Job Built vs Off Site

Our tooling, construction methodology, design software and equipment surpass jobsite trim carpenters if for no other reason than our joinery.  After years of Houston custom home building, the owners and management of Greenwood Cabinetry believe Greenwood’s off-site cabinets are far better than job-built (on-site cabinets or on-the-job-built) for several reasons:

Technology:

We use industrial machinery far too cumbersome to transport to jobsites, some of which, provides wood cut accuracy to .001 of 1 inch.  And in our custom home building experience, a portable saw did not achieve this cut twice and most on-site carpenters were untrained with high-tech wood cutting machinery.  If they were and they used fine machinery then the cuts were not made on the job-site.

Wood:

A Greenwood Cabinetry project uses kiln dried material with less than 6% humidity; this is an impossible standard to maintain in the field. Once processed it will not warp, crack, expand or change. Our plywood is cabinet grade AA and formaldehyde free.

Generally, field carpenters used the same millwork as everyone else which are furnished by local supply houses. So, we decided to be our own mill by creating our own profiles, grinds for mouldings, flutings, and ornamentation. We buy stock in rough form direct from sustainable forests, as well as exotic wood, and then we refine it to exacting specifications.

Assembly:

On-the-job trim cabinet-makers are commonly limited with box and part assembly using butt joinery combined with mouldings trying to achieve “the look” of a machined part or moulding.  This type of process is a waste of wood, lacks consistency and precision in formation and is simply an imitation for the real deal.

Greenwood Cabinetry always pocket bores face frame material, dovetails drawer boxes, dadoes cabinet-carcases and face frame members.  Additionally, every back is rabbeted for a perfect fit completing what we believe to be the best engineered cabinet-carcase possible.

Wood Finish:

Job-built cabinets are usually finished using store grade paints and stains applied in the building rather than a highly-durable industrial grade low or no VOC product which we then apply in a climate controlled dust free room. During home construction, we experienced painters improperly managing overspray and making an enormous mess for someone else to cleaning up using various toxic paint and stain removers.

All of our case interiors are finished and sealed eliminating the need for shelf paper and standing up to climactic changes and moisture.

We apply our finish prior to hardware installation to prevent hardware from sticking and remain clean.  Customers using LEED standards will be happy knowing our finishes have a rating from TR-2 to TR-6 with little or no VOC’s.  Our choice of finishing product has also been recommended by Green Seal for use in friendly-environment projects.  It might not mean much to some, but it certainly allows us to sleep at night knowing we hope to provide, what we believe to be, a safer and better built product.

Our Doors:

We do not outsource our doors, they are made in our shop; however, we do make our hardwood doors for others.

We are not a high production modular cabinet maker; we build a custom cabinet that exceeds the standard specifications of the Architectural Wood Institutes “custom grade” cabinets. We do things the “Old Fashioned Way” using modern equipment because we know it works and want it to last a lifetime.  We’re not interested in throwing together some boxes for kitchens… we take too much pride in our work.