TrussMetal is a metal fabrication shop in North Vancouver that works across Metro Vancouver. This page is for cabinet and millwork shops, kitchen and interior designers, and builders who need metal parts that fit into joinery: mesh and perforated door inserts, trims and reveals, grilles and covers, access panels and pelmets. Send a drawing and we will tell you which parts we can fabricate, which need a specialist supplier, and what the quote covers.
Our part is the metal. Doors, casework, hinges and drawer hardware stay with the cabinet or millwork shop. Homeowners can enquire directly; we will usually ask to speak with whoever is building the cabinetry.
Components You Can Ask Us to Quote
Mesh and perforated door infill
Loose woven-mesh or perforated panels cut to the door opening, for the cabinet shop to fit with its own beads. The mesh type depends on what can be sourced for your sizes.
Framed inserts for joiner-made doors
Mesh or perforated sheet held in a slim metal frame that drops into a finished door. The fixing method is agreed with the cabinet shop before fabrication.
Trims, reveals and edge details
Shadow-gap reveal channels, edge trims, inlay strips, toe-kick and plinth faces where joinery meets another finish.
Decorative grilles and register covers
Return-air grilles and register covers cut to an opening in a built-in, wall or floor. Airflow sizing comes from the HVAC designer or contractor.
Decorative access panels
Removable panels that hide valves, meters and services in joinery or ordinary walls. Not fire-rated access doors.
Pelmets and curtain-track covers
Folded metal pelmets and boxes that hide curtain tracks and blinds, fixed to the wall or ceiling structure.
Hood straps and bands
Straps, bands and corner details for a range hood built by the joiner. Complete metal hood covers are not part of this page.
Sink-base liners and cabinet floor plates
Folded sheet that gives the floor of a sink or appliance cabinet a wipe-clean metal surface. Not watertight. See sink-base liners below.
Removable bathtub aprons
Lift-off decorative fronts for a tub installed in a framed platform, giving the service access its maker requires. See bathtub aprons below.
Built-in pet feeding stations
A bowl-support frame for a drawer, plinth or niche in the joinery, fitted to bowls chosen before fabrication. See pet feeding stations below.
Two ways metal can go into a door made by the cabinet shop:
Concept drawing
Concept drawing
Conceptual drawing for planning only. Not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work; final detailing is drawn for each project.
Trims and reveals are small sections that decide how two finishes meet:
Concept drawing
Concept drawing
Concept drawing
Conceptual drawing for planning only. Not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work; final detailing is drawn for each project.
Sink-Base Liners and Cabinet Floor Plates
A folded metal liner gives the floor of a sink or appliance cabinet a durable, wipe-clean surface and covers the front edge, where the board takes knocks from bins, cleaning supplies and stored items.
A liner is not watertight. It does not contain leaks, waterproof the cabinet or protect it from water damage. Leaks from plumbing or appliances still need to be found and fixed by a plumber.
Concept drawing
Conceptual drawing for planning only. Not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work; final detailing is drawn for each project.
Configurations
A flat plate with a folded front edge; a plate with a short upstand at the back or sides; cut-outs or notches for plumbing, drains and cabinet frames.
Materials
Aluminum or stainless sheet, usually with a brushed finish. Powder-coated steel can be quoted for dry cabinets.
How it is made
Cut and folded, not welded. Corners, joints and cut-outs stay open, so the liner is a surface finish, not a sealed tray.
Fitting
Usually supplied to the cabinet shop to drop in before the plumbing goes in, or made to fit around existing plumbing from your measurements.
For a quote, send the inside cabinet size, the front edge detail, any plumbing cut-outs, the material and finish, and the quantity. A dimensioned sketch is enough.
Removable Bathtub Aprons
A metal apron is a removable decorative front for a drop-in or undermount tub installed in a framed platform, where the tub maker permits that arrangement. The tub is supported by its platform, the waterproofing belongs to the platform and tile, and the apron lifts off so the service access behind it can be reached.
Concept drawing
Concept drawing
Conceptual drawing for planning only. Not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work; final detailing is drawn for each project.
Where it fits
Drop-in and undermount tubs in a framed, tiled platform built by your builder or tile setter. It does not replace a tub’s own factory apron, and it is not used where the tub maker supports the tub on its apron or does not permit the arrangement.
Service access
Removing the panel has to give the service access the exact tub model’s installation guide requires for its pump, controls and drain. Those requirements differ between makers and models, so the guide is checked, and the opening and framing behind the panel are agreed with your builder, before fabrication. Where the guide calls for a separate access opening, that is planned too.
Configurations
One-piece or two-piece fronts, with or without a toe recess; L-shaped front and end panels for a corner platform; a fixed front with a separate lift-out access panel.
Materials and finish
Aluminum or stainless sheet, cut and folded rather than welded, or powder-coated steel. The material, grade and finish are chosen for the bathroom’s moisture and your cleaning products, from the material or coating maker’s published data, before the order is accepted.
Fixing
Bought-in catches or clips fixed to the platform framing, selected for the panel’s weight, material and the bathroom’s moisture, with a finger recess or pull to lift it off. The fixing is confirmed with your builder before fabrication.
Water and electrical
The apron is not waterproofing and carries no part of the tub: the platform, tile and sealant joints are the builder’s and tile setter’s. Whirlpool wiring and any bonding of metal near the tub are for your licensed electrician to confirm before the panel is made.
For a quote, send the tub’s make and model and its installation guide, photos or a drawing of the platform with its finished dimensions, the tile thickness and the reveal you want around the panel, where the service access has to be, the material and finish you prefer, and the cleaning products you use.
