Crate Design Furniture–Best in the West & the East.

Crate Designs is based on a style of furniture developed in the U.S. in the early 1970’s. The basic design
principles of this style of furniture are:
1. Constructed of hard pine. 2. Straight lines, flush joints.
3. Eased edges and corners. 4. Practical oil finish.
Crate Designs started as Heirloom of Canada, a manufacturer of traditional styled occasional furniture since 1906.

The company became involved in crate style furniture in 1990, by importing and distributing an American
produced line of Crate furniture. The rapid acceptance of the style and value in this line of furniture led Heirloomto start producing a Canadian version one year later.
By softening the colour to suit Canadian tastes, applying stricter quality control standards, adding smooth runningdrawer glides and expanding the product offering, the appeal of the furniture was broadened beyond the value
driven segment of the market to appeal to a wide spectrum of both value and style conscious consumers.
Crate Designs opened its first retail outlet in Guelph, Ontario in July, 1990. By 2003 the chain had grown to 21
stores in Southern Ontario. Company retail operations have since been dramatically downsized. We start the manufacturing process by sourcing the finest available Southern Yellow Pine. Yellow pine is NorthAmerica’s fastest growing hard lumber, roughly equivalent to maple in weight and hardness. It is totally unlike
any of our native Canadian pines, which have gained a poor reputation as a furniture material in some peoples’
view, due to their softness. The fast growth produces striking annual rings and grain patterns. Worthy of note is the fact that most of the wood we utilize today was planted on tree farms for harvesting. This is
not the product of clear cutting or detrimental lumbering practices. Our non-toxic oil finish & no excess packagingalso help to reduce the environmental impact of our furniture.
One of the major differences of Crate Designs from traditional furniture stems from the use of hard pine. While it
is possible to dry traditional hardwoods (maple, oak, cherry) and softer pines (white, red) to a very stable 6%moisture content, it is not possible to purchase hard pine this dry and still be able to manufacture with it.
Therefore, depending on the relative humidity of the environment the furniture is in, some further drying, and
therefore, shrinkage and cracking can be expected. The furniture is designed, manufactured and guaranteed with this in mind. Unlike traditional furniture, crate stylefurniture is not edge glued. This allows individual pieces of wood to shrink with a minimal amount of cracks or
checks developing. To join pieces of wood edge to edge (such as shelves), a mechanical fastener – a “scotchnail” – is used. Gaps an cracks are a part of “Crate-style furniture” right from manufacturing.
Recognizing the drawback to this type of construction in dining tables, where small gaps present a housekeeping
problem, or desks, where a smooth writing surface is essential, Crate Designs introduced a laminated insert for
larger tops (i.e. occasional & dining tables, desks & dressers). In this construction a veneered panel is
sandwiched between and surrounded by a solid wood perimeter, guaranteeing a smooth stable surface,
protected from damage on all sides and corners by solid wood. Wood doors also utilize a veneered inner panel to
minimize warping.
Face to face joints such as between the outer frame and the recessed pieces on an end panel are all glue joints,
held and reinforced by pins or staples. These panels are then placed in a hydraulic press, under high pressure,
until bonded permanently.
The fastener used in basic construction is the wood screw, ranging in length from 1 1/4″ to 3″, depending on the
joint. Where screws are used in conspicuous areas they are concealed with a wood “button” or “plug”,
resembling a peg or dowel. In the interior of Crate Designs furniture, all joints are reinforced with glued corner
blocks to ensure lifetime rigidity.
Most backs are recessed, or rabeted, into place, in order to also serve as long term structural support. Backs that
show from the front, (i.e. 8005, 7002) are constructed of the same 3/4″ thick pine as is used elsewhere in the
furniture. These pieces do not look good from the back. Case pieces (i.e. 3010, 7011) have luan plywood backs.
All desks and seating pieces have finished backs, as well as the 7010, 7014, 8042 and 8000.
Product Knowledge
Nov, 2018 2
Because drawers are the moving part most prone to failure in furniture, Crate Designs has paid particular
