Details Custom Cabinetry

Attentive care, skilled craftsmanship, and an eye for beauty in every phase of the process.

Frequently Asked Questions & Glossary

Battens, kerfs, muntins and melamines – what are they, exactly? Find out here in our Glossary, and how they fit into the picture of your perfect kitchen. If you have a question not answered in our FAQs, please send it to us by clicking here.
What can you tell me about Details Custom Cabinetry?
A family-owned cabinetmaker located in Miami, the heart of South Florida. Details Custom Cabinetry stands for quality workmanship well within your reach. Each cabinet is built with one of two time-tested methods depending on your preference: framed, mortise and tenon construction with dovetail drawers; or frameless, with metabox dovetail drawers. Details Custom Cabinetry’s standard and custom hand rubbed finishes are available with either style of cabinetry. Details Custom Cabinetry builds each kitchen to your specifications from wood species to doorstyle.
Why should I invest in custom?
The biggest benefit to custom is the “yours only” factor. Custom cabinetry is built to your exact specifications – color, doorstyle, wood species and finishes. Cabinet height and depth can be adjusted to fit corners or unusually-shaped spaces. Potential “dead space” can be creatively turned into a unique storage area, for the best look and optimum use of every nook and cranny. You can have the kitchen of your dreams. And you should.
What’s the difference between custom, semi-custom and stock?

With custom almost anything is possible. The versatility of free-standing accent pieces and furniture as well as fitted cabinets. Door styles, from contemporary to classic. Wood species, like Cherry, Hickory, Maple and Oak. And exquisite finishes from soft antique-distressed to stylish low-sheen or custom-colored enamels, as well as traditional stains ranging from rich and dark to pale, natural tones.

Semi-custom cabinets are mid-priced, but offer a fair amount of flexibility. Many of the components are stock, but they have features that help the kitchen designer achieve a near-custom fit.

Stock offers the least versatility, but the most affordability. You’ll find you need to match up stock parts, typically a modular system, to your kitchen space, and things won’t always fit to maximize space and storage.

How are your cabinets constructed?

We hand-build each cabinet one of two ways: framed, mortise and tenon construction with dovetail drawers; or frameless metabox dovetail drawers.

How do I begin a remodeling project that includes cabinetry?

If you’re remodeling, start with a little research. Read home furnishings and design magazines, call manufacturers (cabinet, appliances, worksurface, flooring) for literature, shop in your area to get a feel for materials and what you like. Then visit us. Just click here.

Do you sell cabinetry for rooms other than the kitchen?

Yes! If you have special ideas for the bedroom, bath, dining room, great room or some other space, We can help you bring them to life. From built-in cabinetry for entertainment/media equipment to freestanding pieces like armoires and farm tables, we will handcraft and hand-finish each and every piece exactly the way you’d like.

What should I think about when designing my kitchen?

Think about you and your family and how you use your kitchen – or would like to use it. What you like, what you don’t and what you need for a comfortable, convenient space. Devour home furnishings magazines – Architectural Digest, Renovation Style, Metropolitan Home, Midwest Living, Traditional Home, Coastal Living, House Beautiful, House & Garden, Home, Country Home, Better Homes & Gardens, Southern Living, Southern Accents and Country Living are just a few places to look and learn what appeals to you. Tear out what catches your eye and start a folder of ideas. A kitchen designer will help you define your style based on this collection of “tear sheets.”

Explain the term “work triangle.”

The “work triangle” is created by the refrigerator, cooktop and sink, which must all be within three steps of each other, for the most efficient cooking space. This is why galley kitchens work so well – they may be small spaces, but everything is easily accessible.

How long will it take to complete the design?

We wish we could say for certain, but it’s really up to you and how much you understand about what you’re looking for. We’ve had clients work with a kitchen designer and complete their design within a week. Others have taken a month. But take your own time, and be sure you get exactly what you want.

Should I involve an interior designer or a kitchen-and-bath designer or both and when? What can a kitchen-and-bath designer bring to my project?

Working with an interior designer is up to you. But if you’re remodeling your kitchen and choose the custom approach, a kitchen designer is imperative, in conjunction with an interior designer or alone. Kitchen designers understand how a kitchen works. They think about the little things that can become big if not anticipated – like the placement of outlets, size and shape of appliances and proper storage spaces. They know about kitchen trends, innovations and specific manufacturer details; they keep abreast of the frequent changes, custom finishes and options offered by the many companies that will be a part of your dream kitchen.

