There are many benefits of owning custom cabinetry – not the least of which being you can create a kitchen, bathroom – or any other room in your home – that’s unique. This section of our web site is all about helping you understand why investing in custom cabinetry is  a smart investment that will add significant value and beauty to your home.

Any questions you have that aren’t answered here can be answered by contacting us directly

 What is Custom Cabinetry? 

In terms that relate to your home, custom means your cabinetry is created literally from scratch – to your exact specifications – to fit your room precisely, in every way. You decide the look you want and the functionality and convenience you need. You select your wood species, your doorstyle, your color or tint, your finish, your decorative treatments, your storage options – your everything – down to the last detail. Custom cabinetry is made to fit like a glove. Virtually every square inch of the room is carefully planned.  Custom cabinetry lets you achieve exactly the look and functionality you want, almost anything is possible. You also have the versatility of having freestanding furniture created especially for you.  

When someone says cabinetry, the first thing most people think of is the kitchen, then maybe the bath. At Backwoods Custom Cabinets, we think differently. In fact, we custom craft cabinetry and other fine pieces for virtually every room in the home. In addition to cabinetry for the kitchen and bath, we craft furniture such as tables, armoires and entertainment centers. We make decorative treatments such as fireplace surrounds, hearths and mantels, as well as wainscoting, turnings, posts, legs, corbels, and much more. Fact is, Backwoods Custom Cabinets will build most any custom piece you want. Think of the possibilities.

If you choose semi-custom or stock cabinetry, you’ll end up having to make compromises. Where semi-custom cabinetry does offer the designer some flexibility, many of the components are prefabricated and have to be installed as is. Stock cabinetry is your least flexible option. All of the pieces are premade, leaving little room for flexibility. With both semi-custom and stock cabinetry, your choice of woods, colors and finishes are very limited, as well. 

 

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 How do I determine Kitchen Design?

When designing your kitchen think about your family and how you use your kitchen – or would like to use it. Make sure to incorporate the "work triangle" for the most efficient cooking space.  The “work triangle” is created by the refrigerator, cook top and sink, which must all be within three steps of each other.  Use home furnishings magazines –Elle Décor, Midwest Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and Southern Living are just a few places to look and learn what appeals to you. Tear out what catches your eye and start a folder of ideas. We will help you define your style based on this collection of ”tear sheets.”
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 What doors and drawers are available?

Raised Panel doors are typically reproductions of period styles, or variations thereof. This type of door includes a panel, or multiple panels, that are slightly raised up to create a classic dimensional look. The panels fit into grooves in the door stiles (the horizontal pieces that form the top and bottom of the door frame) and the door rails (the vertical frame pieces, side to side). The panels are not glued, but rather, float within the grooves to allow for the wood’s natural expansion and contraction.

Recessed Panel doors are basically Raised Panel doors in reverse, as the center panels set back from the stiles and rails. Recessed Panel doors also create an appealing dimensional look.

Flat Slab doors are just as the name describes. Because of their simplicity, they fit well within a variety of looks, from traditional to transitional to contemporary.

Glass window doors feature authentic mullions (the framing that holds the glass), adding to the charm and authenticity of the doors.

Drawers, of course, fit into the same classifications as the doors, creating a consistent, unified look to your cabinetry.
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 How are Backwoods Custom Cabinets made?

Backwoods Custom Cabinets, doors and drawers are solidly and precisely made of the finest materials to ensure that they are as near to perfection as human craftsmanship will allow. In short, they are built for the long, long haul.

Our cabinets are hand built in one of two ways. Our framed cabinetry features pocket hole construction. This type of construction includes every piece of the face frame being screwed together through pocket holes.  The resulting fit is precise and sturdy. Our frameless cabinets feature a screw construction technique, in which the cabinet components are joined using screws, unlike a majority of our competitors who only use staples.  All of our cabinet boxes are made from 3/4" material with 1/2" full backs. 

Our doors are constructed in a variety of styles from the standard raised panel door to the mitered, or applied moulding accent. Concealed hinges come standard and “soft close” hardware is available for a gentle, soft close.

All Backwoods Custom Cabinets drawers are constructed with 9-ply birch boxes standard.   Dovetail boxes are also available upon request.  Choose your drawer slides as well- from economical enamel slides, KV ball bearing slides, and the Blum tandem under-mount full extension glides. “Soft close” hardware technology is also available.
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 What about Durability and Preservation?

