These are some of the key terms used when researching, quoting and ordering Conestoga Wood Specialties products
through The Cabinet Authority. If you need any further explanation of these or any other
terms, please contact us.
4-sided (drawer box): A dovetailed solid-wood drawer box that, even without a drawer front attached, has all 4 sides.
(In the Cabinet Systems Catalog, "4-sided" refers to cabinets where drawer boxes, if any, will be of this type.) Note: 3-sided drawer boxes,
where the drawer front is routed to slide onto the open front of the drawer box, are no longer offred.
5-piece Door (or Drawer Front): Any door or drawer front that consists of a frame (two horizontal rails and two
vertical stiles) and a panel (raised or flat).
Advantage line: Conestoga's new "All Wood Series" of cabinet boxes that are manufactured from veneered plywood with solid
wood face frames.
Appliance Panel: A variation on a door that is mounted on a refrigerator, dishwasher or other appliance. Depending
on the appliance manufacturer's specifications, these panels often require detailing around the edge in order to work with the appliance's
mounting mechanism.
Beaded Inset: A variation of Flush Inset where the Face Frame surrounding the opening is routed with a rounded
bead (groove) as a decorative highlight.
Butt Doors: A pair of doors that are sized to cover a wide opening without a center stile between them. Typically,
a 1/8" gap is allowed between the butt doors.
Carcass: The body of a cabinet excluding the face frame. Given the nature of Conestoga's cabinets, face frames
are required for assembly.
Colourtones: Similar to paint, this is Conestoga's opaque finish applied using airless spray equipment. Along
with the clear coat of conversion varnish applied over the Colourtones, this is a gorgeous, durable finish.
Craftsman: Conestoga's previous "All Wood Series" of cabinet boxes that are manufactured from veneered plywood with solid
wood face frames. (Replaced by "Advantage").
Dishwasher End Panel: The equivalent to one side of a base cabinet box with its corresponding single-piece face
frame (a 3" wide stile). Used primarily when a dishwasher or other appliance is at the exposed end of a run of cabinets, but has
uses in other instances, too.
Distressing: A finishing technique whereby the items being finished are nicked and dented to give the appearance
of aged or pre-used wood. Three distressing levels exist.
Edge Profile: The routing or beading that exists on the outside front edge of a door or drawer front.
End Skin: A 1/8" veneered plywood that can be pre-finished. These are typically used to cover an otherwise
unfinished cabinet side.
Essence line: Conestoga's new series of cabinet boxes that are manufactured from particle board laminated using a maple
wood grain paper. Shelves are 3/4" edgebanded particle board. (Solid wood shelves are optional.) These cabinets, like the
Advantage series, have solid wood face frames.
"Exposed" Side: (Different than a "standard" or "flush" side). An exposed side has the same configuration as a
standard cabinet side (1/2" thick plywood or particle board), but with a matching veneer on the outside. As with a standard
cabinet side, the face frame will extend 7/32" beyond the exposed side. Exposed sides are pre-finished if the cabinet is ordered
as pre-finished.
Extended Stile (ESR/ESL): Adds 3" to the outside of either the left or right stile (or both) on any face
frame. Thus, a 24" cabinet with a ESR (extended stile right) will have a 27" wide face frame with a 4-1/2" wide right stile.
Extended Stiles can be trimmed prior to installation.
Face Frame (or Front frame): The front of the cabinet, made of solid wood, consisting of (typically) 1-1/2" wide
horizontal rails and vertical stiles.
Flat Panel: A variety of 5-piece door or drawer style, often referred to as "Shaker" style, where the front center
panel is flat from side to side. Depending on the door design, these panels may be made from solid wood or from a veneered
plywood.
Flush Inset: A configuration of cabinets where the doors and drawer fronts are sized to be mounted inside
the opening of the face frame. Thus, the front of the door is flush with the font of the face frame.
Flush Side: (Different than a "standard" or "exposed" side). A flush side has all the characteristics of
an exposed side, except that it is made with 11/16" thick plywood so that the reveal (where the face frame extends beyond the
side of the cabinet) is virturally eliminated. Flush sides are available only on the Craftsman line and are pre-finished if the
cabinet is ordered as pre-finished.
Flush Toe: A variation on base cabinets where the bottom rail of the face frame is extended straight
down to the floor.
Frame-only: An option for doors that will omit the center panel. The door frame will be routed along the
interior back to accept glass or other material. (See "Mullion")
Framing Bead: The profile of the front, inside edge of the frame (rails and stiles) on a 5-piece door or drawer.
Glaze: An optional finish coat designed to highlight corners, beads and grooves on a door. Usually applied
on top of a stain or Colourtone finish and before the clear topcoat is applied.
Hinge Boring (or Hinge Drilling): The option of creating cup holes (35mm diameter, 13.5mm deep) or slots to
fit concealed, Euro-style hinges. Some hinges have wood screws above and below the cup for which we do not pre-drill. Some hinges
have a plastic or rubber plug (often called inserts or dowels) above and below the cup for which we can optionally drill.
