Cabinetry Definitions

Bead Board
Paneling with beaded, routed detail which is usually glazed and sometimes used instead of a tile backsplash.

Crown Molding
Decorative molding applied to wall cabinet tops to provide a finished or decorative look.

Distressing
We use a factory applied effect to simulate an accelerated natural aging process by replicating such things as weathering, fly specks, worm holes, compression marks, to express an abundantly matured furniture style and appearance, you see this a lot in bathrooms mixed with a marble carerra top.

Dovetail Joint
A joint where the fingers are shaped like a doves tail, used to join pieces at 90 degrees.

Finish
The overall surface color, sealing, and added accents of a cabinet or piece of decorative hardware. This includes the highlights and darker tones added to create a special look. It does not include the shape, carved or casted detailing, or physical design of the piece. Design works offers aver 1000 variations of cabinet finishes.

Flat Panel
Recessed center panel to a door or drawer design.

Full Overlay
Cabinet door that covers all or most of the face frame.

Glazed Finishing
Our glaze process begins with the perspective of wood Glazing as an art unto itself, and probably the most important and valuable technique in the art of finishing fine furniture. Unlike other companies, we hand apply our glaze finish to each and every component and you can expect your glazed cabinets to vary slightly. The raised panels and detailed edges used in the construction on our product allow the stain to "hang-up" and settle into the seams and give the feeling of depth and dimension. Unlike tile glazing in the cabinet world is an upgrade.

Grain
The appearance, size and direction of the alignment of the fibers of the wood, that makes up the cabinet. Oak has the most and also the most recognized grain.

Maple
contains the most neutral grains and therefore lends itself the best for painting. Maples grain also lends itself to more consistent patterns on counter tops, found in Quartz tops.

Hardwood
Lumber from the group of trees with broad leaves, this has no reference to the actual hardness of the wood.

Joint Lines
Wood is hygroscopic — meaning, when exposed to air, wood will lose or gain moisture until it is in equilibrium to the humidly and temperature of its environment. Even protective coatings cannot prevent wood from gaining or losing moisture; they merely slow the process. Visibilities of joint lines are typical and do not diminish the finish or lesson the strength of the joint, which may affect solid wood doors and drawer fronts, adding additional beauty of aging wood. This is much different than grout lines in tile as those are caused from the make up of the tile.

Laminate
The product of bonding layers together as in beams or plywood; this is where the term laminate flooring comes from.

Miter Joint
Pieces are cut on an angle to make a joint, a classic door style. Miter joints work best in homes that are climate friendly. If a home is not kept cool these miter joints can open up and not close.

Molding
A strip of material with a profile cut on the facing edges, used for trimming, similar to bull nose used in the tile industry.

Mortise
A cavity or hole cut to allow a Tenon to pass through to make a joint. This is the other way to have a cabinet door constructed. This way takes care of the miter joint problem but does cause the rails to be interlocked with the grain running in different directions. This can cause inconsistency with the finish of the cabinets. This can be looked at as a natural characteristic of the wood and some customers liken this to the beauty of a natural stone like granite.

Ogee
An S shape that is made by making one cut to produce two identical pieces or an s shape on the edge of your solid surface counter top.

Plywood
A glued wood panel usually 4' X 8' made up of thin layers of wood laid at right angles to each other.

Semi-Transparent or Natural Finishes
The stains used in the manufacturing process have been custom formulated to take advantage of the unique characteristics of each wood species. When applying a semi-transparent or natural finish, it is desirable to have wood grain opacity show through the applied stain. Also, wood joint lines will be more apparent depending on the species and stain combination selected.

Soffit
A soffit or bulkhead is the area between the top of the wall cabinets and the ceiling that typically houses mechanical systems for the kitchen. It usually is one foot high and extends over the wall cabinets.

Stain
Coloring applied to wood surfaces as part of the finishing process.

Thermofoil
Thermofoil, also known as Rigid Thermo Foil (RTF), is created in a process that uses heat and pressure to bond a thin vinyl material to a substrate, usually Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF). Since the film is so thin, it can bond to very intricate shapes. This allows the process to be used on raised panels, routed edges and other designs that cannot be coated with other types of laminates.

Veneer
Thin sheets of superior wood attached with glue to an inferior substrate.