Backwoods Custom Cabinets,LLC cabinetry's durability is courtesy of time honored construction and finishing techniques practiced by the world’s most skilled craftsmen. Even though our craftsmanship and quality are unparalleled in the industry, custom cabinetry truly is fine furniture and needs to be treated as such. Here are some tips for keeping new cabinetry looking new:

Treat your cabinetry just as you would fine furniture, particularly when it comes to moisture – wood’s worst enemy. Don’t drape wet towels across cabinet doors and take special care of cabinetry near sinks, dishwashers and like areas. Dust with a soft lint-free cloth, and only use non-alkaline soap to clean your cabinetry. Don’t use abrasive cleansers or scouring pads, which can damage the finish.
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 What type of Wood should I Choose? 

There’s nothing like beautiful solid wood to bring out the best in a kitchen, bath or any room in your home. With custom cabinetry, your choice of wood species for your cabinetry is quite plentiful. How you choose is a matter of personal taste. Perhaps you want a rich, dark look with very little to no grain. Or maybe you’re looking for light and bright. Or a rustic feel.

The wood species that make up the biggest share of our work are Cherry, Maple, Knotty Pine, Red Oak, Walnut and Birch. But there are many more species to choose from, including exotic woods such as Carmelized Bamboo, Quartered Black Walnut, Quartered Figured Anigre, Medium-Heavy Birdseye Maple, Reconstituted Wenge, Reconstituted Zebrawood, Quarter Sawn Cherry, Rift Cut Oak, and Quarter Sawn Maple. But wood species selection is just the beginning. The finish you choose for your wood can greatly affect the personality of your cabinetry. And your finish choices are many. We work with you to find the perfect combination of wood species and finish. And, of course, paint grade wood (usually Maple or Poplar) gives you the freedom to create a painted look – including special finish treatments.

Here is some interesting information about the characteristics of some of the wood species we offer.

Note that, just as no two trees are alike, no two pieces of wood are alike. Some species of wood have more variation than others. Please note that certain wood species have inherent characteristics. Also note that wooden hardware (knobs, pulls, etc.) having a finish will wear with use.

Cherry: Belongs to the rose family, and was used by the Greeks and Romans as long ago as 400 B.C. for furniture making. Cherry helped define American traditional design because Colonial cabinetmakers recognized its superior woodworking qualities. It has a rich red-brown color that deepens with age and exposure to sunlight. Its exceptionally lustrous appearance almost glows. It’s straight-grained and satiny, and sometimes contains pin knots and gum pockets that give the wood a distinctive character. Its more uniform texture takes a stain very well. Cherry is light, strong, stiff and rather hard. Cherry may have mineral streaks and pin burls, and will darken noticeably with age. Sapwood may appear in profiled areas.

Maple: Interestingly, until the turn of the century, the heels of women’s shoes were made from Maple, as were airplane propellers in the 1920s. Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days. Maple coloring ranges from cream to light reddish-brown, with a uniform grain and texture. Maple is heavy, hard, strong, tough and stiff with excellent resistance to abrasion and indentation – ideal for a kitchen chopping block or counter. Its uniform surface takes a stain well. Maple may have mineral streaks or dark areas, especially in profiled areas.

Oak: Oak has a long, distinguished history in furnishings and interior design. Oak was a favorite of early English craftsmen and a prized material for American colonists. Red oak grows only in North America and is found further north than any other oak species. A red oak grows slowly, taking 20 years to mature and living an average of 300 years. Red Oak ranges from a white/cream color to a warm, pale brown, tinted with red. The grain is known for its “rays,” which reflect light and add to its appeal. Depending on the way the logs are sawn into timber (rift cut, flat sliced, flat sawn, rotary cut, quarter sawn), many distinctive and sought after patterns emerge: flake and flame figures, pin stripes, fine lines, leafy grains and watery figures. Oak is heavy, very strong and hard, stiff and durable under exposure, and wear-resistant. Oaks take a wide range of finishes very well.

Quarter Sawn Oak: Cut at a 90-degree angle to the grown rings, Quarter sawn Oak has a distinctive straight and vertical grain. Because of the method, this wood is limited in length and width, but highly prized for veneers.

Knotty Pine: Light in both weight and color, Northeast White Knotty Pine contains knots that give it a distinctive character, ranging from pin knots to large bull’s eyes. It is straight grained, usually a blondish-white, and can be stained in a variety of colors or left its natural shade. Often used for provincial or country designs, Knotty Pine is a perennial favorite. Knotty Pine, however, is a soft wood and dents easily. Pine has pitch, which under extreme heat can rise to the surface. Colors around knots will change.

