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top wood choices

There are so many choices for wood cabinets, that it can be a little overwhelming to find a starting point. You need to consider the natural characteristics of the wood, as well as your own considerations, and preferences.

Cherry Wood Cabinets

Cherry wood is a popular cabinet choice for so many reasons. It’s generally characterized by its red undertones, but the colour can vary, ranging from white to deep, rich browns. It has a smooth appearance, with a close grain, and uniform texture. The grain means that it can be finished smoothly and cleanly, while the random marking keeps the look of natural wood.

Maple Wood Cabinets

Maple Wood tends to range from whites to creams, with some red brown tones. It has a subtle grain which gives it a uniform smooth appearance. The light colour can help keep a light and airy design scheme.

Oak Wood Cabinets

Oak has a very distinct grain pattern. The colour is extremely varied. You can find whites, pinks and reds, and there may be streaks of green, yellow, or even black depending on the mineral deposits within the wood.

Alder Wood Cabinets

Alder cabinets are light brown in colour, with red undertones. It has a straight and even textured grain, which creates a seamless look between the heartwood, and the sapwood.

Hickory Wood Cabinets

Hickory cabinets have a contrast between the heartwood and the sapwood, which is caused by the natural differences. Colours can range from whites and blondes, to red browns, and dark browns.

Birch Wood Cabinets

Birch has a smooth texture, with a tight grain. The sapwood tends to range from white to creamy yellows in colour, but the heartwood can be medium brown, dark brown, or red brown.

Walnut Wood Cabinets

Walnut is smooth and has a straight grain. It can range in colour from light red brown, light grey browns, to deeper chocolate colours. It has graceful patterns, and brown hues.

Pecan Wood Cabinets

Pecan cabinets can be white, blonde, red brown, and even dark brown. It gives a dramatic look due to the heartwood and sapwood.

Compound Materials

If you don’t want a natural wood, you can choose a compound material instead. They’re very durable, and available in a wide range of colours.

 

The Benefits of Shaker Style Cabinets

The Benefits of Shaker Style CabinetsShaker style cabinets are one of the most universal and easy to match cabinet door styles available today.  No matter what the design of your kitchen, Shaker cabinetry works perfectly, adding quality and timeless style.  What makes Shaker doors work so well, you ask?  Let’s look at some of their major benefits.

Ageless Look

Shaker doors are fairly simple in design – they’re almost flat-panel, only with a slightly raised border.  That’s the main part of their appeal, providing a basic and straightforward look, with just enough detail to catch the eye in a pleasing manner.  Because of this simplicity, they’re not something that goes in and out of style; they match well with very traditional looks or very modern ones.  That makes them great for timeless kitchen design, and you can rest easy knowing your cabinets won’t look dated in 10 years.

Color or Stain

Shaker doors allow for a wide range of design choices when it comes to coloring.  On the one hand, they take paint and colored laminate very well, and can be painted in a wide variety of colors to match your overall kitchen design.  On the other hand, when you use high quality wood, you might want to show that off – and the broad panels of Shaker doors are great choices for wood stains, allowing the natural wood grain patterns to stand out.

Low Maintenance

The more detail and ridges you get on cabinet doors, the more cleaning you need to do.  These design features trap dust, grease and debris, and can make cleaning a nightmare.  Shaker doors, on the other hand, are very simple.  A quick wipe-down will clean a Shaker door with minimal effort.

Reasonable Prices

Because Shaker doors are relatively simple to construct, they won’t blow your budget like more ornate styles would.  In addition, because of their timeless look, you won’t feel the need to replace them any time soon, further stretching your design dollar.

The Benefits of Shaker Style Cabinets

The Benefits of Shaker Style CabinetsShaker style cabinets are one of the most universal and easy to match cabinet door styles available today.  No matter what the design of your kitchen, Shaker cabinetry works perfectly, adding quality and timeless style.  What makes Shaker doors work so well, you ask?  Let’s look at some of their major benefits.

Ageless Look

Shaker doors are fairly simple in design – they’re almost flat-panel, only with a slightly raised border.  That’s the main part of their appeal, providing a basic and straightforward look, with just enough detail to catch the eye in a pleasing manner.  Because of this simplicity, they’re not something that goes in and out of style; they match well with very traditional looks or very modern ones.  That makes them great for timeless kitchen design, and you can rest easy knowing your cabinets won’t look dated in 10 years.

Color or Stain

Shaker doors allow for a wide range of design choices when it comes to coloring.  On the one hand, they take paint and colored laminate very well, and can be painted in a wide variety of colors to match your overall kitchen design.  On the other hand, when you use high quality wood, you might want to show that off – and the broad panels of Shaker doors are great choices for wood stains, allowing the natural wood grain patterns to stand out.

Low Maintenance

The more detail and ridges you get on cabinet doors, the more cleaning you need to do.  These design features trap dust, grease and debris, and can make cleaning a nightmare.  Shaker doors, on the other hand, are very simple.  A quick wipe-down will clean a Shaker door with minimal effort.

