Trade Reference
Cabinetry Specifications for Architects & Builders
How PineWood cabinetry is built—and how to specify it in a drawing set with confidence.
A cabinetry drawing is only as good as the shop that builds it—and a shop can only build what the drawing calls out. This reference explains how PineWood Cabinets constructs custom casework and how to specify it clearly, so the work that arrives on site matches the design you drew. PineWood has built custom cabinetry in California since 2006 as a design-build shop under one roof, licensed as a California contractor (CSLB #1095293).
Use the sections below when you are assembling a millwork or cabinetry section for your specification. Every item here can be called out in a drawing set, and where a choice is open, we are glad to advise before you finalize the detail.
Inset, frameless, and the joinery beneath
Construction Standards
The first decision in any cabinetry spec is construction type. Inset face-frame construction sets doors and drawer fronts flush within a solid-wood face frame. It is the traditional idiom for period and transitional interiors, carries the tightest tolerances, and rewards a shop that can hold a consistent reveal by hand. Frameless (full-access) construction omits the face frame, maximizing interior volume and clean sightlines for contemporary work. Both are appropriate; the choice follows your reveal strategy, the interiors you are drawing, and the budget.
- Casework joinery: mortise-and-tenon and dowelled face frames; boxes assembled with dadoes, rabbets, glue, and mechanical fasteners for a rigid, square carcass.
- Face frames: solid hardwood, milled to the species and profile specified.
- Doors: five-piece cope-and-stick frame-and-panel or slab, in solid wood or veneered panel, with edge and stile-and-rail profiles drawn to suit.
- Drawer boxes: solid hardwood with dovetail joinery and captured plywood bottoms as standard.
Substrates. Cabinet boxes are built from furniture-grade veneer-core hardwood plywood for dimensional stability and superior screw-holding over particle-core panels. Solid wood is reserved for face frames, doors, moldings, and structural members. Where a project calls for a specialty substrate or a particular veneer core, it can be specified directly.
What to call out, and why the cut matters
Materials & Species
Species and veneer cut do more to determine the character of finished cabinetry than almost any other variable, so both belong in the spec. Rift-sawn white oak reads calm and linear; plain-sawn walnut is warmer and more figured; painted work is typically built in a tight-grained hardwood such as maple or poplar to keep the surface flawless under finish. Specify the species, the cut (plain, rift, or quarter sawn), and any grain-matching intent—running grain across a run of doors, or sequence-matching a panel wall—so we can select and lay out material accordingly. Our materials overview outlines the palette we work in most often.
From hand-applied to conversion varnish
Finish Systems
Finish belongs in the specification alongside species and sheen. We work in hand-applied stained and painted finishes, where color is built and rubbed by hand for depth and control, and in durable sprayed conversion-varnish systems that resist moisture and daily wear in kitchens, baths, and high-traffic casework. Each has its place: hand-applied work for tone and warmth, catalyzed systems for resilience.
Whatever the system, we prepare finish samples on the actual project species for approval before production, and we can match a specified sheen or an existing reference. Call out the finish type, the color or stain target, and the sheen; if the specification is open, we will help you land on a system suited to the room and its use.
Specify the make, not just the function
Hardware
Functional hardware carries the daily experience of the cabinetry. Our standard is concealed full-extension soft-close undermount drawer slides and concealed soft-close hinges, with the make and model of decorative pulls and knobs specified by you or your designer. Heavier applications—deep pantry drawers, oversized doors, appliance panels—can be specified with appropriately rated hardware. Note both functional and decorative hardware in the spec, including finish, so procurement and reveals resolve cleanly.
A checklist for the drawing set
What a Complete Spec Includes
- Construction type: inset face-frame or frameless, with target reveals.
- Species & cut: wood species, veneer cut, and any grain-matching intent.
- Substrates: box and drawer materials.
- Profiles: door style, edge details, and molding profiles.
- Finish: system, color or stain, and sheen.
- Hardware: functional slides and hinges plus decorative pulls, with finishes.
- Drawings: plans, elevations, and sections with dimensioned reveals.
- Performance: any code, fire-rating, or environmental requirements.
With these in hand we produce shop drawings for your review and approval before fabrication, catching constructability questions early and protecting the detail through to installation. For an overview of how a project moves from drawing to install, see our process, or review our trade program for how we partner with firms. Standards for architectural woodwork are published by the Architectural Woodwork Institute.
Common questions from architects and builders
Specification FAQs
Do you build inset or frameless cabinetry?
We build both. Inset face-frame construction, with doors and drawer fronts set flush within the frame, is the traditional choice for period and transitional interiors and requires the tightest tolerances. Frameless (full-access) construction maximizes interior volume and suits contemporary work. The right approach depends on your reveal strategy, budget, and the look you are drawing, and we are happy to advise before you finalize the detail.
What substrates and materials do you use for cabinet boxes?
Cabinet boxes are typically built from furniture-grade veneer-core hardwood plywood for dimensional stability and screw-holding strength. Solid wood is used for face frames, doors, moldings, and structural members. Species, veneer cut (plain, rift, or quarter sawn), and any specialty substrate can all be called out in your specification.
How are your drawer boxes constructed?
Drawer boxes are built from solid hardwood with dovetail joinery and a captured plywood bottom as our standard, running on concealed full-extension soft-close undermount slides. Heavier applications can be specified with appropriately rated hardware. We can adjust box height, material, and slide type to suit the drawing.
What should a complete cabinetry specification include?
A complete millwork spec should call out construction type (inset or frameless), species and veneer cut, box and drawer materials, edge and door profiles, finish system and sheen, hardware make and model, and any code or performance requirements. Plans, elevations, and sections with dimensioned reveals let us produce accurate shop drawings. If a section is still open, we can help you fill it in.
Do you provide shop drawings before fabrication?
Yes. We produce shop drawings for review and approval before anything is cut, so profiles, reveals, material transitions, and dimensions match your design intent. This is the point at which we flag any constructability questions and propose solutions that protect the detail.
Can you match an existing finish or a specified sheen?
In most cases, yes. We work in hand-applied stained and painted finishes as well as durable sprayed conversion-varnish systems, and we prepare samples on the actual species for approval before production. Provide a target sample or a specified sheen and we will match it as closely as the material allows.
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