Bathroom Makeover

custom vanity 3Do you walk into your bathroom everyday and think, “I hate this room, but it’s so small, what can be done?” For the most part, unless you are going to tear everything down, re-route pipes or enlarge the house, your bathroom, with the toilet next to the sink and the bathtub right across from it, is going to stay that way. BUT, that doesn’t mean you can’t remake the way a bathroom looks! Continue reading

Get the Kitchen You Want Before the Holidays

It happens every year, right at the start of January as you are clearing out the holiday decorations and thinking about the magic that was Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve and then you think, “so many people were cramped into my kitchen and I hate it!” It might not be the exact quote, but you are not alone when it comes to people who hate their kitchens and wish they had done something about it BEFORE the holidays. But the year slips by and here we are…in September. Well, let this blog remind you to get to it NOW if you want to make some changes to the kitchen…and remember that Brunsell is here to help! Continue reading

Millwork That’s as Unique as You

custom-millworkEveryone has their own special touch. It makes them stand out amongst the ordinary. That special way they laugh, the way they can brighten a room with their stories, or the way they always make you feel better when you needed it most. You could say we all bring to the table a custom personality. Have you ever been in a home that had a personality you’ve never seen before? Continue reading

How to Tell If You’re Buying Quality Kitchen Cabinets

When they’re brand new and professionally lit in a showroom, pretty much all kitchen cabinets look handsome, even the bad ones. That’s not an optical illusion; it’s a façade. And it’s one that can get shoppers into trouble, leading them to mistake good looks for good quality. But most of us know, at least by the time we’re old enough to be buying kitchen cabinets, that all that glitters is not gold!

What are you to do, then, if you weren’t a cabinetmakers kid? How are you supposed to know quality cabinetmaking when you see it? Here are some tips to help you separate the wheat from the chaff, so you can get exceptional kitchen cabinets that are more than just a pretty face:

  • Front pieces should be solid wood and relatively free of imperfections—no sanding marks, knots, or color or grain irregularities, etc.
  • Corners should have mortise-and-tenon joinery, preferably with long tenons and deep mortises. (Tenons are wood tongues, and mortises are slots carved out of wood into which tenons fit. Dovetailing is the most widely recognized mortis-and-tenon joint.)
  • Drawer fronts and cabinet panels should be made from solid wood.
  • Drawer sides should be made from hardwood that is more than a half-inch thick.
  • Side and floor panels inside the cabinet should be least a half-inch thick.
  • Side panels should be routed with a groove to support the drawer base.
  • Floor inside the cabinet should be fitted into the routed side panel.
  • Shelves inside the cabinet should be least three-quarters of an inch thick.
  • Hinges should be adjustable to align with the face frame.
  • Door panels should not be glued or fastened into their frames. They should be fitted into deep, lightly padded grooves routed into the frames. That way, their natural response to humidity changes over time—expansion and contraction—won’t cause cracking or warping.
  • Each drawer should be supported by two side-mounted slides rather than a single slide.
  • Shelves should be adjustable and supported by metal—rather than plastic—brackets.

Bottom line, the worth of kitchen cabinets makes itself known over years of use. But if you know what to look for in cabinet construction, you won’t need to wait all that time to find out if you chose wisely.

Brunsell Lumber - Kitchen Cabinets

Brunsell’s custom cabinets are built by true artisans in our mill. We work with clients to come up with designs that fit their budget and style, giving them as much unique as they want. Because we use time-tested craftsmanship and pour or hearts into our kitchen cabinets, their good looks don’t fade, and they stand up to whatever you dish out. Come take a walk through our showroom to see what high quality craftsmanship looks like, and maybe find the right cabinets for your home!

 

Why Custom Cabinetry?

Before mass production of cabinets was possible, pretty much all cabinetry was custom-made—designed for a specific person, space, and function. Some of it was beautiful. Some of it merely got the job done. But all of it all was made by hand to satisfy the specific needs of the person buying it. The industrial revolution changed that. Continue reading