width) plus math functions you can use.

When should I edit parts directly?

The Parts tab lets you double-click any part to see its shape, type, material, dimensions, and 3D position, and to edit shape, edit operations, or edit edge banding. Treat this as a last resort — once you edit a part, you take control of it away from Mozaik, which can cause issues. Whenever possible, drive changes through parameters, interior, or face instead.

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 setup can help — phillanton.com.

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

FAQ

Will editing a cabinet in my job change my library?

No. Edits made in a job affect only that one cabinet in that job. To make a change permanent you have to Save to library (overwrite the product or add it as a new product), or edit the product directly under Libraries > Products.

Why is a cabinet's size field grayed out in the quick access bar?

Stretching is turned off for that dimension. On the Size tab, the OK box for width, height, or depth is unchecked, so the cabinet comes in at a fixed size. You can still change it by reopening Edit.

Should I rotate a cabinet to make it face a different direction?

No — reassign the shape edges instead. In Edit > Shape tab, set the new front face, ends, and back. This keeps the cabinet built correctly rather than just spinning it on the plan.

What's the safest way to notch a cabinet around ductwork or a buildout?

Add it as a T-wall, then either right-click the cabinet and choose Notch for T-wall, or use Edit shape on floor plan to split edges, snap them to the T-wall, and extend each edge back for clearance. Editing the part shapes directly is the last-resort option.