Author: Nikki Dodson

Posted on

Ekena Releases Much Anticipated Wood Fretwork

To meet the growing demand for new and innovative 3D wall coverings, Ekena Millwork announced the future rollout of a new collection of laser-cut wood veneer and MDF fretwork wall panels. Clarksville, TX – The new fretwork wall panels offer a high-end, luxurious architectural feature that offers affordability and easy install for any level of installer. The official launch date is expected to be October 2020.

The wood fretwork panels will round out Ekena’s robust collection of wall décor products, a new market segment for the manufacturer. A comparable architectural PVC line of fretwork was released in October of 2019 and has already done exceedingly well with designers and homeowners alike. “With so many requests and inquiries about our fretwork line, we wanted to offer consumers more choices, so we developed a stain-grade wood line that offers a paint-grade MDF option and stainable wood grains,” says Ekena Market Analyst Daniel Milkie.

Never has it been so easy for any DIY’er to create such an intricate architectural feature without the hassle of expensive carpentry skills and materials. Fretwork panels offer a unique aesthetic unrivaled in the wall covering industry. Ekena’s wood fretwork panels are a modern take on traditional wood paneling. “We wanted to take something timeless, that has played a role in interior design for decades and make it new and exciting,” said Milkie. Wood veneer is an affordable, reliable, and timeless architectural and interior design option now available in intricate geometric, whimsical, and organic form.

The fretwork comes in four sizes: 8”, 12”, 16” and 24” with each size available in 5 different thicknesses in more than 60 unique designs and patterns. Available in 6 stain-grade wood species; oak, cherry, alder, mahogany, hickory, and birch, plus a paint-grade MDF, allowing for more design options and durable usage. Ekena’s wood fretwork offers a textured alternative to wallpaper and other traditional wall coverings, while the natural wood tones evoke luxury and sophistication like nothing else.

“Ekena’s partnerships with lumberyards, online dealers and cabinetry and furniture makers allows professional designers, builders, and architects to stand out amongst their peers with specialty or custom details that make a difference to the homeowner,” stated Scott Bos, Business Development Director for Ekena. “We pride ourselves in making standard products that ship fast and custom orders that you can’t find anywhere else easily accessible to our vendors,” says Bos.

To see the entire catalog of products available visit www.ekenamillwork.com or to become a dealer contact [email protected].

Posted on

3 Easy Curb Appeal Upgrades for Spring

With warmer weather and extra time on our hands, there’s never been a better opportunity to refresh our houses and our souls with a home update. Whether renovating your home to give it your personal touch or getting it ready to put on the market, there are simple curb appeal projects for every budget. With so many material and product options available, Ekena makes it easy to pick a project off your wish list and get it done in no time flat. With so many ways to order too, there is solution that works for everyone. Between purchasing from the pro desk at your local hardware or big box store, calling in to speak with a sales expert, or ordering online, we make it easy to get what you want, when you need it. There is a whole host of projects you can choose to tackle that will bring joy to your heart and value to your home, but we’ve chose three easy exterior ventures that can really make a big bang for your buck.

ADD A GABLE BRACKET OR PEDIMENT
Gable brackets and pediments are a beautiful addition to the roof line of your home, peak of your porch, or edge of your entryway. These handcrafted pieces made of either cellular PVC or rustic wood compliment all kinds of exteriors and add architectural interest and detail to free-standing structures such as gazebos and pergolas too. With hard-to-find specialty designs, traditional construction, and one-of-a-kind modern and whimsical features, there is a style to fit everyone’s personality.

ADD SHUTTERS
Today most shutters are purely decorative, referencing a hallmark of traditional residential architecture. They come in every style and material imaginable to fit your style and budget. Shutters are the perfect addition to your home’s exterior because they can add a pop of color, improve t he look of old windows and break up the monotony of brick, siding or stucco. Vinyl, cellular PVC, composite, real wood, rustic wood and polyurethane faux wood collections are all available through Ekena and we have experts available to help choose style, materials, colors and additional hardware to give you just the look you’re wanting.