Think about your kitchen designer as your advocate, adding value by providing knowledge and ideas. Engaging one is not only helpful, but inspirational and smart. A kitchen designer is worth the investment. call 305-234-0030.

How do I find a kitchen and bath design professional or a Details Custom Cabinetry Showroom?

Click right here or call us at 305-234-0030.

Kitchen Design Primer

Serious at-home chefs, or anyone, considering kitchen renovations, read on.

Consult a kitchen designer.
Kitchen design is highly specialized. If you’re working with an architect and/or an interior designer, insist on working with a kitchen designer as well to ensure a well-planned, well-executed design. And involve the kitchen designer early in the process, whether you’re building or remodeling. Incorporate the traditional work triangle.

The “triangle” – the refrigerator, cooktop and sink – must all be within three steps of each other, for the most efficient cooking space. This is why galley kitchens work so well – they may be small spaces, but everything is well within reach. Design compartmentally for good flow.

Collections, place settings and glassware don’t belong where you cook. Spices and cookware do. Designate storage space for tabletop items away from your cooking areas, so the “chef” doesn’t collide with those setting the table or making cocktails. Give dry goods a proper home – a pantry.

Our forefathers were right. A “dry refrigerator” is invaluable. Dry goods need a cool, dark and dry place. A pantry fits the bill. Only remember that today, we, unlike the pilgrims, have electricity.

Don’t skimp on integrating good task lighting everywhere you work. Halogen is popular, or choose more conventional spot lighting. Think about you and your stuff.

Particularly with custom, you can design a perfect kitchen for you and all you’ve acquired. Take stock and make sure your design accommodates your belongings. Renovation can be overwhelming, but when it’s all over, that space should speak to who you are, what you need and where. Question open shelving or glass-front cabinets.

These two design elements are indisputably pretty, but unless you love to dust and do windows, be careful. Contemplate the trash.

Make sure your trash and recycling center is hidden behind cabinetry and close to a door leading outside. Consider custom.

You may be surprised to learn that custom doesn’t have to break the bank. For avid cooks in remodeling mode, a custom kitchen is a smart investment. Not only will it make life easier in your kitchen, but a well-designed, quality kitchen adds considerable value to your home.

To learn more, call Details Custom Cabinetry at 305-234-0030 or go to our Dealer Locator to find an authorized kitchen and bath showroom near you.

How long will it take for the cabinetry to arrive for installation?

Again this varies depending on the season. Remember, we make to order, so it does take us time to handcraft your special cabinets. You can expect your cabinetry to deliver about 5 to 6 weeks from the date the order is submitted to the factory.

Who installs the cabinetry?

The best route is to work with your kitchen designer and showroom to arrange for a contractor. They have relationships with contractors trained specifically to install custom cabinetry – there is an art to it, and it’s worth retaining someone who’s a pro.

What kind of wood species do you have available? Can you tell me their characteristics, and what you recommend?

Our core wood species are Cherry, Maple, Hickory, Red Oak, and Walnut. Maple is the highest selling followed closely by Cherry. As for preference, it’s a matter of personal taste. But we will offer a small warning – if you have three kids, three dogs and two cats, we’d steer clear of Pine, the softest, least durable of the bunch.

Cherry: Belongs to the rose family, and was used by the Greeks and Romans as long ago as 400 B.C. for furniture making. Cherry helped define American traditional design because Colonial cabinetmakers recognized its superior woodworking qualities. It has a rich red-brown color that deepens with age and exposure to sunlight. Its exceptionally lustrous appearance almost glows. It’s straight-grained and satiny, and sometimes contains pin knots and gum pockets that give the wood a distinctive character. Its more uniform texture takes a stain very well. Cherry is light, strong, stiff and rather hard.

Maple: Interestingly, until the turn of the century, the heels of women’s shoes were made from Maple, as were airplane propellers in the 1920s. Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days. Maple coloring ranges from cream to light reddish-brown, with a uniform grain and texture. Maple is heavy, hard, strong, tough and stiff with excellent resistance to abrasion and indentation – ideal for a kitchen chopping block or counter. Its uniform surface takes a stain well.

Oak: Oak has a long distinguished history in furnishings and interior design. Oak was a favorite of early English craftsmen and a prized material for American colonists. Red oak grows only in North America and is found further north than any other oak species. A red oak grows slowly, taking 20 years to mature and living an average of 300 years. Red Oak ranges from a white/cream color to a warm, pale brown, tinted with red. The grain is known for its “rays,” which reflect light and add to its appeal. Depending on the way the logs are sawn into timber (rift-cut, flat sliced, flat sawn, rotary cut, quarter-sawn), many distinctive and sought after patterns emerge: flake and flame figures, pin stripes, fine lines, leafy grains and watery figures. Oak is heavy, very strong and hard, stiff and durable under exposure and wear-resistant. Oaks take a wide range of finishes very well.