Reasonable Prices

Because Shaker doors are relatively simple to construct, they won’t blow your budget like more ornate styles would.  In addition, because of their timeless look, you won’t feel the need to replace them any time soon, further stretching your design dollar.

kitchen3D496Bertone Woodworking is the top custom cabinetry and kitchen contractor in the Greater Toronto Area.  We know that the kitchen is the key, central part of your home – and that it requires the extra special care and attention that such an important part of your home, to boot!

We take this philosophy seriously, and strive to perform with that care and attention in all aspects of our business.  That’s what you can expect when you work with Bertone Woodworking, from the initial consultation through to the completion of your project.

Right from the initial consultation, we’re working to make your experience as helpful as possible.  We’ll listen and discuss your goals, and present you with a variety of options to help make them a reality.  We’ll make recommendations on the best way to do things, using our years of experience, and help you make the final decision on what plan of action to undertake.  This comes with a fair price quote – a competitive price on both materials and service, so you know you’re getting a great deal on our excellent handiwork.

Once we’ve come to an agreement on the plan, the job gets turned over to our expert installation team.  We know that the having contractors in your home is a disruptive experience, whether you are simply installing new cabinets or radically redesigning your entire space.  We strive to make the entire experience as hassle-free and convenient as possible, with quality work done in a reasonable amount of time.  We make sure to keep the lines of communication open during this process to help ease stress, as well – that lets you ask any questions you may have, and allows us to communicate any important details to you, so everyone is always on the same page with what exactly is going on.

Once the job is completed, and the final cleanup has been performed, that doesn’t mean that’s the end of our working relationship.  We will answer any final questions you may have, and guarantee that you will be satisfied with the end project.  From start to finish, Bertone Woodworking is committed to making sure that our working relationship is a great success.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Cabinets

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Kitchen CabinetsPlanning on finally giving your kitchen a long-needed upgrade?  Then you need to decide on how to get the perfect kitchen cabinets for your home!  Bertone Woodworking offers custom cabinets of all shapes and sizes, so we can help your dream become a reality – once you figure out what your dream is!

Picking the perfect kitchen cabinet for your home is more art than science, but there are still tips we can give to help you make the process smoother.  Here’s how we recommend going about making your kitchen cabinet selection.

Door First

The door is the front-facing part of your cabinet, and is the defining style trait you’ll be seeing day in and day out.  Therefore, you should design your cabinet from the door in.  You’ll want to decide on what profile you want – whether you want an arch, a recessed square, a flat slab or anything in between – as well as the general style you’re looking for.  That will help you make the right decisions throughout your kitchen cabinet selection experience.

Wood Choices

Once you know the basic shape and design of your cabinet, the next step is to pick the wood that will best match.  The proper color and finish might differ depending on your choice of door design, as well as the other elements of your kitchen.  Our expert designers will help make sure you pick a wood that best matches your needs.

Function and Shape

Now that you know how you want your cabinets to look, the final step is to decide how you want them to work.   Your cabinets are storage space and organizational tools; building custom cabinets allows you to design your workspace from the ground up.   Do you want open shelves or closed drawers?   Would a pantry pullout be beneficial for you?  What about an appliance garage?  Think about how you use your kitchen, and what sorts of cabinets would make your life easiest.

How to Choose a Bathroom Vanity

How to Choose a Bathroom VanityNo matter if you have a spacious, luxurious bathroom or a quaint, compact one, your choice of bathroom vanity is very important.  It’s a major piece of bathroom hardware, and its features and aesthetics will help control both how you use your room and how it feels to be in it.  Vanities come in a wide variety of shapes and styles, all with their own pros and cons.  Bertone Woodworking can help you find the custom vanity that best fits your needs.  Here are some of the most common types of vanity, as well as how they can help or hurt your bathroom.

Cabinet-Style

The most common type of vanity, cabinet-style pieces are good all-purpose pieces of furniture.  While they take up the most space, you get the benefit of built-in drawers and concealed compartments, maximizing your storage potential.  These can either sit flat on the floor, or come with legs for a more open design.  Our woodworkers can help craft one to fit your measurements, keeping it from overpowering the room and squeezing it into the space you have available.

Pedestal/Console Sinks

A freestanding sink gives your bathroom a sense of visual relief – and the benefit of extra legroom and space to move around in, making it a great choice for smaller rooms.  You do end up sacrificing storage, though that can be alleviated by your other design choices (i.e. medicine cabinets, decorative shelves or baskets and so forth).  So if storage is less of a priority for you – or if you have alternatives elsewhere in your room – a standalone pedestal or console sink could be exactly what you need.

Wall-Mounted Vanities

If you’re concerned about the footprint of your bathroom furniture, a wall-mounted vanity might be exactly what you need.  Mounted solely on the wall, these vanities keep open space beneath the sink to the floor, lending an open, airy feel to your room.  Storage varies based on design and your needs, and can be customized to meet your requirements.