ADD GABLE VENT
From functioning air flow vents to decorative additions, a new gable vent is an easy affordable way to improve the appearance of your home. We offer the widest selection of shapes to fit all kinds of houses and with endless sizes, there are truly limitless possibilities. There are lightweight surface mount options to give that special touch to an empty peak, or durable recessed and surface mount functioning options to let your attic breathe and regulate heat. Choose wood if staining to match other exterior features or pick water resistant urethane and PVC for painting applications. It’s the perfect cherry on top of a beautiful house.

Posted on

Wall Panels are Popping Up Everywhere

Grab a current copy of any home decor magazine and you’ll find a once traditional wall treatment, finding its way back into all kinds of homes and spaces. From grand large-scale motifs, to simple statements; wall panels and picture frame moulding is all the rage. Pick a panel from a variety of styles to achieve a fresh new update to traditional wainscot designs.

Wall panels offer a sophisticated texture and geometric elevation that brings a time-honored design beautifully into the 21st Century. Solid back wall panels and clean line open framed panels combined with bold wallpaper or bright paint give a current spin on a classic style. These design trends perfectly blend old and new to create a truly inviting space.

Ekena Millwork has urethane and PVC wall panels in traditional rectangle and square options that can easily update tired flat panel doors or cabinets, ornate filigree panels that add beautiful detail and texture to a wall or furniture piece, or simple designs that add architectural detail anywhere. Plus a whole new collection of designer decorative wall panels in our PVC fretwork line.

Both urethane and PVC wall panels, no matter the style you choose, are perfect for interior or exterior applications because when finished correctly, the material offers a durable waterproof and insect-proof solution that can solve all sorts of design dilemmas.

Our lightweight, easy to install wall panels offer an expensive custom look for less.  Traditional panel framing and installation takes time to cut, miter and assemble individual pieces together for a finished look. Do it faster and easier with our one step pre-assembled panels.  Pair with coordinating chair rail for a custom wainscot look or coordinate with crown moulding, baseboard, door and window casing for a complete package that looks like it was always a part of your home. 

Posted on

Easy Front Door Update with the Perfect Portico

Need an instant update for Spring or want to easily change the look of your front entrance? Full porches are nice, but sometimes space and budget don’t allow for all the support and structure needed to complete that kind of addition. But you can achieve a grand entrance feature and easily update curb appeal with a portico that matches your style perfectly.

What’s a portico you might ask? It has lots of names like gable porch, door awning, floating overhang, but simply put, it is just a small porch with a roof-like structure over a walkway, doorway or garage entrance. It can be supported by braces or brackets, include a gable bracket, and/or have column supports. Personalizing your portico is easy too. Add rafter tails to create a more trellis-like entrance, or a decorative pediment and gingerbread brackets add a touch of Victorian whimsy, and columns make a statement extension to the front of the house that sets yours apart from the rest.

Portico designs range from a combination of framing and support systems that offer a variety of looks for all types of homes. From a simple shade cover that melds function with style; to an elaborate alteration of the roof line that transforms a boring entrance to a beautiful passageway. With Ekena’s large variety of material and product designs, you can perfectly match the historical story of your home, or give it a modern twist for a distinct difference that will catch the attention of every passerby.

Ekena Millwork has professional sales experts available to assist in design and style recommendations, make a one-off and quote from a reference picture or simply answer questions about installation, material choices or what products best fit your project need. We have local dealers all over the US and an online catalog to give you an idea of just how many options we have available.

A gable bracket, braces and column wraps make the perfect front porch entrance.
Posted on

Timeless Trends

Mixed-medium brackets with metal and wood offer sleek, stylish design. Hand-crafted in the USA.

Wood and metal combinations in architecture and home decor offer classic design aesthetics with real staying power. Creating a sense of balance and order, while also providing a functional solution to storage and support; our Ironcrest brackets lend themselves to timeless trends you won’t get tired of.

Handcrafted smooth cedar or fir combined with refined steel, offers a simple, yet striking minimalist design. Each element exposes its natural beauty by contrasting with the other.  The dynamic medley of materials is an easy way to introduce an industrial or masculine touch to a space. The combination of dark iron with rustic wood is a centuries old pairing, but our Ironcrest brackets bring a fresh, modern approach to traditional design. They are the perfect accent for mantles, shelves, cabinets, doorways and more.

Made from refined steel and the highest-grade timber, our brackets offer durable construction for lasting stability and support . Natural and man-made elements unite to create a rustic and contemporary feel with texture and style. These sleek, stylish brackets are adaptable to any décor; making them an ideal addition to industrial, contemporary, farmhouse, or rustic homes or business spaces.

