Glossary of Terms

Mortise? Tenon? Laminate? Here's what it all means:

Manufacturing Terminology

Checking: Separation in wood or shallow crack in paint, varnish, or lacquer; usually happens to exposed, unprotected lumber that is subjected to severe conditions of moisture or dryness.

Grain: Natural pattern of growth in wood; the grain runs lengthwise of the trees, therefore, the strength is the greatest in that direction.

Hardwood: Wood of broad-leaved trees; oak, maple, ash, walnut, poplar; contrasted to the soft wood of the needle-leaved trees: pine, fir, spruce, hemlock.

Heartwood: Older, harder non-living central portion of the tree, denser, and more durable than surrounding sapwood.

Knotholes: Voids produced where knots have dropped out of veneer or lumber.

Laminate: To bind together a series of layers of wood, plastic, or other material; as a noun, a piece made of layers of wood, plastic, or other material, bonded together by gluing or other process.

Mineral Streaks: Olive, black or brown discoloration of wood, caused by oxidation and other chemical changes.

Mullion: Vertical division of a double width window; the intermediate vertical frame member of a two or three door cabinet.

Overlay: Date on which MRP says is needed in order to meet other requirements.

Reveal: Side of an opening between the frame and the outer surface, or frame visible around a door or overlay.

Sapwood: Living wood of pale color just beneath the bark, sapwood is usually more susceptible to decay than heartwood.

Arch: Door style with an arched top on the wall cabinet doors.

Bead board: Distinctive grooved surfaces of beaded panels recreate the look and feel of ?Cottage? style architecture.

Cathedral: Door style with a uniquely curved top on the wall cabinet doors.

Drawer Bottom: The inside bottom piece of cabinet drawers.

Drawer Front: The wood or thermofoil face of the drawer that coordinates with the door style.

Drawer Guides: The hardware installed on drawers that supports the gliding motion of the drawer. The specific drawer guide used varies depending the drawer construction selected.

End Panel: The wood panel on the outside (left or right side) of a base cabinet.

Filler: A piece used to fill any gaps in cabinetry design that is not filled by cabinets to make the design fit the room precisely.

Glaze: An artistic application of an accent color to enhance the detail of a cabinet door style.

Mitered: A joint made by cutting the frame of a cabinet door at an angle and fitting the pieces together.

Modified full overlay: Doors are sized to almost touch, reducing the appearance of the front frame, while adding a mounting surface to the top of every cabinet for trim.