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Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to know about door styles?
The door style is the fundamental building block of your cabinetry creation. It sets the tone for everything else that follows. Triple Crown offers a flexible range of styles to express your vision perfectly. Raised-panel styles project elegant, traditional dignity in a variety of frame configurations. Flat-panel styles are versatile, and can fit well in everything from contemporary to Mission to rustic settings. Mitered frame door styles express sophistication and refinement. Beaded-panel door styles create a homey, historic feel. Applied-molding styles bring added depth and dimension to the look of your cabinetry. Inset styles place the doors and headers flush with the cabinet frame.
What does "overlay" mean?
Overlay refers to the amount of cabinet face frame that is covered
by the doors and drawer headers, and is sometimes referred to as
"reveal." Most of our door styles are offered in two overlays:
Traditional and International. A few door styles are offered in
International overlay only. International overlay doors and headers are larger,
covering more of the frame. The result is a sleeker, more
sophisticated look. Traditional overlay doors and headers are smaller, revealing
more of the frame. This look is in keeping with American cabinetry
traditions. Since the smaller Traditional styles use less material, they cost less, too.
However, in the end, the overlay decision is one of personal tastes and budgets.
What does "inset" mean?
Inset cabinetry is another option to consider in which the doors
and headers don't "overlay" the frame at all. In the case of inset
cabinetry, the doors and drawer headers fit inside the cabinet's
frame, flush with the face. This creates a very different look --
a look that is both historical and really quite elegant. When selecting an inset
design, you have some other choices to make too. You can choose a concealed hinge style
that is completely hidden for a sleek look. Or you can select a finial hinge that is partially exposed,
enhancing the antique impression of the cabinets. The cabinet frame can have a decorative bead
around each opening, or it can remain a sleek surface that is flush with the doors and drawer headers.
You can also choose between elegant five-piece drawer headers or understated and historical slab drawer headers.

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What is a "beaded inset"?
Beaded inset cabinets have a decorative detail on the face
of the cabinet surrounding the door or drawer. This detail is known as a bead.
It has a slight groove and rounded edge cut into the wood.
The bead acts as an outline to your doors and drawers. Think of it as a frame within a frame.
The bead can be made of an additional piece of molding applied to the face or by carving
the bead using a router.

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What is a "frameless cabinet"?
Frameless cabinets are also known as “full access” cabinets. The style became popular
in Europe and therefore is also known as European Style Cabinetry. While framed
cabinets have a face frame that covers the box portion of the cabinet, a frameless
box offers easy access and storage space by removing that face frame. Because of
this, the box is typically thicker to add more stability to the construction. A frameless
cabinet has a sleek look and the doors are attached directly.

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What are the differences in wood species?
Cherry tends toward elegant warm tones, and also darkens considerably as it ages.
Cherry has a fine grain that often exhibits swirls and a flowing, random pattern.
Cherry's color varies from nearly white to dark reddish brown. Cherry is our
highest-priced standard wood species.

Maple has a fine, uniform grain pattern, and tends toward lighter colorations.
Like all woods, maple will darken with age, but to a lesser degree than cherry.
Maple takes on a subtle mottled appearance when finished in the darker stains.
Maple costs slightly less than cherry.

Hickory is a heavy, dense wood with vibrant, unpredictable grain patterns and wide
variation in color. It is the outgoing extrovert of the hardwood family.
Lighter stains make this natural variation the most evident, while darker stains
tend to mute it. Hickory costs slightly more than oak.

Red oak is a time-honored favorite that has a prominent, distinctive grain
character that may show tiny rays and flowing patterns. Red oak tends toward warm
tones, and is very hard with a high shock resistance. As
our lowest-priced wood species, Red oak is also an excellent value.

The Triple Crown rustic wood choices create home environments with
authentic warmth and natural comfort. Rustic woods display visible knots,
mineral and color variation in the door frame and center panel. The size,
number and location of these characteristics will naturally vary.
Rustic hickory and rustic alder are offered. Our rustic woods are offered in
special versions of our most popular and versatile door styles. The natural,
timeworn character of Triple Crown rustics can be further enhanced with optional
glazing and distressing.

Quartersawn white oak uses the more difficult and costly quartersawing
method to yield material with a distinctive grain pattern and superior stability.
It is the perfect choice for Mission-themed creations. Quartersawn white oak is
particularly well suited to hand-wiped glazing. The quartersawing
process makes the wood grain very receptive to the glaze. At the same time,
a dark glaze like Ebony accentuates the lovely and distinctive grain patterns
that quartersawing creates.
What does "paint grade" mean?
Solid paint finishes are offered on our paint-grade door styles.
With our paint-grade cabinetry, doors and five-piece drawer headers have a
solid fine-grain hardwood frame. Center panels and slab headers are of
Medium Density Fibercore (MDF), which is an engineered wood product.
Face frames and moldings are solid hardwood, and painted end panels are
hardwood ply. All other construction details are the same as other Triple Crown
cabinetry. MDF machines and finishes beautifully. It is used by cabinetry manufacturers
of all quality levels because it is more stable than solid
hardwood and will not expand and contract with seasonal changes.
A limited number of door styles are also available with doors and
drawer headers that are constructed entirely of MDF and provide the most
stable choice for painted cabinetry.
Please note that MDF is not generally considered an "all wood" product in our industry.
What is a "vintage" finish?
If you love the look of antique furniture that shows its years of use, look into our Vintage
finish offerings. The Vintage finish
is a unique multi-step hand process that includes specialized
distressing and finishing techniques. The Vintage process is
intended to give a distinctively aged, timeworn look to
cabinetry, reminiscent of the most treasured heirloom furniture.
Rather than the crisp edges, sharp detail and uniform finish
usually associated with Triple Crown products, the Vintage finish
process creates soft corners and profiles, varied character elements, and a uniquely
crafted finish treatment that suggests great age.
This beautiful option is offered in select paints and stains on a
wide range of woods. Subtle Vintage choices have all the unique hand-finish techniques,
but without distressing. Brushed Vintage paints offer a choice of Ebony, Walnut, Pewter,
Oatmeal, Ivory or Black accents with a softer, more blended appearance.
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