JWP Inc. | Wall Units

Built in wall units

In the United States and Canada, hardwoods have been used for centuries to create Dark Wall Unit

beautiful pieces of furniture, including built in cabinetry, widely known today as built in wall units. Hardwood gives to a home personality, style and warmth, making unique any home decor.

Designers, architects and builders have made built in wall units, truly masterpieces and essential elements for their practicality and versatility, with custom details adding value and beauty to those pieces crafted in hickory, oak, poplar, maple, cherry, and many other hardwood species.

However, built in wall units should not only serve for decoration purposes, but also increasing the functionality of a particular area, either in your home or in your office. Keeping in mind a few considerations may help you to determine exactly what you need.

Considering from space planning to materials selection is necessary before you proceed in choosing built in wall units, even if they are a custom order. A living room is the perfect setting for an entertainment center unit, but you can easily setup a home's office installing a desk unit in the base of a bay window; planning is the key.
Built in wall units can be added to an office or home at any time, but particularly important to consider such an addition when you are building your new home or renovating the older home. Wall units can rest in any corner, alcove or wall that you determine as their prime location.

When designing hardwood built in wall units, the first steps to take in consideration are space planning and their design. Traditional locations given because of practical units, but when planning take into consideration the base of windows, corners, nooks or crannies give you the possibility to creative craftwork.

Measuring the entire area, including the wall, floor and ceiling dimensions will help you to determine the size and placement of the built in wall units to be installed. Avoid obstructions such as electrical outlets, studs or window frames. If a unit will be placed on or near a corner, determine if the corner is a true right square angle.
Determine if the walls are straight, the floor is level, and the ceiling is totally flat. A simple rule is important to make this work when you do not have the right tools, but to verify if the angles as irregular or not, a carpenter's square and a 4 inch level are useful aids determining true horizontal and vertical measurements.

Once you have taken all the measurements of a room or particular area where the built in wall units will be placed, make sure to sketch out a basic design on paper. It does not matter if it is just a crude drawing, but it is necessary to determine the location of shelving, cabinet doors, lights and other items. The measurements of the total room space will help you to determine the size of the wall unit accordingly.

The functionality of built in wall units depends on its overall stability and the proper shelving, vital for storage. Common shelf widths are 30" to 36", and depths are 8" to 12" on average, although the purpose of a built in unit is to fit whichever custom measurement you need.
Another fact to take into consideration is the right hardwood for the job. Although built in wall units can be made using the most diverse materials, wood is the most popular of all them, and should be considered based on how the wall units will be used, in order to determine the structure of both the frame and shelving.

Remember that built in wall units are combination of shelving with a cabinetry system requiring a solid frame that supports the total weight of the units. Experts suggest assembling wall units like a box frame making sure they are level, in order to avoid a bad structured frame affecting the balance of the project.

The approach of box framing allows building the cabinetry system directly into the frame, setting up the drawers and cabinet doors in accordance to the whole structural purpose. Built in wall units can have both drawers and doors custom made or stock items adjusted to these units.
Custom-made items on built in wall units are totally dependant on your own choice, needs, budget, or those coming from your customers when you are the person in charge to develop a project for someone else.

If you have any questions or would like us to quote you for a job, please contact us.