True32 System
The True32 Custom Cabinetry System is unlike any other in the industry. Our product is categorized by many names from all over the world, but the most common are European, Frameless, Full Access, and our new favorite, FrameZERO, all eluding to the fact that our cabinetry does NOT have a Face Frame. If you hear a cabinetmaker referring to their cabinets as Full Overlay, that usually, but not always means they are manufacturing face frame cabinetry, but making the doors and drawer fronts large enough to cover most of that face frame. These cabinetmakers are attempting to make their face frame cabinets look like our FrameZERO cabinets, where all you see are the doors and drawer fronts, but their reveals are typically larger than our 3mm reveals (the space between doors and drawer fronts).
The systematic approach we take with our True32 cabinetry provides predictability in Form and Function, providing our clients with unsurpassed value. The system is based on cabinet heights that are in increments of 32mm (1- 1/4″). This approach accommodates all of the functional European hardware utilized in cabinetry (i.e., drawer guides, hinges, etc.). By engineering your cabinetry this way, we remove the tedious trial and error process of manually locating all of the functional hardware, thus providing you, the client, with a better cabinet value.
We think you will prefer our pre-engineered solutions over pre-manufactured home center cabinets, but don’t take our word for it – compare the following features to any other cabinet available, and see if you don’t agree that Oldwood Custom Cabinets, a True32 Custom Cabinetry Affiliate blends technology with Style and Fashion, providing the best choice for your storage solutions.
Exterior
This highly visual portion of your cabinetry is of the utmost importance. Not only is it the part you have to look at all day every day, it is also the part that takes the most abuse; so it has to be attractive to look at, and it absolutely has to be durable.
By using the most durable finishes available, as well as everything being removable, thus replaceable (e.g., Doors, Drawer Fronts, Applied Ends, Toe Kick, Frieze, and in some cases Top Mount Crown), True32 Custom Cabinetry is the most durable, versatile custom cabinetry available to the discerning cabinet customer.
Every True32 Custom Cabinetry Affiliate keeps both Form and Function as the objective of every design we do, and here are just a few of the ways we do that.
- Tight 3mm reveals between doors and drawer fronts are just one of many indicators of the quality and craftsmanship that goes into our cabinetry.
- Top Mount Crown Molding allows us to attach the crown mold by screwing down to the top of the cabinets rather than nailing to the face of the cabinet. This eliminates the nail holes that have to be filled, which seldom match the cabinet finish. Another unique feature of these types of moldings is that they are removable; if during the construction process, a molding is damaged, we can simply remove the damaged piece and replace it.
- Bottom Mount Light Rail allows us to attach the light rail by screwing it to the bottom of the cabinet rather than it being an integral part of the cabinet, or face nailed to the cabinet. This again eliminates any nail holes, but at the same time provides a recessed area for lighting and a very sophisticated look.
- Waterborne Finish is the finest finish product that can be used on Kitchen, Bath, and Built-In Cabinetry. These environmental friendly finishes are not only extremely hard and scratch resistant, but they also provide excellent moisture resistance for those high humidity areas like baths and around any spill-prone preparation and clean-up areas in the Kitchen. We offer thousands of fashion finish combinations, including glazing, antiquing, and several levels of distressing.
- Doors and Drawer Fronts are made from premium-grade lumber or composites, either at our facility or at one of several premium door suppliers across North America. By also offering door styles provided by high-quality door suppliers, we can offer hundreds of door styles and configurations. Today, alternative materials like Decorative Laminate Veneer, Rigid Thermal Foil, Textured Melamine, and Acrylic are the rage, and they are meant to be paired with FrameZERO cabinets. If you want Contemporary or Modern cabinetry, then you want True32 FrameZERO cabinetry.
- Applied End Panels and Decorative Elements allow these highly visual pieces to be replaced in case of damage, minimizing the cost because we only have to replace the component and not the entire structure or cabinet.
Interior
This is often the most overlooked aspect of the cabinet, but we feel strongly that the utility of the cabinet is just as important as the appearance of the cabinet.
- Storage is the actual point of owning cabinetry in the first place, so your cabinetry should allow for effective utilization of the space available. Our FULL ACCESS cabinetry provides up to 20% more storage inside the cabinetry and the drawers of the cabinetry than the typical modular face frame cabinet you see at your local home center or design center.
