The Latest + Greatest in Cabinet Materials

One of the true joys of my profession is the constantly changing palette of beautiful materials employed in cabinetry manufacturing. Long gone are the days of rotary cut “golden” oak!! Yippee!! Our manufacturers are always on the search for fabulous new materials to keep our cabinetry looking fresh and new. With the trend toward contemporary styling, the most popular door style is a 1 piece, simple slab that gives us an opportunity to showcase the exterior material. This style of door is primarily a solid substrate (MDF is popular due to it’s structural integrity) “veneered” with either a LP (low pressure laminate), HP (high pressure laminate), or actual wood veneer. With the popularity of this doorstyle comes the opportunity for “grain matching”, a lovely continuation of the wood’s character from bottom to top on tall doors, and base drawer and door fronts.  If you think of the surface of the cabinetry as a painter’s canvas, you can see the opportunity to highlight the material’s beauty across a large surface, just as in a fine work of art.  Grain-matching is an important aspect in making the material you love show to the best of it’s ability.

But back to materials, as I digress….low pressure laminate refers to a thin sheet of glass mat thermoset with resins and then adhered to a substrate (usually some form of particle board, such as MDF).  High pressure laminate is similar but may also employ substrates such as kraft paper, mica paper, canvas or cloth.  Typical resins used in high pressure laminate manufacturing include phenolic, epoxy, melamine, silicone and polymide.  Exciting stuff, huh?  The end result is a photographic image on a very durable surface that performs extremely well as a cabinet face.  Low pressure and high pressure laminates have been used extensively in Europe for many years, and we are seeing some exciting new selections coming our way, especially in the exotic veneer category.  Natural exotic veneers tend to be very costly and it can be difficult to find enough similar material to do a large project.  These new LP and HP laminates are affordable, durable and consistent in color and pattern.  Some even have texture that resembles natural wood grain.  You have to see them to believe them!  We have a wonderful new selection of these laminates from our supplier ArtCraft, so please stop by to see them!

Natural wood veneer is also very popular for one-piece cabinet doors.  Some beautiful examples that are available through Homeworks are flat cut maple and walnut, Ribbon Sapele, Quarter Sawn walnut and Rift Cut White oak.  The flat cut veneers offer a more traditional “flame” pattern in the doors, whereas the Ribbon Sapele, Quartered walnut and Rift Cut oak are very striated in appearance and lend themselves beautifully to a horizontal grain design. 

Whether you prefer the function and consistency of LP and HP laminates or the natural variation and beauty of real wood veneers, we have a large selection of materials and finishes to choose from.  Nothing is more rewarding to me than creating a beautiful kitchen!!!

Fondly,

Katrina

ps: to learn more about the exciting technical details regarding LP and HP laminates, please visit http://www.thegundcompany.com/composite-materials/thermoset-laminate-manufacturing.cfm

What’s Hot in Countertops

Those of us in design-related fields are always on the lookout for new products, and there are some exciting new selections available in the often overlooked category of countertops.  For the past twenty years or so, granite has been the preferred choice for most projects and while granite is naturally beautiful and functionally sound, there are limited selections and the patterns and colors are not controllable.  

Then came engineered stones, namely Caesarstone, SileStone, Cambria and Zodiak.  These are seeing an increase in popularity due to their many desirable features, large sizes (most are available in 5 x 10′ slabs), consistency in color and pattern, and reasonable cost.   Also, they come in natural colors as well as vibrant primary colors and they are fairly consistent from slab to slab.  Some are available in honed finishes (though I’ve heard they are more difficult to care for than the polished finishes).   I am particularly fond of Caesarstone’s color selections; some are close to limestone without the inherent issues.

Awareness of recycling has become very great and some new countertop products manufactured with recycled materials are IceStone, and Enviroglas.  They are very exciting and have a similar look to terrazzo, which has also made a comeback as a flooring choice.   IceStone is made from 100% recycled glass and cement and they claim it’s a high performance material.  There are 29 colors available in their present selection and they do custom colors for commercial projects.  They are manufactured in New York state and come in slab sizes of 52 x 96 x 1¼”.

Enviroglas makes a countertop product called Enviroslab.  These slabs are made with 100% recycled glass, porcelain and resin (which can be color customized).  The slabs come in 27″ x 84″ x 1″ so are smaller than what we are used to seeing with natural stones and engineered stones.  They are manufactured in Texas and can be shipped for fabrication to all 50 states.

These are just a few products that are available to choose from for something a little more out of the ordinary.  I would encourage everyone to use recycled products whenever possible, as it benefits us all.

Here’s to beautiful countertops!

Fondly,

Katrina

Welcome!

Welcome all to my new blog.  I hope you enjoy reading my musings as much as I enjoy writing them!

It’s the day before Thanksgiving and a good opportunity to give some consideration to what I’m grateful for.  I have a wonderful, supportive family, some living close by and some  far away.  For those far away - we keep in touch via email, social networking sites, and the occasional text message.  How fortunate are we that our world provides us these various methods of communication?  I know more about what’s happening with my family and friends than ever before, and I appreciate that.

I am also grateful for all of the wonderful clients I have come to know this past year.  I had a fabulous time working on their projects, which became “our” projects as they are a culmination of the efforts of so many people.  Thank you for allowing me to spend time with you and to influence the design of your new homes.

 This was a difficult year for many and I am fortunate to say our business is healthy and on track.  We are hoping to move our showroom and office location sometime in the next year, and I will keep you posted about how our efforts are progressing.

I could go on indefinitely about all that I’m grateful for, but this is my first blog and I don’t want to put anyone to sleep!    I wish for everyone a very happy holiday season and a safe one as well.

Best wishes,

Katrina