How Does Master Cabinetworks, Inc. Create Custom
Cabinetry and Furniture?
Creating fine custom cabinetry and furniture requires a lot of time because each piece is different, so not all of the processes involved can be automated to the extent that they can be for mass-produced cabinetry. Custom work generally proceeds in the following order, but sometimes steps or materials may be added, modified, or skipped, depending on the complexity of the project; there is also time for drying between many of these stages:
- Consult the contractor, home owner, and/or architect
- Obtain the architect's drawings
- Take measurements for all aspects of the project
- Work up a cost and time estimate for the contractor or home owner and obtain approval
- Order materials, including plywood, solid wood, veneers, plastic laminate, crown molding (if not to be made in shop), conversion varnish (lacquer—clear or pigmented), stain, glaze, toner, hinges, drawer tracks, glass, lighting, specialized hardware (garbage pullouts, ironing-board pullouts, lazy Susans, etc.)
- Draw up cut lists (all of the pieces that must be cut from plywood, solid wood, and veneers to build a project; may be hundreds of pieces) from the project plan for cabinets, drawers, drawer heads, doors, face frames, panels, toe kicks, soffits, countertops, backsplashes, etc.
- Cut all pieces from plywood, solid wood, and veneers
- Edge-band all cabinet box pieces
- Create dadoes (rectangular grooves cut into pieces of wood used for joining them to other pieces of wood) for all cabinet box pieces and drill all pieces for supporting shelving and attaching hinge plates
- Cut beading into those cabinet parts that need it
- Finish all interior pieces that need it (as in cabinets without doors and cabinets with glass doors)
- Assemble cabinet boxes
- Apply crown molding or other molding, if applicable
- Assemble toe kicks (an inset base placed under a floor-level cabinet to allow room for the client's feet), soffits (sometimes go above wall-hung cabinets to hide pipes and wires or to bring cabinets up to the ceiling), panels, and any special extras
- Assemble face frames, if included in project
- Glue face frames to cabinetry, if included in project
- Make drawer boxes, whether dovetailed or plywood; hardware them and install them in cabinet box
- Make cabinet doors and drawer heads
- Fit inset doors into face frames (for cabinetry that has them)
- Create rabbets (cuts made into the edge of a piece of wood used for joinery) for solid-wood cabinet doors that need them for attaching butt hinges; bevel doors that are more than 0.75 inches thick
- Hardware cabinets for concealed hinges
- Edge-band all slab-style cabinet doors and drawer heads
- Sand all exterior pieces
- Finish all exterior pieces:
- If glazing (a pigmented finish with a hand-rubbed contrasting color) is to be used, the finishing process begins at this point:
- Fill any holes
- Prime all exterior pieces
- Sand all exterior pieces
- Apply tinted primer to all exterior pieces
- Hand-brush glaze onto all exterior pieces
- Apply vinyl seal coat to all exterior pieces
- Lightly sand all exterior pieces
- Apply one coat of clear conversion varnish
- Sand all exterior pieces
- Polish all exterior pieces with a fine abrasive
- Apply final coat of clear conversion varnish (glazing ends here; no additional processing)
- If pigmented conversion varnish is to be used, the finishing process begins at this point:
- Fill any holes
- Prime all exterior pieces
- Sand all exterior pieces
- Prime all exterior pieces
- Sand all exterior pieces
- Polish all exterior pieces with a fine abrasive
- Apply pigmented conversion varnish top coat
- If clear conversion varnish is to be used, the finishing process begins at this point:
- Apply stain, if applicable, to all exterior pieces
- Apply seal coat to all exterior pieces
- Fill small holes
- Apply conversion varnish toner (pigment that is added to clear finish), if applicable, to any exterior pieces
- If client desires wood pores to be invisible, apply two wet coats of leveling lacquer
- Sand all pieces heavily
- Apply two additional wet coats of leveling lacquer
- Sand all pieces heavily
- Polish all exterior pieces with a fine abrasive
- Apply clear top coat to all exterior pieces
- Attach doors to cabinets and attach drawer heads to drawers
- If necessary, assemble all cabinetry to ensure that all special features function properly
- Break down any assembled pieces and pack up all for delivery to client
- Install cabinetry or furniture in client's home, office, or yacht, making any necessary adjustments for misaligned walls and floors