FAQ

Shopping Cart

Your Cart is Empty

Quantity:

Subtotal

Taxes

Shipping

Total

FAQ

Finishing

What is Distressing?
What is Antiquing?
What is Glazing?
What is Sponging or Color Washing?
What is Strie' (Dragging)?
What is Wet Color?
What is Marbling?
What is Pickling?
What is Crackle?

Woods

What is Alder?
What is Ash?
What is Aspen?
What is Beech?
What is Birch?
What is Cedar?
What is Cypress?
What is Oak?
What is Pine?
What is Rubberwood (Parawood)?

Solid Surface

Why Solid Surface?
Why Solid Surface wall panels and backsplashes?

Finishing

1. What is Distressing?

Distressing is a very popular finish today--is a way of marking wood to make it look well used and timeworn. The most common form is distress sanding. Other tools that can be used to give further aging dimension to wood include hammers, nails, screws, old hardware, and literally anything else you can pound into the wood that will leave an imprint.

2. What is Antiquing?

Antiquing is a another form of distressing that uses sanding techniques combined with glazing or a second color to give the appearance of an old piece of furniture that has been well taken care of over the years but has slight natural wear on the doors, edges, or sides. The look of distressing and antiquing is enhanced on furniture with moldings and raised panels.

3. What is Glazing?

Glazing is the process of applying a translucent color to the surface, and then rubbing off the excess to create decorative effects.

4. What is Sponging or Color Washing?

Sponging or color washing is the process of applying a translucent color to the surface, and then pouncing the glaze with a dampened sea sponge or soft cloth. To achieve an aged patina, apply an additional lighter glaze over a darker glaze.

5. What is Strie' (Dragging)?

Strie' (Dragging) is a French word that means to comb through a glaze mixture with dry dragging tools such as a brush in order to create fine lines and reveal the underlying color of the base coat.

6. What is Wet Color?

Wet color blending is a free form wet-finish application known for its subtle variations in color and soft natural glow. Supremely versatile, it can be adapted to any piece of furniture.

7. What is Marbling?

Marble effects is a timeless decorative finish that adds interest to furniture. When creating marble effects, keep it “real.” Choose surfaces that realistically would be made of marble, such as table or dresser tops.

8. What is Pickling?

Pickling is simply applying a light color stain to wood, then wiping off the stain to let the color of the wood show through.

9. What is Crackle?

Crackle adds a beautiful, worn elegance to any piece of furniture. When used with water based wood stains or furniture paints, the crackle medium contracts, fracturing the top stain coat and exposing the base coat beneath. Within minutes, you can duplicate the effects of years of natural weathering. For an extra special touch just crackle drawer fronts or door panels for a weathered, aged look.

Woods

1. What is Alder?

Alder - One of our most eco-friendly choices, this fast-growing hardwood is very consistent in color and takes stain well. It gives the look of many fine hardwoods at a reasonable price.

2. What is Ash?

Ash - This long-fibered, light-colored hardwood has a tight grain much like birch or maple, is good for bending, takes stain well, and is used mainly for chairs and stools.

3. What is Aspen?

Aspen - A softer, light-colored, even-grained hardwood, aspen takes most stains well, but may need a sealer or a coat of mineral spirits to achieve an even stain. Keep in mind that non-penetrating stains work best on this wood—or let us finish it for you!

4. What is Beech?

Beech - This cream-colored hardwood has an open-grain pattern similar to that of oak, and takes stains well.

5. What is Birch?

Birch - A fine-grained hardwood that is white in color and takes any color of stain well.

6. What is Cedar?

Cedar - Another eco-friendly choice, this sturdy softwood is farmed so that nothing in nature is disturbed. Cedar is treasured for its beautiful color variations, distinctive aroma, and natural oils that repel moths and other pests.

7. What is Cypress?

Cypress - Technically a softwood, cypress shares many properties of hardwoods and is often classified as one. Most frequently used for outdoor furniture, it is prized for its rustic look and the natural oils that protect it from insects and the elements.

8. What is Oak?

Oak - A very hard, open-grain wood that comes in red or white varieties. Red oak, which has a pinkish cast, is the more popular of the two. White oak has a slight greenish cast. Both woods stain well in any color.

9. What is Pine?

Pine – One of the most popular woods for unfinished furniture, all varieties have a yellow coloring with brown knots and are excellent for staining.

10. What is Rubberwood (Parawood)?

Rubberwood - This eco-friendly hardwood is harvested only after 30 years' use as a source for latex. (The sap is made into latex in the same way that maple sap is made into maple syrup.) Yellow in color, with a grain similar to mahogany, rubberwood is as hard as maple or ash and takes a very even stain.

Solid Surface

1. Why Solid Surface?

Solid Surface has proved itself to be an extremely durable and user-friendly material, and is impact-resistant, scratch-resistant and wear-resistant in daily use, even in areas of high-use. The Solid Surface material, that is available in different sheet thicknesses and many different mouldings, has excellent hygiene properties and a warm feel.

Solid Surface has almost the same strength as stone, but can nevertheless be worked with and fabricated in the same way as wood. The Solid Surface material can be sawn, cut, drilled or planed using conventional carpenters‘ tools. Many mineral material fabricators were originally carpenters or joiners and have come to appreciate solid surface such as HIMACS and Korean as the perfect partner for innovative ideas. On the one hand, it is simple and easy to handle and, on the other hand, it has versatile Design Possibilities that inspire creative craftsman to play around with the thermoplastic and translucent properties of the material, to engrave it, print it and much, much more.

2. Why Solid Surface wall panels and backsplashes?

Solid Surface wall panels and backsplashes are extremely easy to clean and has excellent hygiene properties and a warm feel.

There are a number of different wall profiles (panels) with various shapes and manufacturing costs. The various designs can be produced in different manufacturing processes – depending on the intended area of use.

Our standard backsplash consists of a strip of Solid Surface fixed with an acrylic-based silicon. Beading is the perfect solution for counteracting moisture and bacteria, especially in wet areas, like sinks and washbasins. A wide range of other shapes can also be manufactured for easy-clean wipe areas.