Hickory: A heavyweight contender for your kitchen, Hickory is famous for its extreme strength, flexibility and shock resistance. Once used for wagon wheels, and even the Wright Brothers’ historic plane, it exhibits wide variations in colors, ranging from white to chocolate, and provides an alternative to oak for consumers who prefer an open-grained wood, but have tired of the traditional oak look.

Walnut: Rare and treasured, Walnut is a durable, strong hard wood with a grain wavier near the roots and straighter at the trunk. Light to chocolate brown, it contains burls, butts and curls, and looks great in a variety of finishes. For reproductions and antique styles, Walnut is versatile and popular, since its luster grows over time – reflecting the incoming light and suffusing a kitchen with a warm glow. Walnut varies in color considerably from light to dark.

Red Birch: The heartwood of Red Birch is softer than Oak, but has a tighter grain and looks good with light to medium stains and finishes, painting and polishing beautifully. The wood is smooth and stiff and resists abrasion. Red Birch may have mineral streaks and pin burls.

Paint Grade wood may be a blend of birch, soft maple or hard maple, which are all close-grain woods. Paint grade is non-select for color and grain pattern and may vary from dark heartwood to very light sapwood.

If you are interested is using a species different from any of these, we can usually source it. Just ask the showroom you’re working with to check with us.
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 What is Lamination?

Backwoods Custom Cabinets includes a wide variety of natural wood veneers, melamine (which is a thermosetting plastic material), and thermofoil finishes. All of these finishes are applied to medium density fiberboard (MDF), a panel product manufactured using a combination of wood fibers and synthetic resin, bonded under heat and pressure. This board provides a stable, non-warping core for the cabinetry and a superior surface for laminating to. Thermofoil finishes offer what appears to be the perfect painted surface, yet it’s not paint at all. It’s a polymer material that is applied to MDF in a process that uses extreme heat and pressure to ensure durable adhesion. The resulting surface is a flawless finish that’s all but bulletproof and extremely easy to clean. It could be that paintbrushes and sprayers have met their match.
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 What Finishes are Available?

Unlike semi-custom and stock cabinetry, choosing custom cabinetry gives you the freedom to choose a finish – or finishes – that make your cabinetry one and only yours. Backwoods Custom Cabinets offers an endless supply of finish ideas, including stains, stains with glaze, clear tones with glaze, paints, distressed finishes, rub-through finishes and high-gloss finishes. And that’s just skimming the surface. Truth is, if you have a finish in mind that we haven’t yet created, we’ll create it for you. We do it all the time – and at a cost that’s considerably lower than other custom cabinetry companies. Our finishing process is superior to many.  We use only the best pre-catalyzed finishes with up to 8 steps involved.
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 What about Countertops?

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 What about Custom decorative adornments?

One of the wonderful aspects of custom cabinetry is how it can be enhanced with decorative treatments. Custom carved mouldings, classic carved cornices, plinth blocks, dentil moulding, finials, egg-and-dart – you name it. From the simple to the elaborate, Backwoods Custom Cabinets craftsmen have the skills and talent to create those decorative touches that help you put your personal signature on your one and only. 
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 How Long do Custom Cabinets take?

One of the wonderful surprises you get when you work with Backwoods Custom Cabinets is the fact that you can throw any job our way and not grow old waiting for the finished product. Because we’ve blended expert craftsmanship, a strong  work ethic and the latest in cabinetry production technology, we can complete even the most custom projects in as little as eight weeks.
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 What to expect with new solid wood cabinetry?

Wood, of course, is a natural material. And, as we all know, Mother Nature plays by her own set of rules. This, you’ll likely discover for yourself after your new custom cabinetry is installed.

Nature’s little variations. Like all natural materials, wood comes with subtle variations in graining, knots, coloration, and the like. Which is just how we like it. These individual distinctions are all part of the charm and beauty of natural wood. Over the years, wood will darken some or lighten a tad as it ages and is exposed to light, both natural and manmade. Again, it’s all part of the price of admission, and will surely endear you even more to your custom cabinetry with each passing year.

Expansion and Contraction. Because every home climate is different, when your cabinetry comes home, it’ll need some time to adjust to its new environment. Some shifting of doors may occur due to wood’s tendency to expand and contract with temperature and humidity changes. Fear not – and fix not. This is normal. In a month or two, your cabinetry will feel and look right at home. However, on the outside chance that your cabinetry does not become fully acclimated to your home, simply contact Backwoods Custom Cabinets, and we'll take it from there.
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