Pre-Purchasing Questions & Information

Q. What do I need to know about wood cabinets?

A. Natural woods may vary in color, characteristics and exhibit subtle changes as they age, resulting in cabinet colors and finishes lightening, darkening or changing over time. Also, humidity and temperature changes can cause wood to expand and contract. This can result in breaks in the base or finish coat at the joint areas. Sunlight, smoke, household cleaners, and other environmental conditions may also affect the color and integrity of your finish over time. These are all normal changes that occur in a product as a consequence of its material and the environment it is used in, and are not covered by this warranty. A touch-up kit is provided with the products or can be ordered to reduce the appearance of cracks.

At the time of installation, doors may warp a 1/4″ or less, which is normal. The doors must be allowed to set which will take two (2) seasons (e.g., spring and summer). Typically, the door will return to its normal flat state after the two seasons, once the product acclimates to the installed environment. If the warpage still exists after two seasons, contact us as noted below. Prior to requesting any replacement, please be sure that the problem is not due to an incorrect installation.

Q. What is framed construction?

A. This means that the frame fixed to the front of a cabinet body which obscures the edges of the body and provides the fixing point for doors and other external hardware. A face frame provides strength to the front of a cabinet and is also considered a visual feature of particular styles of furniture.

Q. Do I have to assemble your cabinets?

A. No. All of our cabinets come fully assembled from the factory.

Q. Can I get a sample door?

A. Yes. Please contact your dealer for more information. If you are interested in a custom color, we insist on sending you a mini door sample before you place your order so you can see the quality and the color.

Q. Do you recommend Professional Installation?

A. Yes. We strongly recommend that your cabinets are installed by a licensed professional installer. Please see our warranty statement for further details.

Q. Do your cabinets come with door hardware (i.e. knobs and pulls)?

A. No, we don’t supply the door hardware.

Q. Where can I purchase Covered Bridge Cabinetry?

A. Our cabinets can only be purchased through an authorized dealer. Please visit our Dealer Locator  to find a dealer near you!

Q. What does it mean to be CARB Phase II Compliant?

A. With CARB’s creation of its comprehensive Air Toxic Control Measure (ATCM) state law in April 2008, California has set one of the toughest standards in the world for placing limits on formaldehyde emissions from wood products.

In order to comply with the new rules, wood product manufacturers are required to prove that their products—both foreign and domestic—are made from CARB compliant materials through Chain of Custody (COC), third-party documentation from their suppliers.

To learn more about CARB and what it means to be CARB Phase II Compliant, Click Here.

Owner Questions and Information

Q. Where can I get replacement drawer slides, hinges, etc.?

A. Please contact the dealer that you purchased your Covered Bridge Cabinetry cabinets from, and we can make arrangements to get the part you need.

Q. What if I scratch my cabinets?

A. With most orders, a touch up pen and a soft fill stick will be provided so that you can fill in scratches and nicks or gouges. We currently do not have touch up kits for all of our finishes. If your order did not come with a touch up kit, or you need something more, please contact the dealer you purchased your cabinets from.

Q. How do I care for my Covered Bridge Cabinetry cabinets?

Use a warm damp soft cloth for regular cleaning and for cleaning normal household spills. Use a lint-free cotton cloth for drying. If more cleaning is required, use a fresh solution of mild dishwashing liquid mixed with warm water. After cleaning, dry surface immediately with another soft, clean cloth. Our cabinets are built to give you many years of enjoyment and to ensure that they retain their beauty, clean them regularly and wipe off excess moisture and spills as they occur.

Avoid the following cleaning products:

  1. Harsh Chemicals
  2. Abrasive cleaning products
  3. Scouring pads or steel wool
  4. Sponges or dish clothes as they may contain food and oil residue
  5. Solvent-based or petroleum-based products
  6. Ammonia, bleach, or silicone-based cleaning, waxing, or polishing products

General Information

Q. What is your stain finish process?

A. Each wood species has it’s own unique characteristics and natural beauty. A stained finish compliments these characteristics and highlights the natural beauty of each species grain and color. Due to some species containing multiple natural colors, often a toner will be applied as a first step in the stained finish process in order to equalize the color on a door or drawer front. The chosen stain color is then hand applied and hand rubbed into the wood with equal coverage and absorption. Finally, two coats of oven cured topcoat is applied with a hand sanding treatment after each coat. Our topcoat treatment is what adds the finishing touch to beautiful and long lasting finishes.

Q. What is your painted finish process?

A. Covered Bridge painted finishes are semi-opaque and feature several coats of heavily pigmented stain color. Due to the heavily pigmented stain, painted finishes will show little to none of the natural graining of the wood. The result is a brilliant looking and very consistently colored finish. Since wood naturally expands and contracts, hairline cracks in the joints of wood are commonly visible. This does not represent any degradation or lack of quality in either finish or joint construction. Multiple primer coats and two coats of top coat with hand sanding are also applied to painted finishes.

Q. What is the Highlight treatment finishing process?

A. Highlight finishes are created by applying a highlight glaze finish to the recesses of the doors and drawer fronts after the chosen color has been applied. Due to the slightly darker highlight, the color may appear to be darker. However, the original stain color of the door is not altered. The finish process is completed by adding the two top coats and hand sanding to the doors and drawer fronts.

Q. What is the Glaze treatment finishing process?

A. A Glaze finish treatment can be added only to a stain finish. The glaze finish is applied to the door and drawer front to add a unique look that captures light unlike the standard stain or paint are able to. Glazes are hand applied to penetrate the chosen color and enhance the overall depth of the color and profile. Glazed finishes are followed by our standard top coat and hand sanding treatment for durability to last for years.

Q. What is the Brush Stroke treatment finishing process?

A. The brush stroke glaze finish treatment can be applied only to painted finishes. A rough sand of the raw doors and draw fronts is applied to allow the glaze to seep into the cracks. The result is the appearance of a highlighted hand brush stroke that is both unique and beautiful. Brush Stroke Glazed finishes are followed by our standard top coat and hand
sanding treatment for durability to last for years.

Q. What is the Retro treatment finishing process?

A. The Retro finish is a hand crafted technique, that includes adding faux wormholes, intentional imperfections and over sanding to the unfinished doors and drawer fronts to create the appearance of natural distressing, often caused with age. After these intentional imperfections are randomly applied, the stain or painted finish is applied, followed by a second treatment of over sanding on the edges of the doors that slightly reveals the natural wood underneath.