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Current lead time for cut & edge orders is 4 - 5 working daysCOLLECTIONS: 8AM - 4PM
Shakers are a popular style of door that looks like a picture frame with an inset panel. Shaker-style doors offer a timeless appeal to your interior furniture; built practically using straightforward methods, Shaker-style doors speak volumes with minimal elegance.
You may be wondering where “Shaker” comes in: a sub-group derived from the Quakers who emigrated from the UK to the USA were renowned for their carpentry and furniture making skills. This sub-group was known as “Shakers”.
Due to the beliefs and practices of Quakers during the 1700s, Shakers created furniture that was devoid of fancy inlays, carvings and “modern” fixtures and instead on relying on expert joinery to make long-lasting furniture that instilled modesty. The irony is that the Shakers developed a style that has become a fashion statement to interiors.
Shaker cabinets used to be manufactured from either hardwood, such as oak and walnut, or softwoods like pine and cedar. Natural wood offered its aesthetics, such as the hardwearing properties and natural grain. With solid wood prices rising over time, MDF is primarily used in the construction of Shaker-style doors. MDF is easier to work with, long-lasting, relatively cheaper and can be repainted to your liking.
Today, Shaker cabinets have a versatile use but have been primarily in a kitchen setting. The cabinets in this style for a kitchen offer a cleaner, less cluttered look, and importantly, offer homeowners a timeless piece of furniture.
It's worth mentioning that advancements in the manufacturing of MDF have created a panelboard that makes it a strong contender for furniture making. Just because the cost of MDF compared pound for pound to solid wood such as oak is much cheaper does not necessarily mean that it is of inferior quality.
Cworkshop, for example, uses moisture-resistant MDF (MR MDF) in their construction of Shaker-style doors, which means it is ideal to be used in humid environments, suitable for kitchens and bathrooms. Natural wood can be prone to warping in humid conditions and often contract and expand in different conditions, where MDF is specifically developed to avoid this.
Solid wood is more flexible when it comes to having that perfect finish; it can be hand-painted either by hand or professional spray-painted. It can be painted in any colour or simply varnished or lacquered to let its natural beauty shine through. MDF, on the other hand, needs to be painted, it cannot be varnished, and the natural state of MDF is quite plain. However, the MDF surface comes smooth, meaning that you won't have to sand it down as you would with natural wood. Both MDF and solid can be painted in colours with matt, satin, or gloss finishes.
MDF also excels because they're made uniformly, with no imperfections such as knot holes, uneven surfaces, or differing tones often found with solid wood. Making repairs on MDF is also far more effortless and requires little skill.
By definition, "Shakers" consist of five pieces: the four rails that make up the frame and an internal panel. With this in mind, there are ways you can add personality to your Shaker doors and cabinets in ways that will make them not only functional, but perhaps a statment piece.
Designer fittings
Add well designed handles and knobs to your Shaker cabinet doors to give a contemporary look to a tradional style.
Pastel colours
Pastels offer a way to bring a soft tone to your surroundsings without it being a focal point.
