Frequently Asked Questions Custom Cabinetry Construction

Q: Do you use plywood in your furniture and cabinetry?
A: I do use plywood for some applications in my furniture. Plywood has been used as a building material for more than 100 years. The sheets are made of thinly sliced layers of wood with alternating grain direction, making plywood extremely stable.

Solid woods absorb and lose moisture, in locales with extreme changes in temperature and humidity the movement of the wood can be substantial. This movement of the wood must be taken into account in the construction of furniture; failure to do so will result in warping or cracking.

In those parts of the furniture where it is difficult to allow for wood movement plywood is a good alternative. Because it shrinks and swells almost imperceptibly in response to changes in humidity. Plywood is the perfect material for encased portions of the furniture such as side panels where design choice has been made to use a flat panel rather than a framed raised panel. I also use plywood for cabinet backs (if the piece is designed to fit up to a wall) as well as drawer bottoms.

Q: Do you use melamine board in your furniture and cabinetry?
A:I do not use melamine in any of my furniture. That being said, melamine is a very hard durable surface is easy to keep clean and difficult to damage. For the interior walls (not visible from the outside) and shelves in kitchen and bathroom cabinets a grained color matched melamine is a viable, cost effective substitute for hardwood plywood; with many plywood species it can be less than half the cost per sheet.