Casework vs. Millwork: Make the Right

Choice for Your Business

Innovative. Retail + Interior Design. Solutions.

The professionals use the term “carpentry” as a catch-all for many forms of woodworking. Under the carpentry umbrella are two smaller woodworking subcategories that we call casework and millwork.

Want to learn more about the differences between casework and millwork? Contact our team at KDM to review the facts about these forms of carpentry. Find out more about the millwork and casework services we offer by calling us at (513) 769-3500.


The Facts About Casework

come in we are open sign in red and white

Woodworkers who complete casework make boxes. Casework produces ready-made stock goods, like the products you’d find in an Ikea. Examples of manufactured casework products include storage boxes, desks, bookcases, and cabinetry.

Generally, casework products all meet standard dimensions. You cannot go out and purchase custom casework cabinets, for example. Casework pieces usually arrive pre-assembled, making them cheaper and easier to set up than other products.

WHEN TO USE CASEWORK

Casework cabinets often represent the best choice for your business. If you want to keep your costs low, prefabricated casework goods keep your expenses from getting out of hand. Casework goods still use real wood.

Some business owners want the comfort of purchasing a product manufactured to fit set dimensions. Purchasing casework cabinetry or furniture also allows you to get pre-assembled products, saving you time once your products arrive.

If you want to purchase a bookshelf for your living room, a manufactured casework product likely represents your best choice.


Learn About Custom Millwork

The experts classify wood products produced in a mill as millwork. Millwork products include things like:

■  Crown moldings                    ■ Flooring

■  Doors                                        ■  Wall paneling

■  Trims 

Note that the above list contains only examples of millwork items. Millwork also includes things like shelving and cabinets. Millwork differs from casework because millwork products get custom-made. Manufacturers produce both decorative and architectural millwork.

Unlike casework, millwork products do not arrive assembled. In fact, millwork goods must get installed into a space. Products built and delivered to clients already assembled often receive the designation of “furniture” instead.

WHEN TO USE MILLWORK

Do you want customized cabinetry or woodwork in your business? In this situation, millwork likely represents the correct choice for you. All millwork pieces qualify as custom creations, allowing you to personalize the shelving, flooring, or trim in your property.

Property owners often turn to millwork when they install kitchen cabinets. Kitchens tend to come in different shapes and sizes, making it difficult for builders to find pre-fab pieces that fit into the available space. In this situation, buying a millwork product allows you to personalize the kitchen and ensure that your woodwork fits well, even though it may raise the costs.

come in we are open sign in red and white


The Differences Between Casework

and Millwork Products

come in we are open sign in red and white

When you shop for woodwork products, you get the option to choose between casework and millwork. Before making a choice for your project, you can compare and contrast these two forms of carpentry. 

CASEWORK VS. MILLWORK: PRICE

The prices for a millwork project often exceed what you’d expect if you selected casework, increasing the total cost for fabrication and installation. If you want to reduce the cost of your project, consider trying to stick to casework products.

CASEWORK VS. MILLWORK: MATERIALS

Millwork allows you to personalize all aspects of your woodworking product, including the kind of wood used to make shelves, trim, or flooring. Casework products, on the other hand, come premade. You can often look for products made with a certain kind of wood, but they may or may not be available.

Note that some types of wood cost more than others. The cost to have your products manufactured may vary based on the wood you choose for the project.

CASEWORK VS. MILLWORK: QUALITY

Fabricators mass-produce casework products using the materials they have available. Generally, millwork products use higher quality materials, meaning that these boxes may last longer once installed.

CASEWORK VS. MILLWORK: INSTALLATION TIME

Casework products arrive at your business prefabricated. You can take these products out of a box, set them up, and consider your project completed. Millwork products – like molding – get custom-made and often require a lengthy installation period in your building, increasing project time.

CASEWORK VS. MILLWORK: RETROFITTING

As time goes on, many business owners decide to change their doors, molding, or shelves. In this situation, many property owners prefer to retrofit the woodwork instead of tearing everything out and starting from scratch. It’s easy to remove old casework storage pieces, replacing them with new products that fit the shape of the opened space. Because millwork pieces get custom-made at a mill, they’re harder to replace.


Millwork and Architectural Drawings

Manufacturers use wood to produce both millwork and casework into shapes that meet the needs of their customers. Because casework products get mass-produced, you don’t need to supply extra guidance to the company about the design of the finished furniture or storage container.

Manufacturers use wood to produce both millwork and casework into shapes that meet the needs of their customers. Because casework products get mass-produced, you don’t need to supply extra guidance to the company about the design of the finished furniture or storage container.

How do you get these architectural drawings? First, you work with a draftsman who takes measurements of the space you have available. The draftsman creates a drawing from these measurements. Once you have your measurements in order, you work with a CAD drafter to produce shop drawings. Mills accept shop drawings and begin the woodworking process once they know exactly what you want.

come in we are open sign in red and white


Contact Us for Casework and Millwork

Services

come in we are open sign in red and white

Our team at KDM handles both millwork and casework as part of our retail and interior design services. We can review your needs and help you decide which options services you best. We have decades of experience providing design services for businesses around the country, with manufacturing sites operating in several locations.

Find out more about custom wood furniture and shelving by calling us at (513) 769-3500.


Retail + Interior Design Portfolio

Contact Us

p: (513) 769-3500

p: (855)232-7799

f: (513) 956-3889

KDM Corporate

10450 N Medallion Dr.

Cincinnati, OH

45241

KDM Atlanta

KDM Nashville

KDM Retail

Contact Us