Hybrid Door: A door with a wood frame and an MDF panel. A nice option for painted doors since the MDF does
not expand and contract as much as wood.
Matching Interior: An option on the Craftsman line of cabinets that results in the interior of the cabinet,
including the shelves, having a veneer to match the wood of the face frame. These interiors can be unfinished or finished to match
the face frame. This option is not available in all wood species.
MDF: MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) is made from compressed pieces of wood stuck together with adhesive.
It is a nice option for doors or door panels that will be painted or coated with our Colourtones finish.
Moulding: The way we prefer to spell "molding", such as crown or cove.
Mullion: Like a frame-only door, mullion doors have no center panel and are routed to accept glass. Mullions
are narrow strips of wood that form a design where the panel would be. The blank areas created between the mullions and the frame
are called "lites" (similar to panes in an exterior window). Standard mullion doors allow for a single pane of glass to be inserted
behind the mullions. "True-lite" mullion doors require individual panes of glass to fill each lite.
Overlay: The amount by which a door or drawer front covers the face frame on each side of the opening. For example,
a single door with a 1/2" overlay is 1" wider and 1" taller than the opening. Common overlays are 1/2" (exposing 1" of the
frame on all sides) and 1-1/4" (exposing 1/4" of the frame on all sides), but many others are valid. An overlay of 1-1/4" or
more is considered a "full overlay". (Care should be taken to understand hinge specifications on full overlay doors to make sure
enough room is allowed to open adjacent doors or doors in corners.) 1/4" overlay doors are considered "partial overlay" and are
typically used with a rabbeted edge profile on the door.
Panel Raise: The transition, typically measuring 1" to 1-1/2" wide, from the narrowest part of the door or drawer panel (where
it meets the frame) to the widest part (in the center). On raised panel doors, this panel raise is shown in the front. On flat
panel doors made with solid wood panels the "reverse" raise is visible only from the back.
Pioneer: Conestoga's previous series of cabinet boxes that are manufactured from particle board laminated using a maple
wood grain paper. Shelves are 3/4" edgebanded particle board. (Replaced by "Essence" Line.)
Premium Grade: Wood which contains less of the natural material characteristces and is produced within a much
narrower color range than standard grade. Premium products will contain fewer and smaller mineral streaks and pin knots.
Pull-out Trays: Shallow drawer boxes (2-1/8" exterior height) and hardware that fit inside a closed door cabinet.
With the doors open, the adjustable trays can be pulled out to full-extension.
Radius Door (or Curved Door): A door which is curved along a specified arch. A typical radius may be 12", 18" or
24" -- with the bigger radius resulting in the shallower curve.
Rail: A horizontal piece of the face frame or door frame. A typical door has a top and bottom rail. A typical
3-drawer cabinet, for example, will have top and bottom rails along with rails between each drawer.
Raised Panel: A variation of 5-piece door or drawer front where the center panel is thicker than the outside
edges of the panel. Typically, the center of a raised panel door will be flush with the frame of the door.
Refrigerator End Panel: The equivalent to one side of a tall cabinet box with its corresponding single-piece face
frame (a 3" wide stile). Used as an option when the sizes of the Tall Refrigerator cabinets don't meet the particular sizing needs.
Retainer Moulding: Pieces that are included with frame-only or mullion doors to hold glass in place. The
standard retainer moulding, for 1/8" thick glass, is made of a clear rubber and snaps into the rout on the back of the door. For
other glass thicknesses, a variety of wood retainer mouldings are offered.
RTA: Ready-to-Assemble. All Conestoga cabinet components are shipped flat-packed and need to be put together
prior to installation.
RTF: An MDF door or other product that is coated with a Rigid Thermofoil coating instead of paint or Colourtones.
Short-grain Plywood: Veneered plywood in which the grain goes across the width of the board (opposite that of typical
plywood). Excellent for use on the back of islands, etc., since it leads to fewer seams.
Stile: A vertical piece of the face frame or door frame. A typical door has a left and right stile. A two-door
cabinet may have a center stile (unless it has butt doors).
Undermount Notching: Pieces that are cut from the back of the drawer box, beneath the floor of the drawer box,
to allow for undermount slides to be attached.
Veneer: Very thin sheets of wood, usually 1/32" or 1/16" thick that can be used to change the appearance of
an existing piece of wood. Often, pre-finished veneers are attached to unfinished cabinet sides. Veneers can be cut and applied
to old face frames as part of a "re-facing" job.
Wainscot Panel: A door or a variation on a door which is designed as a decorative element to be applied to a
wall or a cabinet side. Large wainscot panels may have several rails and or stiles with raised or flat panels between each.
Hybrid Door: A door with a wood frame and an MDF panel. A nice option for painted doors since the MDF does
not expand and contract as much as wood.
