A walnut refrigerator and wine wall
Walnut panels made to cover the refrigerator and frame a wine column, so the appliances read as one piece of furniture. The same house has a stained vanity and linen cabinet in the bath.
Hardware installation, straight, level and consistent.
We install the hardware you touch every day: door knobs, levers, deadbolts and hinges, cabinet pulls and knobs, soft-close hinges and drawer slides, closet rods and bath accessories. Everything is laid out with jigs so each piece lines up.
- Hardware is seen in rows. One pull set slightly off is what the eye finds first.
- A hole drilled in a finished door or drawer front cannot be moved. Layout comes before drilling.
- Near the ocean, salt air pits and tarnishes some finishes quickly. Material matters as much as style.
- Pulls and knobsDrilled with a jig so every one lands in the same place.
- DrawersJoined at the corners and run on slides that close softly and carry real weight.
- DoorsHung with even gaps. Inset doors sit inside the frame and show every error.
How a cabinet is built, frame by frame.
- Cut the partsSides, bottom, top and back are cut from one sheet of cabinet-grade plywood, so the grain and color match.
- Assemble the boxThe parts are glued and screwed into a box, then checked corner to corner so it is square.
- Face frame or edgeSolid wood is fixed to the front edges. It is what the eye reads, and where the doors will hang.
- Doors and drawersDoors and drawer fronts are made and hung with an even gap all round, the same width everywhere.
- Finish in the shopPaint or stain goes on in the shop, sanded between coats, and cures before the piece leaves.
- Level, fasten, scribeOn site the cabinet is leveled from the floor’s high point, fastened to the wall, and a filler is cut to the wall’s real shape.
Built by Tom. Fifty years of custom cabinets and finish carpentry, from Oregon and Hawaii to Malibu, Pacific Palisades and Westlake Village, and now from Goleta to Carpinteria. Meet the carpenter
What is included.
- Door knobs, levers, privacy locks and deadbolts, with latches and strike plates aligned.
- Door hinges replaced or added, set flush in the edge of the door and frame.
- Cabinet pulls and knobs, placed with a jig so every one sits in the same position.
- Soft-close hinges and drawer slides fitted to existing cabinets where the boxes allow it.
- Closet rods and shelf supports fastened to solid framing.
- Towel bars, hooks, paper holders and mirrors, anchored to studs or blocking where possible.
You email photographs and a rough count of doors, drawers and accessories, with the hardware you have chosen or are considering.
We check that the hardware suits your doors and cabinets: thickness, backset, existing holes and what is behind the wall.
Positions are marked and one sample is set for you to approve before the rest are drilled.
Holes are drilled with jigs and backing blocks so the surface does not chip, and the hardware is fitted.
Doors, hinges and slides are adjusted, and every lock and latch is tested.
Decide these first.
- Knobs or pulls, and where they sit. Position on the door or drawer front changes the look of the whole kitchen, so we mark a sample for you to approve first.
- Finish. Solid brass, bronze and stainless steel tolerate coastal air. Thin plated finishes can pit and peel within a few seasons near the water.
- Levers or knobs on doors. Levers are easier for stiff hands and full arms. Knobs suit older houses.
- Whether new hardware fits the old holes. Backset is the distance from the door edge to the center of the knob, and pull spacing varies too. A mismatch means filling and redrilling.
- Which doors lock, and how. Bedrooms and baths usually take a privacy lock. Exterior doors take a keyed lock and deadbolt.
- Pulls and knobs that line up along a run of drawers and doors when you sight down them.
- Pulls that sit level and do not loosen or spin after a month of use.
- Door latches that catch with a light push, and deadbolts that throw fully without lifting the door.
- No chipped paint, torn veneer or splintered wood around any hole.
- Towel bars and hooks that stay firm when pulled on, with no wobble at the wall.
- The number of pieces, and how many different types are involved.
- New holes or old. Filling and redrilling to suit different spacing takes longer than a straight swap.
- Mortised hardware. Locks and hinges that sit in a cut recess take more time than surface-mounted pieces.
- What is behind the surface. Bath accessories with no stud nearby need blocking or special anchors.
Prices vary with the materials and the hours a job takes. Each job is custom and unique, so we price it once we have seen the room.
Hardware installation, built and fitted.
A painted Shaker kitchen
Blue-gray Shaker cabinets on three walls and an island, with a full-height pantry wall built around the refrigerator. Behind the pantry doors: plywood boxes, pull-out trays and adjustable shelves.
A flat-panel oak kitchen
Pale oak flat-panel cabinets with a dark island, panels made to cover the refrigerator, and one long floating shelf over the bar. On flat doors the grain and the gaps are the whole design, so both have to line up.
Flat-panel cabinetry through a new house
Flat-panel cabinets for a whole house, photographed during installation, before the countertops: kitchen and island, a pantry of fitted shelves, the laundry, and a floating vanity hung from the wall.
Hardware installation: what owners ask.
Where should cabinet pulls and knobs be placed?
On doors, knobs and pulls usually go on the frame of the door at the corner opposite the hinges. On drawers, they are centered on the front, or on the top rail of a framed front. The exact position is a matter of taste, so we mark one sample and you approve it before the rest are drilled.
What hardware finish holds up best near the ocean?
Solid brass, bronze and marine-grade stainless steel hold up best. Salt air works its way under thin plated finishes and causes pitting and peeling. Unlacquered brass and bronze darken with age instead of failing, which many people like. A rinse and wipe now and then helps any finish last.
Can soft-close hinges be added to existing cabinets?
Usually, yes. Most cabinets with modern concealed hinges can take soft-close versions, or a small damper that clips on beside the hinge. Older cabinets with exposed hinges are harder. Soft-close drawer slides depend on the drawer box and the space beside it, so some drawers need rebuilding.
What is backset on a door lock?
Backset is the distance from the edge of the door to the center of the knob or lever. Doors come drilled for one of two common backsets, and the latch has to match. Many latches adjust to either. It is worth checking before you buy, because the wrong backset will not fit the hole.
Built in our small boutique shop in Carpinteria where the piece is custom, and fitted on site in:
CarpinteriaSummerlandMontecitoSanta BarbaraHope RanchGoleta
- Custom cabinetry
- Baseboards
- Door and window casing
- Window installation
- Door installation
- Custom shelving
- Hardware installation
- Crown molding
- Wainscoting and wall paneling
- Built-ins
- Custom closets
- Stair railings and treads
- Fireplace mantels and surrounds
- Ceiling beams and coffered ceilings
- Kitchen cabinet installation
- Bathroom vanities
- Custom furniture and pieces
- Trim and door repair
- Exterior trim
Have a room in mind? Send us the photographs.
Email photographs of the room and rough measurements to purchasing@amnbuild.com. Matt reads it himself. No forms.