Quarter-sawn Oak: Cut at a 90-degree angle to the grown rings, Quarter-sawn Oak has a distinctive straight and vertical grain. Because of the method, this wood is limited in length and width, but highly prized for veneers.

Hickory: A heavyweight contender for your kitchen, Hickory is famous for its extreme strength, flexibility and shock resistance. Once used for wagon wheels, and even the Wright Brothers’ historic plane, it exhibits wide variations in colors, ranging from white to chocolate, and provides an alternative to oak for consumers who prefer an open-grained wood, but have tired of the traditional oak look.

Just as no two trees are alike, no two pieces of wood are alike. Some species of wood have more variation than others. Please note that certain wood species have inherent characteristics.

Cherry may have mineral streaks and pin burls, and will darken noticeably with age. Sapwood may appear in profiled areas.

Maple may have mineral streaks or dark areas, especially in profiled areas.

Walnut varies considerably from light to dark.

Paint grade may be a blend of birch, soft maple or hard maple, which are all close-grain woods. Paint grade is non-select for color and grain pattern and may vary from dark heartwood to very light sapwood.

Also note that wooden hardware (knobs, pulls, etc.) having a finish will wear with use.

If you are interested is using a species different from any of these, we can usually source it. Just ask the showroom you’re working with to check with us.

I’ve heard about natural wood expanding and contracting. Is this true, and what does this mean to me in my home?

Wood is a natural and organic thing. When the air is warm and humid, wood absorbs extra moisture and expands. In dry conditions, the wood will expel moisture and contract. By running a humidifier during the winter and the air conditioning in the summer, you can keep the relative humidity at or above 50 percent to help prevent drastic moisture fluctuations. We do our best to take the natural expansion and contraction of wood into account when building your kitchen.

What is MDF board?

Medium Density Fiber (MDF) board is made from engineered wood fibers sealed with adhesive, and exhibits exceptional stability and an extremely smooth surface. The fibers are wetted, heated and pressed to form a smooth, consistent thickness, great for laying up face and back veneers.

Do Details CC products contain formaldehyde?

Yes, as do many everyday products around your house, including some paints, coatings, and cosmetics; permanent press-treated fabrics and drapery; and certain insulation materials.According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, formaldehyde is a naturally occurring substance released in the air by natural gas, kerosene, cars and even burning wood. It’s often used in cabinetry as a glue or adhesive, and can be found in particleboard, hardwood plywood and medium density fiberboard (MDF). Current studies indicate that typically, human exposure to formaldehyde does not lead to long-term health problems. For more information, contact the CPSC at 1-800-638-2772 or visit www.cpsc.gov.

What are some options for Details CC doorstyles?

For a contemporary look, you might consider full-overlay doors, which cover the cabinetry frame. For a more traditional style, you could choose a partial-overlay.

What is Antique Distressed? Stained? Glazed? Ghosted? Frosted?

Antique Distressed surfaces are physically dented, dinged and rasped for a time-worn look.
Details CC has a variety of Stains available. A Stain is applied to wood to darken it, or change the color without hiding grain or texture.
A Glaze is a smooth, glossy and fairly transparent coating applied to wood that highlights the surface that shines through it.
A Ghosted finish has a whitish-tint to it, especially visible within the routing. Even whiter is a Frosted finish, which has a pale sheen.

How much can I expect to spend on a kitchen remodeling project?

Custom cabinetry pricing varies widely and can be affected by the size of your kitchen, wood species, finish choice and doorstyle. A kitchen designer can help you ball park prices as part of an initial consultation. When moving forward with your kitchen, the designer will typically charge a design fee which is often put towards the cost of cabinetry when the kitchen is ordered. But do keep in mind that Details Custom Cabinetry can be surprisingly affordable.

How do I keep my cabinetry looking great?

Treat your cabinetry just as you would fine furniture, particularly when it comes to moisture – wood’s biggest enemy. Don’t drape wet towels across cabinet doors and take special care of cabinetry near sinks, dishwashers and like areas. Dust with a soft lint-free cloth, and only use non-alkaline soap to clean your cabinetry. Don’t use abrasive cleansers or scouring pads, which can damage the finish.