When you see a finished Swedish Door kitchen or wardrobe in a client’s home, it’s easy to admire the clean lines, beautiful finishes, and custom fit. But what you don’t see is the work that happens before installation — the design detailing, careful craftsmanship, and quality checks that turn a sheet of raw material into a door that will transform an entire room.
Today, we’re inviting you behind the scenes for a day in the Swedish Door workshop, where every panel, edge, and hinge hole is crafted with precision and care.
morning: Setting the stage
The day begins early. Our team gathers to review the day’s production schedule — everything from a full kitchen remodel to finishing touches on a designer collaboration.
Materials are pulled: EuroOak panels, wood veneers, or painted MDF boards, depending on the project. Every sheet is inspected for quality before it even touches a machine.
Pro Tip: We always work from the client’s approved sample or swatch to ensure colour consistency, so what you see in your home will be exactly what you expected.
Mid - late morning: precision shaping & Sanding
Machines can cut and shape, but the human touch is irreplaceable. Once cut, each panel is hand-sanded to smooth edges and prep surfaces for finishing.
This step is where we catch the small details:
- Ensuring consistent grain direction
- Double-checking joinery points for strength and fit
- Smoothing every edge so there’s no risk of splinters or roughness
afternoon: painting, staining & curing
For painted or stained finishes, our workshop combines precision automation with hands-on craftsmanship. Most panels go through our Cefla system, which applies paint or stain evenly and efficiently across standard orders while maintaining consistent quality and colour.
For more customized finishes — specialty colours or small-batch projects — our team uses the manual spray booth, applying each coat by hand to achieve the exact look envisioned by the client. This ensures even highly bespoke finishes are flawless and true to the design.
After spraying, the doors move into a controlled curing area where temperature and humidity are carefully managed, producing a durable, long-lasting finish that will withstand daily use.
Pro Tip: Our painted finishes aren’t just surface-deep. Each panel is sealed and primed first, ensuring the final coat resists chips, scratches, and household wear.
Late afternoon: Quality Checks & Packing
Before anything leaves the workshop, it passes through final inspection:
- Fit and Finish – No imperfections in paint or veneer
- Exact Measurements – Dimensions verified against the order specs
- Hardware Prep – Hinge holes and hardware placements double-checked
Once approved, each piece is carefully wrapped for transport so it arrives ready for installation — whether it’s heading to a local Ottawa home or being shipped across Canada or the United States.
why this matters
Every Swedish Door product goes through this same process — a blend of advanced machinery and skilled hands. It’s what ensures that when your new doors arrive, they don’t just fit your IKEA cabinetry — they elevate it, making your kitchen, wardrobe, or storage space feel truly custom.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to bring your Swedish Door project to life, now you know: every single piece starts as a carefully chosen material and ends as a meticulously crafted, quality-checked product — all within our Ottawa workshop.
Ready to see what we can create for you?
👉 Explore Our Door Styles
