Custom versus Stock

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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, door style, wood species and finish. 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 a kitchen that's one and only. Yours. And you should.

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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, Pine, Walnut, 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.

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Design

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How should I begin a remodeling project that includes cabinetry?
If you're remodeling, start with a little research. Read home furnishings and design magazines and visit web sites, call manufacturers (cabinet, appliances, work surface, flooring) for literature, shop in your area to get a feel for materials and what you like.

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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, we will handcraft and hand-finish each and every piece exactly the way you'd like. And, it's often no more expensive than a piece of production furniture bought at retail.

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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.

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Should I involve an interior designer or a kitchen-and-bath designer (CKD, CBD) 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.

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Construction

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How are your cabinets constructed?
We hand build each cabinet using face framed construction with dovetail drawers, using Kreg pocket hole joint construction.

What's the difference between pocket hole joint construction and dowel construction

Kreg Joinery
Kreg Joinery involves drilling a hole at an angle into one work piece, and then joining it to a second work piece with self-tapping screw.

Full Access Dowel
The cabinets are joined using hardwood grooved dowels, which are rounded rods.

How strong is a pocket hole joint compared to a mortise and tenon joint?
A independent lab completed testing a few years back that showed that a pocket hole joint failed at 707 pounds when subjected to a shear load while a mortise and tenon joint failed at 453 pounds (approximately 35% stronger). Pocket hole joints are tremendously strong for a couple of reasons. 1. The use of a mechanical fastener (screw) is significantly stronger than the material around it (wood), and 2. The amount of direct clamping force placed on the joint by driving the screw combined with today's glue technology makes for a sensationally strong bond.

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Finishes

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What is Antique Distressed? Stained? Glazed?

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Antique Distressed
surfaces are physically dented, dinged and rasped for a time-worn look.

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Stained
Banks Custom Cabinets has a variety of Stains available. A Stain is applied to wood to darken it, or change the color without hiding grain or texture.

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What does the term Glaze mean, and how is it applied?
Banks Custom Cabinets offers glazing in two distinctly different methods; Standard glaze and Brushed glaze. Standard glaze is produced by covering the entire door with glaze and wiping off the excess with a dry cotton cloth, leaving the glaze build up in the details of the various profiles for doors, drawers, etc. This method will slightly vary the appearance of the original stain color and wood specie combination between the front and back side of the product.

The second type of glazing is referred to as Brushed glazing. This style is applied in the same manner as standard glazing; however, the glazing is wiped away with brushes leaving brush streaks on the panels and also on all flat stock. This method will significantly alter the appearance of the original stain color and wood specie combination, and causes the color to vary between the front and back side of the product.

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Price

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How much can I expect to spend on a kitchen or remodeling project?
Custom cabinetry pricing varies widely and can be affected by the size of your kitchen, wood species, finish choice, door style and other variables. But do keep in mind that Banks Custom Cabinets can be surprisingly affordable.

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