The Beauty of Wood


 Armstrong Cabinets are always in style, always fashionable. Design trends may come and go, but the natural environmental palette of finishes from Armstrong Cabinets are always fresh because they are always natural. The natural beauty and distinctive appearance of real wood Armstrong cabinetry is derived from the inherent qualities/ characteristics of wood itself. Trees of the same species, even growing side by side, are affected differently by the climate and elements required for growth. Minerals (nutrients) are absorbed in different ways and at different rates, even within the same tree. These factors combine to create the distinctive beauty of characteristics like:

  • Grain pattern variation (very open/wide grain. contrasting with very close/tight grain)
  • Grain color variation (from even and consistent grain color to varied and quite dramatic)
  • Unique markings (such as dark "mineral" streaks and light-colored sap wood)
These variations can be present from cabinet to cabinet and within the same door/drawer front and are not considered defects. Clear or natural wood finishes, used on Armstrong cabinetry, permit the natural beauty of grain and color tone variations to show through. Opaque finishes provide greater consistency by hiding the natural wood variations. Remember, each cabinet is only a small piece of nature's work of art and individual cabinets may not show these natural and yet distinctive characteristics.

 

Effects of Moisture on Wood

Moisture naturally affects the expansion and contraction of wood. Wood is hygroscopic, that is it gains and loses water to match its environment. Armstrong uses kiln dried wood processed to 8 – 12% moisture content, which is an industry standard. The material is then finished and sealed. The process does not yield a hermetically sealed product; therefore, subjecting the product to different humidity conditions may lead to expansion or contraction of the product. Subjecting doors to humidity levels lower than 30% or higher than 60%, may affect each door differently.

Armstrong suggests an acclimatization period for your cabinets. The process consists only of living in your home under normal HVAC conditions for 30 to 60 days. This allows the elevated moisture from the new or remodeling construction process to normalize. Do not try to fix the doors until after the acclimatization period. If after 60 days under normal living conditions, your cabinetry does not properly settle, please contact your dealer, builder, or remodeler.

Warp is the bending or twisting of a part. To measure a door, lay the product on a flat surface and measure the gap from the surface to the part. The standard allowable tolerance for wood is 1/16” per lineal foot. Material that fall within specification are considered acceptable, as part of the natural characteristics of wood.