Built-In Pet Feeding Stations
We fabricate the metal frame that supports your pet’s bowls inside a piece of joinery: a pull-out drawer, a plinth drawer, a niche or an open bay in a run of cabinets. The frame is sized to bowls chosen before fabrication and to the space it goes in. The bowls lift out for washing; the cabinet shop builds and installs everything around the frame.
Concept drawing
Concept drawing
Conceptual drawing for planning only. Not a photograph or record of completed TrussMetal work; final detailing is drawn for each project.
Configurations
A frame plate in a pull-out drawer or a plinth drawer; a frame fixed across a niche or an open bay in a run of cabinets; one, two or more openings, at the height and spacing you choose.
Bowls
Removable bowls, chosen before fabrication and bought in to your choice or supplied by you. Openings are cut from the bowl maker’s published dimensions or from a sample bowl, so the rim rests on the frame and the bowl lifts straight out.
Pet access and use
The complete arrangement is reviewed with you and the cabinet shop before fabrication: how your pet reaches the bowls, how firmly the bowls need to stay in place, and how the frame, drawer or cabinet moves while your pet eats and drinks. If a bowl or layout is unlikely to suit, we say so before the order is accepted.
Cabinet shop
The cabinet shop supplies and verifies the drawer box, slides, cabinet and the attachment of the frame, and installs it. Cut edges and the edges of the openings on our frame are deburred, and exposed edges are folded or rounded.
Spills and cleaning
The frame is not a tray and does not hold water. Spills can reach the drawer, the surrounding cabinetry and the floor. A mat, or a folded metal floor plate like the sink-base liners above, gives a wipe-clean surface for everyday drips; neither is watertight or prevents water damage. The frame is open under the bowls so it can be wiped.
Materials and finish
Stainless or aluminum sheet, cut and folded, or powder-coated steel. The material and finish are chosen for splashes and your cleaning products from the maker’s published data. The frame is not a food-contact surface; food and water stay in the bowls.
For a quote, send the bowl make and model or a sample bowl, how many openings and their spacing, the drawer, plinth or niche size from the cabinet drawings, the height you want the rims at, the material and finish, and the name of the cabinet shop fitting it.
Choosing an Infill
The infill decides how much of the cabinet interior shows, how the door is cleaned and whether air can pass through. If you need to see an infill before deciding, ask about samples when you enquire.
Woven wire mesh
A woven wire screen; the cabinet interior shows through as a soft shadow. Typical uses: pantry and bar doors, display cabinets, media fronts.
Perforated sheet
Flat sheet with round or slotted holes; hole size and spacing set how much shows through and how much air passes. Typical uses: appliance garages, grilles, plinth vents.
Decorative grille
A cut or fabricated pattern that reads as a feature of the door or wall. Typical uses: feature doors, register covers, access panels.
Glass in a metal insert frame
Contents fully visible; no airflow. Glass is supplied by a glazier; its type depends on where the door is used. Typical uses: display cabinets, glazed uppers, bar cabinets.
Metals and Finishes
Steel
The usual choice for frames, trims, painted and blackened work. See steel fabrication.
Stainless steel
For parts near sinks, bars and cooking areas that are cleaned often. Tell us if a stainless part needs welded joints, because that changes how it is made and finished. See stainless steel.
Brass
Solid brass is the same metal all the way through; unless it is lacquered it darkens and changes with handling. A brass-coloured powder coat, plating or PVD finish is a surface layer over another metal, and how it wears depends on the coating and on how often the part is touched. If a detail must be solid brass, say so and the quote will state it. The brass guide compares them.
Aluminum
Light panels and trims where weight matters. See aluminum.
Fabrication, welding and assembly are done in our shop. CNC plasma cutting, sheet bending and powder coating are done by specialist partners and included in the quote.
Who Does What
Responsibilities that affect the quote
TrussMetal: the quote states what we fabricate, what is bought in from a supplier and what is excluded, and we check the drawing with you before anything is made.
Cabinet or millwork shop: doors, casework, hinges and drawer hardware, and fitting loose infill and glazing beads unless agreed otherwise.
Others: airflow sizing for grilles and vents (HVAC designer or contractor), glass (glazier), and certified fire-rated access doors where a fire-rated wall or ceiling is involved.
Timber and MDF doors, casework, hinges and drawer hardware stay with the cabinet or millwork shop. Our part is the metal that goes into or onto them: loose infill, framed inserts, trims, grilles and covers.
Can a register cover or grille be any size?
We work to the opening you give us. Whether a pattern passes enough air is a question for the HVAC designer, so we ask for the duct size and any requirements first.
Are the access panels fire-rated?
No. They are decorative covers for joinery and ordinary walls. A fire-rated wall or ceiling needs a certified access door.
What is the difference between solid brass and a brass-coloured finish?
Solid brass is brass all the way through; unless it is lacquered it darkens and changes with handling. A brass-coloured powder coat, plating or PVD finish is a surface layer over another metal, and how it wears depends on the coating. The brass guide compares them.
Request a Quote
Tell us what you are building, with a drawing or a dimensioned sketch.
What to include in your message
Which component: infill, framed insert, trim, grille, access panel, pelmet, hood straps, sink-base liner, bathtub apron or pet feeding frame
Quantity, and the opening or finished sizes (or a drawing reference)
Preferred metal and finish, and whether you need samples
How the part will be fixed, and who fits it
For grilles: the duct size
In “What do you need?”, choose Fireplace / Interior Metalwork or Other Custom Metalwork.
Prefer to talk it through? Call (778) 805-5333, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 5:00.