attention to them. Drawer boxes are built with dovetailed corner joints. Drawer bottoms are constructed of luanplywood, because of its superior strength characteristics. These bottoms are captured all four sides in a groovein the drawer sides, to ensure that they never sag or fail. Drawer handles can never break, loosen or get in your
way with Crate Designs convenient recessed pulls. To top it off, all full sized drawers are mounted on self closing
Euro-style steel and nylon drawer runners. Even fully loaded drawers glide easily out to a safety stop and close
with a slight push (exception is the 8003 drawers).
Upholstered pieces in the Crate Designs collection are executed with the same attention to value and style. All of
our fabric choices are selected to offer the consumer a good combination of style, comfort and life expectancy.
Crate Designs cuts each piece of fabric individually to ensure perfect matching and tailoring. Under the fabric, weuse only the best polyurethane foam (2 lb. seat cushions) and polyester fibre for long lasting comfort.
Full size seating has all removable cushioning, which allows installation of these pieces into all but the most
difficult of access areas. And even there you can guarantee delivery because all seating pieces can bedisassembled on site. Upholstery on all other items in the line is also easily removable which guarantees modest
re-upholstery costs when the time comes.
Flexible, multi-use design, becomes more apparent as you look closer at the Crate Designs line. Many pieces
are designed to mesh with the 42″ width of a single bed and with each other, such as the 2003, 3000, 3005,
3010, 3105, 3905, 6400 desks, 6100, 7002, 7011, 7016, 8004, 8005, 8007 & 8008.
Crate Designs has not forgotten safety either. One of our biggest sellers, the 4017 day bed, can start as a child’s
first bed with a removable guard rail, and later be turned around to serve its named purpose and be the focal
point of a teen’s room or adult guest room.
And safety comes first with our bunk beds, that all incorporate front and rear guardrails, steel joiner pins, andCrate Designs rigidity.
All bunk beds can be separated into 2 beds and on models that do not include a ladder, a ladder can be added.
The standard finish (Classic) is a penetrating oil that requires minimal maintenance to keep it looking fresh for as
long as you own it. Crate Designs has chosen to use an “open” oil finish because scratches and abrasions arealmost invisible on this surface compared to a “sealed” finish (such as lacquer or varnish). In keeping with the
lifetime expectancy that we are confident that this furniture will have with its owners, we apply a finish that has amatching durability. An oil finish cannot chip or flake off, and can be renewed indefinitely with another application.
While the trade-off is that staining agents (such as mustard and red wine) can discolor the surfaces if allowed tosit and penetrate, damaged areas can be “spot” repaired with a light sanding and re-oiling any time.
Normal recommended maintenance is dusting with a slightly water dampened cloth. Soiled areas should be
cleaned with damp Scotchbrite. Badly soiled areas can be cleaned with Scotchbrite and a minimum amount of acleaner such as “Fantastik” or “Orange Glo”, and then re-oiled. Periodic re-oiling with any good quality furnitureoil (such as Minwax Teak oil) is recommended for high use areas such as table tops. Keep in mind that toofrequent oiling will build a gloss finish.
Storm (premium pricing) is a hand-rubbed oil finish that shows the vivid Southern Yellow Pine grain at its best.
This is not as forgiving a finish as Classic and must be treated with care and cannot be re-oiled.
Premium finishes (Brindle, Cloud, Espresso and Graphite) contain a lacquer component that adds a slight sheenand very moderate moisture resistance. Normal recommended maintenance is dusting with a slightly water
dampened cloth.

As an optional finish on some tops we offer a premium acid-catalyzed lacquer. Lacquer finishes are water
resistant – but not waterproof! Spills should be cleaned up immediately. We apply two coats, sanded in betweencoats, over top of the finish you choose. The benefit of this finish is easier cleanup of just about any regular
household product or food, and a soft smooth surface to the touch. While it is still possible to stain it, you almost
have to work at it! The tradeoff for these benefits is that unlike our oil finish, if lacquer does get scratched or
damaged it usually must be repaired or refinished by a professional. Normal recommended maintenance for lacquer finishes is dusting with a slightly water dampened cloth.
Standing behind your purchase is a strong Canadian Company that has been producing fine furniture for
discriminating consumers, for over 110 years.

Pay No Tax, when ordering Crate Design Furniture through Berkshire Furniture. Call to order: 905-602-4922