Key Elements of Superior Rocking Chair Construction:

• Top Quality, Sustainably Harvested Robinia Hardwood

• Highly Controlled Kiln Drying for Long Lasting, More Stable Wood

• Cutting Edge Computer Design and Manufacturing Software

• Mortise and Tenon Joinery

• Quality Control Team Assembles Product from Each Cutting

• Exterior Grade Paint Applied in Multiple Coats

• Flat Packed, Partially Assembled to Save Cost and Ensure Easy Assembly for Our Customers

• We Use Strong, Double Walled Corrugated Boxes Rarely Used by Many Cheaper Furniture Companies

The founders of Frontera have a generation of experience in designing and producing top quality furniture, and to us, every step in the process is critical to bringing you the kind of furniture you should expect. In a time of inexpensive, lightweight furniture sold at superstores, it is a relief to find a place that is still committed to the kind of quality that at one time was easily found for a price. Each of our pieces has been engineered for years of use at every step: the wood is top quality premium graded stock which has been 100% kiln-dried, all hardware is top grade, glue is non-water soluble, slats are cut to shape; not bent, and all construction is mortise and tenon. Just one indication of our quality is the weight of each piece. Compare our items to those sold in big box superstores or traditional furniture stores, and you will see why our furniture has become so popular all over the world, and why our customers so often return to obtain more items for the homes and gardens.

Our "Decor Americana" line of rocking chairs are made in a state of the art facility, utilizing highly trained labor and numerous computer controlled machines, which allow us to achieve our incredibly tight fit and keep our furniture tight for many years. These are photographs showing how our furniture is made.

Top quality, sustainably harvested wood. The beginning of every one of our rockers is superior wood. Our woods are harvested from licensed, managed yield plantations, and each piece of wood is certified by IBAMA as being sustainably produced. In a time of increasing environmental fragility, this assurance is critical. This certification paperwork literally follows the wood from the moment it leaves the plantation and is checked at governmental checkpoints along the way to the factory.

When the wood reaches the factory, the end grain is sealed so it can maintain maximum stability during the drying process. As the wood is prepared to enter the drying kiln, small spacers are inserted between layers of wood to allow the hot dry air of the kiln to evenly dry the wood.

Now in the kiln, the wood begins the long and crucial process of kiln drying. This process is expensive in terms of effort, time, and energy, and for these reasons, is often shortchanged in furniture of lesser quality. Kiln drying involves a very specific series of gradual heating, drying, re-humidifying, and drying again – each time making the wood slightly more dry and stable, but without deformation which occurs when the process occurs in less controlled conditions. Without proper kiln drying, furniture will later deform, loosen, and break. While harmless hairline cracks (“checking”) will still occur as the furniture ages, larger structural cracks which cause joints to loosen or break are rare in properly kiln-dried wood. Markings can be seen here which identify the age and origin of each batch of wood.

Our furniture begins to take shape as degreed, expert staff translate handmade designs into precise CAD/CAM instructions (computer aided design/computer aided manufacturing).

Our rockers' precise fit and outstanding stability and durability is achieved by the use of CAD/CAM techniques which not only optimize the use of a valuable wood like Robinia, but also ensure the proper placement of joints and other structural components that allow us to find an ideal balance between stability and comfort. For example, in this photo, the design engineer is determining the precise location of mortise joints for the seats of our Adirondack chairs. Manufacturers without this technology still attach seat slats to the top surface of their Adirondack chairs, which results in inferior stability and the exposure of screws to the elements and to your clothing. Mortise and tenon joinery results in an Adirondack that is better then ever before.

Now fully dried, wood is fed into NC (numerically controlled) planers which receive their instructions from the central computer servers which translateCAD designs into NC commands.

NC machines are also run by highly trained workers who are familiar not only with woodworking, but also with CAD/CAM technology. Each NC machine has a command console so that machine operator can monitor the manufacturing process in real time.

Less Waste, Greater Stability. This machine trims blocks of Brazilian Cherry into our signature thick chair posts. Our luxurious thick posts would not be possible without the kiln drying and high technology machinery because of the tendency of thick wood components to deform when drying in an uncontrolled manner.

Quality control personnel check measurements of wood components periodically to ensure any problems are corrected before causing problems later in the process or in your home.

Comparing our chairs even for a moment with others on the market will reveal a vast difference in fit and finish. Despite the use of NC machinery for many parts of the manufacturing process, there is no substitute for the human touch in the final sanding of chair parts such as seat slats, arms, and back posts.

Many of our customers prefer a natural oiled finish, which is initially applied in the factory (here, to rocking chair runners). This finish is not required for weather resistance in a true outdoor wood like Robinia, but it allows our customers to choose either let the wood age naturally, or to apply an approved cleaner and protector each season to maintain the original color indefinitely.

Painted pieces go through an even more labor intensive process. Each piece is sanded and primed before the initial application of our high quality exterior painted finishes. The next two photos show the finishing of the cross-beam of our A-frame swing stand.

Each piece of painted wood is then completely re-sanded before a second coat of paint is applied. These steps are often overlooked in lesser quality furniture, resulting in an inferior look and durability.

Quality control personnel totally assemble furniture from each cutting of furniture (here, an Adirondack chair) to ensure there are no problems despite the CAD/CAM manufacturing process and prior levels of QC.

Shipping furniture is quite expensive due to weight, volume, and resulting transportation costs resulting from – especially high quality furniture made of a dense and precious wood like Robinia. However, customers do not want to receive completely unassembled furniture except when they are shopping at huge Swedish discount stores. Each piece of quality furniture from Décor Americana is shipped in a partially assembled format that makes final completion easy and yet saves more than 60% of the usual cost of transportation. For most of our items, this translates to about $45 in additional shipping cost you would pay on each item (for customers who nevertheless prefer completely fully assembled pieces, many items are available – contact customer service if you would like more information).

Packed with care. A perfectly constructed chair is no help at all if it arrives to our customers in poor condition. 17 years in the high end mail order furniture business gives Frontera tremendous experience in packaging, and our packing techniques are the best in the business, as evidenced not only by the following photos, but by dozens of breathless testimonials from delighted customers. An investment on our part in exhaustive packing care protects your investment in fine furniture.

Interior packing is only half the story of why our furniture arrives to our customers in excellent condition – the other half of the story is strong, 250 pound double-walled corrugated boxes, which can withstand enormous ordeals in shipping without damage to your investment inside. Boxes of this quality are expensive and rarely used except by makers of the most exclusive brands of outdoor furniture.

The final result. While we enjoy telling the story of why our furniture is superior to almost anything you will find elsewhere, all that matters to our customers is the result. Our careful, professional, and labor- and technology- intensive process design and manufacturing process brings you peace of mind. You come to us because you want the best, and we put your money into the features that you value – superior design and comfort, stability and durability. We help you enjoy your home more with furniture that you will always be proud of – pieces that you will value and pass on as heirlooms one day. An investment in quality is an investment in peace of mind.