Custom cabinetry trends

Stiles demonstrated new finishing and sanding equipment for attendees at its grand opening event.

Stiles Machinery held a grand opening event for its newly launched Stiles Finishing Technologies in October, where the company displayed its latest innovations in finishing and sanding equipment.
The three-day event took place at the company’s 10,000-square-foot finishing lab in High Point, N.C. Stiles held live machine demonstrations as well as more than a dozen educational seminars on finishing and surface preparation technologies, such as digital imaging processes, sanding application recipes, waterborne coating developments and application techniques.
Some of the highlighted exhibitions included flat panel demonstrations on the Burkle E.a.sy Roll Coating line, staining maple doors with the Makor Q-One spray machine and digital imaging on the Durst RHO 900 UV inkjet printer.
Another highlight of the event was the first-ever North American unveiling of the 2011 Innovation Award recipient from the international Ligna exhibition show: the Venjakob Perfect Spray machine. The Venjakob received the award for its automated color management system that allows colors to be changed during process within seconds.

Mohawk Finishing Products, a division of RPM Wood Finishes Group Inc., named Scott Gordon as “Salesperson of the Year” for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2011.
Gordon was given the award at Mohawk’s national sales meeting in Hickory, N.C. He has been with the company for 24 years and was selected as award recipient for excellent performance in all aspects of Mowahwk’s business, the company says.

Sherwin-Williams announced its 2012 forecast of color trends.
Sherwin-Williams’ colormix 2012 forecast highlights 40 hues, in four earth-inspired, color-family groups: reds, blues, greens and neutrals.
“Colors that are analogous, or adjacent on the color wheel, are a dominant trend,” said Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing for Sherwin-Williams. “We discover a fresh array of combinations within color families ― be it fiery reds, watery blues, grassy greens or organic neutrals.”
The company says reds will be seen in many shades, specifically flowery tones like fuchsias, red-oranges, violets and delicate pinks. Two shades of blue that are expected to be popular are denim and water. 
“As we seek economic blue skies, we’re rediscovering denim, the rugged fabric of the American worker,” Jordan said. “Clean water is another essential commodity, from oceans to tap. Our serene blue palette pays homage to both of these treasured resources.” 
Greens with a more yellow-tint will be seen less, in 2012 than previous years, as lush shades of green are paired with rustic tones and organic elements like algae, moss and seaweed. Raw materials continue to influence color trends, which will be seen in golden tones and subtle neutral shades inspired by linens, wood and unfired porcelain.
Designers can match colors for projects using Sherwin-Williams’ ColorSnap mobilephone application for Android, Blackberry and  the iPhone. Sherwin-Williams also has an online Color Visualizer for professionals to upload interior or exterior images and experiment with colors.

Apollo Sprayers International Inc. and Woodcraft Inc. created a High Volume Low Pressure Finishing Education course specifically for Woodcraft employees.
Upon satisfactory completion of the program, which is conducted by Apollo staff members, the Woodcraft store and participating staff members receive a course completion certificate.
“We worked closely with Woodcraft to develop an education program to enable their staff to better understand HVLP techniques, equipment, and service,” said Bill Boxer, senior vice president and COO of Apollo. “Woodcraft staff are great ambassadors for new technology and this gives them the information and tools they need to demonstrate the technique for their customers.”

Graco will host a free webinar on April 29, about the company’s spray technology for wood finishing.
The hour-long live webinar will begin at 10 a.m. CST, on Friday, April 29, and will also be available as a recorded webinar after April 29. Mike Moe, Graco’s training technical supervisor, and Wendy Hartley, Graco’s finishing product manager, will discuss spray technology solutions for achieving high quality wood finishes. Topics include defining spray technologies used in wood finishing, types of spray technologies for wood finishing and proper set up of equipment.
Those interested in attending the webinar can register online.

Leda Furniture will debut its “fresh” collection at High Point Market in April.
This new condo-scaled furniture collection features Zebrano veneers with complementing paint trim colors of silver, black and pink as well as Amaretto and Mahogany wood finishes.
“You always hear the furniture industry described as a fashion industry, yet whenever there is a new collection introduction it’s always in some shade of the safe brown and beige tones,” said Marco Confalone, president of Leda Furniture. “It doesn’t matter what name you give the finish, it’s still brown. We wanted to showcase something fresh as part of our new introduction, hence the inclusion of the ‘pink & black’ bed option.”
Leda Furniture will debut “fresh” in High Point, N.C., at H-1112, IHFC Building.

Apollo Sprayers International Inc. and Woodcraft Supply LLC  formed a new relationship to promote the Apollo High Volume Low Pressure products for spray finishing.  
Apollo will begin offering the HVLP products through Woodcraft in-stores, online and in the print catalog beginning in April.
“The Woodcraft reputation is such that customers turn to them for information and classes in their in-store classrooms,” said Bill Boxer, Apollo’s senior vice president and chief operating officer. “We’ll be working closely to develop an education program to help everyone who purchases an Apollo Sprayer Turbine System or Conversion gun to achieve the finest finish.”

Global Finishing Solutions recently launched its paint booth educational resource site, the Finishing Academy.
GFS developed the Finishing Academy to emphasize best practices in spray finishing operations and paint booth maintenance. The academy allows new painters and spray booth operators to learn the mechanics of how booths work and what is needed for paint jobs in a contaminant-free environment. It also offers information on contamination control and proper usage of paint booth equipment. The Finishing Academy contains three training modules: Spray Booth Basics, How to Finish in the Money, and Building the Perfect Shop.