We all want our home to have details that will transform it, as well as special touches that beautify our living spaces. Ironcrest offers the best of versatile and simple design, with elegance and grandeur that will never go out of style. Even in the most modern spaces, combining components that reflect the past, makes for timeless trends that can withstand the test of time.

Posted on

Ekena Ramps Up PVC Production to Meet Increasing Demand

Architectural PVC is making its way onto more homes, into more commercial spaces, on the shelves of local lumber yards and selling on your favorite online home improvement store. Why is this material making waves and changing the way planning, building, and construction is done?

A versatile and durable product, expanded PVC is a closed cell, free foam material sold in sheets. We cut and carve these sheets to fabricate and assemble products such as corbels, shutters, pediments, gable brackets, wall panels and more.  The PVC material  combines a rigid, smooth exterior and matte finish that make it ideal for both exterior and interior applications. The stable, high-density nature of PVC means it won’t rot, split or chip, and it doesn’t absorb water; so it resists all forms of insect infestations, mold and mildew. PVC offers maximum durability and minimal upkeep with a sharp design clarity and high-resolution quality, with endless custom fabrication options. It offers the appearance and workability of wood, yet has all the benefits of a long-lasting composite material.

Because PVC is so flexible and versatile, we can replicate pretty much any interior or exterior decorative millwork product that has only been available in wood, urethane or resin before.  Most all PVC products such as wall panels, fretwork, pediments, shutters, corbels, brackets, gable vents, and decorative trim can be made-to-order now, in a plethora of non-standard sizes and shapes.

When you hear PVC, maybe you automatically think plumbing pipes or sprinkler parts. That is not what our architectural PVC is.  We took this popular construction material and manufacture it in a whole new way to create better, more resilient millwork products.  Our PVC is dent-resistant, lightweight, and strong.  By offering most all of our traditional wood and urethane product lines in PVC now; it has enabled us to provide easier to install, durable, long-lasting solutions for custom projects where other materials just wouldn’t work. 

Because our PVC products do not rot like wood or rust like metal, and it is resistant to weathering, splitting, warping and insect infestations; all these properties add up to make it one of the best options for commercial and residential building elements.  We’ve seen an uptick of builders, architects, designers and homeowners alike, wanting more special, made-to-order options for unique design and building projects.  PVC has allowed us to fabricate and fulfill some significant, complex custom orders.

At Ekena our goal is to always take the manufacturing process to another level, while melding innovation with function.  We want to establish a new standard in special orders by making the “hard-to-do” stuff that others won’t.  To see our entire collection of PVC product lines visit www.ekenamillwork.com.

Posted on

Running Out of Design Ideas? Try Our Running Trim as an Interior Wall Treatment

8″ MALTA running trim used instead of traditional crown moulding.

Looking for something fresh to update your average walls or replace ho-hum hanging decor? Our architectural grade PVC running trim is an easy installation option for a captivating wall treatment. Because it is sold in linear pieces and the patterns are designed to repeat, it is an easier alternative to the more complicated measuring of wallpaper, wood wall panels or other traditional products.

To create texture and dimension, simply install the running trim horizontally on the wall from corner to corner. It can be used as a border to replace traditional crown moulding or can be installed in rows from ceiling to floor. With a variety of geometric, whimsical and nature-inspired patterns, you can create a look all of your own. Form unique designs by arranging the trim vertically or stacking them in an alternating fashion for a big wow factor.

PVC running trim is extremely durable and waterproof, so it makes the perfect addition to a nursery, bedroom, playroom or bathroom. Our running trim comes in three sizes; four, six and eight inches tall and is sold in four foot lengths. It is light-weight and installs with simple construction adhesive and small finishing nails. The ends just butt up to one another and a small amount of acrylic chalk can fill the gap for a perfectly seamless line every time.