- Material Choice is up to you. We offer extremely durable thermally-fused melamine interiors in both white and hard maple. Melamine does not require you to line your cabinets with any type of shelf liner; it is the same surface you find on a laminated countertop, and it is extremely scratch, dent, and moisture-resistant. We also offer pre-finished veneer core plywood interiors in either birch or hard maple (availability determines which species we use). These hardwood panel products are manufactured and inspected after being sanded to a smooth finish. Next, they are transported to a finish line where they are coated with a sealer, cured under Ultraviolet light, then sanded and top coated with a poly-acrylic based finish, and cured again under Ultraviolet light to a durable, highly chemical- and scratch-resistant finish.
- Dovetailed Hardwood Drawers are made from 5/8" solid maple or birch hardwood with a 1/2″ plywood bottom. These drawers are built to last, with all four corners having true dovetail joints. What you don’t see is the smooth undermount, soft-close, full extension drawer slide system we use. You can read more about this drawer guide in the Functional Hardware section below.
Functional Hardware
The most likely part of any cabinet to fail is the functional hardware. Poor quality drawers, drawer guides, hinges, and cabinet finish are the most commonly cited reasons for warranty claims in our industry. We only use high-quality functional hardware, all of which come with a lifetime warranty. We never accept substitutions on functional hardware from our suppliers. This is simply not an option for any True32 Custom Cabinetry Affiliate.
- Hinges are three-dimensionally adjustable and are made from all steel parts. Pivot pins are heat-treated (case-hardened) steel rather than cold-rolled steel. The hinge is also a clip-on version, which allows doors to be snapped off of the cabinet when needed without affecting any adjustments made before removing the door. The Clip-Top feature makes it easy to remove the hinge from the door, but a more important feature is that it is the strongest method of attaching a hinge to a composite door panel available.
- Drawer Guide quality is critical for longevity. This is the most used moving part of a cabinet, and if poor-quality guides are used then failure is imminent. All of our drawer systems are top-quality European hardware. The Tandem® is Blum’s premier line of undermount drawer slides, offering a precision roller carriage for years of dependable use. The Tandem® features full drawer extension for maximum use of interior space. The Blum Tandem® features a sophisticated shock-absorbing system that slows the momentum of the closing drawer, offering a soft, quiet, and easy close. The slide system requires minimal top and bottom clearances to fully utilize the fit of the drawer in the available opening. Combining innovative features with remarkable value, the Tandem® provides the ultimate in quality for our dovetailed drawer boxes.
- Leg Levelers are not commonly used by most cabinetry manufacturers, but we believe that they are the foundation of our systematic approach to cabinetmaking. Any structure that is not based on a good foundation is likely to fail prematurely, and cabinets are no exception. Each cabinet is fitted with 4 to 6 sockets at assembly. Then we insert the adjustable leg into the socket just before we install the cabinet. These leg levelers allow us to get your cabinets perfectly level and plumb, regardless of the condition of your floors or walls. The toe kick material is then fitted to the leg levelers using a metal clip system, which allows for the removal of the toe kick later if needed.
- Upper Cabinet Suspension Systems are even less popular with most cabinetry manufacturers, but again, we believe that they are foundational to getting our cabinetry level and plumb. Yes, these functional hardware components add cost to the final product, but much if not all of that cost is offset by the time saved at installation. It is really the only logical way to install full-access cabinetry properly (think tight reveals). This system is composed of a steel rail that is attached to the wall, and then each cabinet is fitted with a suspension block in the top left and right corner. This suspension block has a hook that protrudes through the back of the cabinet, which is hooked onto the steel wall rail. The blocks have two adjustment screws built into them: one allows the cabinet to be raised and lowered to level the cabinet, the other allows the cabinet to be plumbed. Once the cabinet is secured and properly adjusted, we have color-matched cover caps that slide over the suspension block.
Installation
High Quality Cabinetry is only as good as the installation. We are firm believers in utilizing the proper hardware to accommodate a high-quality full access cabinet installation as illustrated above. In addition, we also insist on using the very best tools available. All True32 Custom Cabinetry Affiliates use a laser level for whole room installations to make absolutely certain that every cabinet is perfectly level and plumb.
We also incorporate some of the latest installation tooling into this process, one fine example being a Festool rail saw. This unique piece of equipment allows us to fit fillers, end panels, and toe kick material to less-than-perfect floor and wall conditions, which is almost always the case in new construction and renovations alike.
The proceeding information was all to simply say that the True32 System is unique and that it provides you, the cabinetry user, with a better, more durable product. It also provides the manufacturer with a systematic approach that allows the management team to manage the system, and the system then manages the manufacturing and installation team members. Please accept our sincere thanks for taking the time to learn about our products and processes.