How We Build

At the heart of it, we believe custom cabinetry, case goods and furniture should be built by the hand of a craftsman. A craftsman who inherently understands how to take quality raw materials and turn them into beautiful and functional cabinetry or heirloom furniture. We use only the highest quality materials available and utilize tried and true joinery techniques to create products that will stand the test of time.

Furniture Grade

All of our case goods are assembled using furniture grade 3/4 plywood for strength and longevity. We assemble our case goods using traditional joinery techniques which results in cabinets that will last a lifetime

Hand Built

All of our cabinets and furniture are constructed by a craftsman in our Mills River NC shop. We work on a single project at a time which allows us to focus on completing every project with the highest possible quality

Longest Runs Possible

Unlike semi-custom (factory built) cabinets, which are built in standard sizes, we build cabinets in the longest runs possible. This reduces the number of vertical seams and speeds cabinet installation

In-House Finishing

All cabinet and furniture finishing is performed in-house using exclusively ICRO low VOC water borne finishes. ICRO industrial coatings is a superior product engineered specifically for wood. The resulting finish is silky smooth with excellent scratch and chemical resistance. We can match any colors from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams and Farrow and Ball.

Functional Hardware

Functional cabinet hardware plays a pivotal role in the smooth operation of all cabinet openings including doors, drawers, pull outs and the like.We use exclusively Salice drawer slide and hinge systems which provide the customer with functional soft close hardware that will last a lifetime.

Material Choices

The quality of the material selected for any woodworking project is a major determinant of the quality of the finished product. At Oak and Otter, where we source our material is very important to us not just from a quality standpoint but an economic standpoint as well.

Plywood & Panel Goods

We source exclusively Columbia Forest Products Purebond veneer core plywood for all case good construction. First, it’s made here is the USA in Old Fort North Carolina and is a superior product to import plywoods.

Secondly, the product is formaldehyde free which is healthier for everyone throughout the process

Hardwood Lumber

We source the majority of our hardwood lumber directly from local suppliers and lumber mills along the east coast. This includes species like Maple, Cherry, White Oak, Red Oak, Walnut, Alder and Sapele.

We support small local mills and lumber yards as a matter of principle. By doing this we are supporting our local economy and building local long term relationships.

Building custom cabinets and case goods for our clients is truly a marriage of skilled craft, superior raw materials and top of the line components. All of these together allows us to deliver a product to the market we are proud to out our name on.