What does your kitchen have to do with Leonardo Davinci’s Mona Lisa?

Answer: If you opt for a quality set of cabinets, the “Art” of your kitchen will be mounted on the same material that has allowed the Mona Lisa to stand the test of time. (more…)

Would you be more productive and decisive if your workspace was high in a tree? Perhaps you would.

Research at Texas A&M in the 1980’s showed that having a view, especially a view of a natural scene, from your workspace resulted in increased feelings of well-being. Stress, anxiety, and boredom were all reduced by a real view, although a mere representation of a natural scene (painting, picture, screen-saver?) also had some impact.

Subsequent tests performed by the municipality of Sacramento, CA have shown that a good view produced a roughly 10% improvement in such mental functions as recall, decision making, and response time, and those with “no view” reported more feelings of fatigue. (Been there, done that.)

So much for the “a bunker office will help me focus”.

So, is there a certain type of landscape that the human psyche seems to favor? Actually, yes. (more…)

Cabinet and furniture-grade plywood is often refered to as “veneer core” plywood. This is the material used by the top-tier cabinet manufacturers, and it’s what I recommend for the base material for kitchen cabinets. The alternative is particleboard. Don’t go there.

This name puzzled me because I could tell that the core plys (layers) were usually made of poplar, whereas the veneer was made of oak, maple, birch, or whatever wood the project was based on.

I’ve since learned that “Veneer Core” does not mean that the core material is the same as the veneer material. Rather, it means that the core material is thin layers as opposed to strips of wood layed side by side, as in the material known as “lumber core” plywood. Lumber core plywood has all but passed from the scene at this point.

Of course, this seems like a misuse of the word veneer (a superficial appearance or show designed to impress one with superiority), since by definition a veneer would need to be visible. The boys at the lumber yard should have checked a dictionary before they coined this term, but I guess the inventor of something has a right to name it as he wishes.