Dovetailing Drawer Wood Selection with Customer Preferences

When it comes to choosing the right drawer wood there are no “right” and “wrong” choices. Whether you opt for a solid wood fastened with dovetail joints, plywood, or melamine drawer is a matter of personal preference, budget, and the degree of stability you would like the drawer to have during its operating life. Regardless of whether you are a cabinet manufacturer, or an architect or designer who is advising a customer or client on cabinet selection, basic knowledge and insights related to drawer wood selection can make you a valuable resource who allows people to make the best choices based on their priorities.

As you can imagine, solid woods are typically a higher price point. Those woods include maple, ash, basswood, beech, birch, cedar, cherry, hickory, mahogany, oak, poplar, and walnut. There is price variation among different kinds of hardwoods, and aromatic cedar is an attractive option for closet drawers because it is a natural bug-repellent and gives clothing a fresh scent.

With stability being a high priority for many customers, plywood drawers can be preferable to solid wood drawers with dovetail joints even though solid dovetail drawers have been proven over hundreds of years to last a long time because of their exceptional durability.

As for any performance differences between finished and unfinished textured drawers, there are none. The only reason one would leave a drawer unfinished (other than cedar) is so that a cabinet manufacturer can stain or paint the drawer to meet specifications.

Solid Wood vs. Melamine vs. Plywood Drawers

Excluding budgetary considerations, melamine drawers can be preferable when the customer prefers matching drawer interiors and exteriors. In contrast, drawers fastened with dowel and bore joints, as opposed to dovetail joints, are practical for large-quantity orders that need to be shipped unassembled (flat) to eliminate the probability of breakage during shipping.

In medical facilities (semi-sterile environments) or schools, where there is no exposed MDF core (medium-density fiberboard), melamine drawers fastened with dowel and bore joints can be an option that is sanitary, aesthetically pleasing, and economical.

With numerous drawer selection variables to consider, this decision tree can help you choose the best drawer box material, as well as the ideal thicknesses for the drawer sides and bottoms.

Endless Possibilities

Regardless of which material a customer chooses, drawer design possibilities are limitless within the parameters of the basic drawer box profile. At CCF, we are as involved in drawer design as our customers want us to be. The more specialized a design, such as a drawer with jewelry storage compartments, K-Cup coffee pod organizers, or toiletries, the more we interact closely with the customer to make certain the design is fully reflected in the quality and features of a finished drawer.

Whether you order a single drawer or 1,000 drawers, you can be certain that the quality of the first and last drawers will be equally high.

Although our level of design involvement varies from one customer to another, two things that remain constant are our attention to detail and quick lead times from order to delivery. As a result, customers routinely tell us that we exceed their expectations related to quality and reliability. To put it another way, we don’t cut corners, we dovetail them.

This example of how we work with customers can be insightful. When a customer wanted our suggestion on the best white melamine drawers for replacing an existing set of kitchen drawers in a cabin retreat, we advised the customer that melamine would look out of place amid the cabin’s wood and stone décor. We suggested a maple or poplar wood at a higher price point or a mid-range plywood drawer that had a wood grain appearance. The customer chose the plywood drawer option and obtained a set of drawers that fit perfectly with the cabin’s interior.

To see how we can apply our knowledge and craftsmanship to your specific requirements…