Overview
Architectural millwork is the highest-craft category of interior woodwork: bespoke assemblies engineered from the ground up to a project's drawings, finish schedule and acoustic/fire/accessibility requirements. It is what turns a base building into a signed space.
Sandha fabricates architectural millwork for lobbies, boardrooms, courtrooms, campus buildings, transit hubs and flagship retail. Every package is drawn in-house, CNC-machined, finished in a controlled booth and dry-fit before shipping.
We work directly from architect's issued-for-construction drawings, produce our own AWMAC-compliant shop drawings and take single-source responsibility from engineering through installation coordination.
Best for
- Corporate HQ lobbies, reception & boardrooms
- Higher-education libraries, lecture halls, admin buildings
- Government, civic and courthouse interiors
- Hospitality feature walls and back-bars
- Museum, gallery and cultural spaces
Standards we build to
Every service line is engineered against the same commercial code and standards framework — the two lists below are what we routinely reference on Canadian and US projects.
Canadian standards
- AWMAC North American Architectural Woodwork Standards (NAAWS 4.0) — Economy, Custom, or Premium grade
- AWMAC Guarantee & Inspection Service (GIS) — third-party inspected on request
- CAN/ULC-S102 & S102.2 — surface burning characteristics (Class A available)
- National Building Code of Canada (NBC) & Ontario Building Code (OBC) millwork provisions
- CSA B651 & AODA — accessibility for public and workplace millwork
- CAN/CSA O121, O151, O153 — Canadian plywood standards
US standards
- AWI Architectural Woodwork Standards (equivalent grading to NAAWS 4.0)
- ANSI/BHMA A156 series — commercial cabinet hardware grades 1/2/3
- ASTM E84 — surface burning (Class A/B/C flame-spread and smoke-developed)
- CARB Phase 2 & US EPA TSCA Title VI — formaldehyde-compliant panels (NAF/NAUF available)
- ANSI A208.1 (particleboard) & ANSI A208.2 (MDF) — panel performance grades
- HPVA HP-1 — hardwood & decorative plywood
- ADA 2010 Standards for Accessible Design
- International Building Code (IBC) millwork & interior finish provisions
Materials & finishes
Materials
- North American hardwood veneers: white oak, walnut, maple, cherry, rift/quartered cuts
- Reconstituted veneers and architectural laminates (Formica, Wilsonart, Arborite, Abet Laminati)
- MDF and MR-MDF cores, plywood cores, FSC® options
- Solid hardwood mouldings, trims and posts machined in-house
- Metal, glass, stone and solid-surface integrations
Finish systems
- Stain + catalyzed conversion varnish (workhorse commercial system)
- Catalyzed lacquer, pigmented and clear
- 2K polyurethane for high-durability surfaces
- Low-VOC waterborne and UV-cured finishes
- Matched to approved control sample for sheen, colour and grain fill
Hardware
What we specify
- Blum, Hettich, Häfele, Grass — European-grade hinges, slides and lift systems
- Hafele Loox and Tresco LED integration
- ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 pulls and locks for public spaces
- Soft-close standard on all doors and drawers
Process — award to install
01 · Estimating
Take-off from your drawings, specs and finish schedule. Line-item quote returned within one business day for most packages.
02 · Engineering & Shop Drawings
In-house team produces AWI/AWMAC-compliant shop drawings in AutoCAD, coordinated with Microvellum for direct-to-machine output.
03 · Submittals & Samples
Finish samples, hardware cut-sheets and drawing set submitted for architect/GC approval prior to release to production.
04 · CNC Fabrication
Panels nested and machined on multi-axis CNC. Solid-wood machining, edge-banding and dowel/confirmat assembly in dedicated cells.
05 · Finishing
Controlled-environment spray booths for stain, lacquer, conversion varnish, catalyzed polyurethane and low-VOC waterborne systems.
06 · QC & Pre-Ship
100 % dimensional and finish inspection against the approved shop drawings. Pre-assembled where practical for site-fit certainty.
07 · Delivery & Install Coordination
Blanket-wrapped, phased delivery coordinated with your site schedule. Installation supervision available Canada-wide.
What you receive
- ✓Fixed-price line-item proposal with alternates
- ✓AWMAC/AWI-compliant shop drawings (PDF + DWG)
- ✓Physical finish samples & hardware cut-sheets
- ✓Material substitution and value-engineering log
- ✓Submittal package for LEED / WELL documentation
- ✓O&M manual and care/warranty documentation at closeout
Lead time
| Budget quote | 1 business day |
| Firm quote (with drawings) | 3–5 business days |
| Shop drawings | 2–3 weeks post-award |
| Production | 6–10 weeks after approvals |
| Delivery window | Phased to site schedule |
Quality & QA
Our commitments
- AWMAC GIS third-party inspection available on request
- ISO 9001-aligned quality management
- Dimensional tolerances per NAAWS 4.0 grade (Custom or Premium)
- Finish sheen, colour and film-build verified against approved sample
Sustainability & certifications
Certifications & credits
- CARB Phase 2 / TSCA Title VI compliant panels standard; NAF/NAUF available on request
- FSC® Chain-of-Custody material available (CoC certificate on request)
- Low-VOC waterborne and GREENGUARD Gold finish systems available
- Supports LEED v4/v4.1 credits: MR (Sourcing of Raw Materials, EPDs, HPDs) and EQ (Low-Emitting Materials)
- Aligns with WELL Building Standard v2 X07 Materials Restrictions
Gallery
FAQs
What NAAWS/AWI grade do you fabricate to?+
Standard is Custom Grade per NAAWS 4.0. Premium Grade is available and quoted line-by-line where the specification calls for it.
Do you provide a single sample of every finish?+
Yes — we provide 12" × 12" control samples for architect approval on every finish and every species/cut before production release.
Can you match an existing finish on a heritage or phase-2 project?+
Yes. Send us a physical sample and we'll produce three step-samples for approval before proceeding.
What insurance and bonding do you carry?+
$5M commercial general liability, WSIB coverage, and we can post performance and labour & material payment bonds on request.
Do you install?+
We coordinate installation Canada-wide with vetted install partners and provide on-site supervision. Direct install is available in Southern Ontario.
Next step
Have drawings for a architectural millwork package?
Send us the set and finish schedule — we'll return a line-item quote within one business day.
