International Wood International Wood 2005 | Page 21

“We are always improving our ability to reach the cabinet
companies,” says John McNulty, who heads Pentco’s sales, mar-
keting and product development. “If we can sell them on the
quality and value of our work, their enthusiasm and the sales
tools we provide them with will influence designers working
with the developers.”
The company’s product design continues to evolve with
changing consumer tastes, McNulty says. Postformed doors are
still a mainstay, and exotic veneers are catching more attention
from both designers and consumers.
Although Pentco uses a small number of natural hardwood
veneers, most of the company’s Fullwrap Euro-style doors
are surfaced with engineered veneers made from obeche and
Italian poplar. The logs are harvested and sliced into veneer,
and the veneer leaves are then carefully dyed to different tones
and glued back together. The newly created blocks are then
recut in such a way that the finished veneer is a convincing rep-
resentation of other higher-value species, from oak, maple and
cherry to zebrawood, bamboo and Macassar ebony.
All of Pentco’s veneers are created by the Italian company
Alpi and sold in North America by Brookside Veneers.
“Our most popular designs still revolve around the engi-
neered woodgrains, with some solid colors sometimes mixed
in to create a crisper look, says McNulty. Designers are gravi-
tating toward darker woods like wenge and Macassar ebony.
Most of the company’s Fullwrap Euro-style
doors are surfaced with engineered veneers
made from obeche and Italian poplar.
IMPORTED WOOD
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