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Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry, Part 3: Practices that are environmentally conscious

Submitted on September 26, 2011 by administrator

Wood-Mode uses construction practices that yield an impressive finished product. Better yet, they are also environmentally conscious.

Wood-Mode uses a regenerative-thermal-oxidizer (RTO) system, integrated with its finishing system, to destroy emissions generated in the cabinetry-finishing process. The RTO equipment eliminates 99.4 percent of captured volatile organic compounds and does not require any fuel when operating under optimal sustainable conditions.

What’s more, for the past 25 years, sawdust and wood scrap generated during Wood-Mode’s cabinet-construction process have been ground into particles. These particles are used as fuel to heat Wood-Mode’s 1.4-million-square-foot factory and office complex plus generate steam to operate its dry kilns, which are so key to your cabinetry’s finish and integrity.

Beyond knowing that Wood-Mode does an exceptional job of ensuring that its custom-shop atmosphere is clean and efficient for cabinetry construction, home and business owners can rest assured that their cabinets aren’t going to smell like the chemicals in a shop once they’re installed—and that the cabinet finish will not be applied in their home or office.

Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry, Part 2: Finishes that are durable and long-lasting

Submitted on August 22, 2011 by administrator

Wood-Mode cabinetry is known by designers in the kitchen and bath Industry for having the most durable and long-lasting finishes. The multi-step finishing process that Wood-Mode employs is particularly important for stained finishes, which undergo a technique involving up to a 25-steps—and opaque and painted finishes receive many of the same procedures.

Most local, custom-cabinet builders and many larger manufacturers follow a finishing process that involves sanding a piece of wood, staining it once, applying two coats of top finish and drying it before the piece is assembled to the rest of the cabinet. The problem with such a simplified technique is that the finish of the wood can easily flake, scrape, dent and/or stain, no matter how intricate the wood details or carvings are and despite having a rich, colorful and visually appealing exterior.

When you consider the fact that cabinetry has to endure much wear and tear in a typical home or business, the durability of the finish is no trivial matter. However, Wood-Mode custom cabinetry is built to provide a tough-as-nails, yet esthetically exquisite, finish that is guaranteed to last a lifetime. In fact, Wood-Mode comes with a limited, lifetime warranty.

Wood-Mode Custom Cabinetry, Part 1: It’s all about the kiln drying

Submitted on July 26, 2011 by administrator

The secret to a cabinet’s longevity and ability to hold up to daily wear and tear lies in its manufacturing process. Kiln-drying is the defining line for both the construction and the finish.

Because kilns are large, expensive machines, they are generally used only by large shops that offer the highest quality cabinetry-wood products.  At Wood-Mode, cabinetry begins with selecting only the most premium wood, which is specially kilned multiple times in ovens. These ovens either add moisture, to prevent cabinetry from shrinking, or remove moisture, to keep it from expanding.

How can you tell whether your cabinet’s wood has been properly kilned? A common example is an expanded center panel within a cabinet-door frame. With a completely stained or painted door, there should not be a line of the natural wood showing on the center panel. When it is present, it’s because the wood has expanded, causing the center panel on the cabinet’s door to pull away, leaving a thin line of unfinished wood on an otherwise stained or painted cabinet.

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