Paint the trim in a contrasting color for a bold statement or use the same color as the wall, but in a different sheen for subtle character. Our paintable running trim offers an easy solution for wall and ceiling imperfections, as well as gives you the freedom to add color and texture in an interesting way.  The crisp cutouts and pierced trim deliver chic, sophisticated details for any space.  In a world of uniform design and decor options, stand out from the rest and race to our running trim to get started on your new walls today.  Call or email for a dealer near you.  www.ekenamillwork.com

Posted on

Antique Wood Tiles Make Splash as Design Accent

Our new wood mosaic wall tiles provide a unique, modern alternative to standard flat wall textures. Create interesting patterns, elaborate works of art, or memorable feature walls and ceilings with these easy to install tiles. With several patterns to choose from, they are truly a unique option for your next project.

The tiles are made of merbau wood, recycled from old boats. The character and distinct impressions on each tile reveal history and an antique flair that other wood wall coverings and traditional tiles cannot achieve. Depth and texture of the wood pieces provide beautiful dimension for a sophisticated 3D wall covering that captures the elegance and warm of wood in a modern fashion.

Merbau wood has excellent strength characteristics, along with excellent stability, making it ideally suited for use where strength is important. It is also reported to be very durable, and resists rotting. They have a fiberglass mesh backing for stability making them simple to glue directly to your installation surface. They can be easily cut for a precise fit too. Perfect for residential or commercial projects, they make a bold statement anywhere. With varying wood tones in each pattern and style, there is one to match everyone’s personal preference.

Benefits & Advantages:
– Rustic detail that brings instant sophistication
– Durable construction that is long-lasting
– Several patterns and two shapes to choose from
– Can be installed either vertical or horizontal
– Varying natural wood tones in the authentic wood
– Installation is quick and simple, for all levels of installers

perfect for commercial spaces where you need unique flair.
Posted on

Pull out Wall the stops

Go all out and have the best walls around. Ekena’s new line of fretwork wall panels provide a modern look with classic inspiration for any space. Their chic and sophisticated appearance make them well suited for all styles of decor from modern to more traditional. These designer wall panels are a great way to turn non-traditional wall spaces into stunning features or give boring ceilings a stunning, textural makeover.

They are lightweight, making them easy to install on walls, ceilings, doors, furniture and more. They are a great alternative to wallpaper and other traditional wall coverings, because the sturdy PVC is waterproof, dent resistant, and durable making it functional in every room, including wet areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.

With more than 30 designs and two sizes for each, the design options are limitless! You can mix and match sizes in the same design for a truly custom project. Best of all, they are easy to cut with standard tools and they install with common adhesive. Pulling out all the stops for your next wall project is easy with Ekena fretwork wall panels.

search Ekena Fretwork Wall Panels to find a dealer

Posted on

A New Faux Stone Panel that will Rock Your World

Picture this…you’re mid-renovation, approaching the contractor’s completion date, and you realize you forgot to order the stone you wanted for the front of the house. Time is not on your side and you need to save your budget from imploding. Daydreams float around of an easy to install product (maybe you could even do it yourself?!), with a realistic stone pattern that could ship out in 24 hours. And… what if you could have
the stunning color and pattern options of natural stone, plus other great benefits.

Well, Ekena Millwork is about to make all your dreams come true with our new line of economy faux stone panels. These beauties have tongue and groove ends for a seamless design and they are lightweight for easy installation. They are great for areas with harsh weather as they are super durable and impact resistant. No one will know they aren’t real, because they are molded from genuine stone for realistic clarity and authentic beauty.

Natural stone is very heavy and will require a professional contractor to do the complicated installation. Which will cost you more money on top of the cost of the product. Adversely, faux stone panels weigh as little as one pound per square foot, making it easy for you to carry and install yourself. Our new faux stone siding is also in stock and ready to order from your local dealer shipping out within 24 hours. And with four beautiful rugged stone patterns and six striking colors, you are sure to find a perfect fit for your personal style.

Needs samples? No problem. Need the panels ASAP? We’ve got you covered. Need to talk to experts about installation or want to know more about the product? We’ve got answers. What are you waiting for? These in-stock, ready to ship, innovative faux stone panels can make the difference to your exterior that you’ve been dreaming of.

Search Ekena Faux Stone Panels to find a dealer today.

  • ACADIA LEDGE STACKED STONE in Smokey Ridge
  • CANYON RIDGE STACKED STONE in Canyon Brown
  • CASCADE STACKED STONE in Sedona

  • CASTLE ROCK STACKED STONE in Sandstone
  • Matching Universal Outside Corner available in every color and pattern

  • Matching Universal Inside Corner available in every color and pattern