Which wood? A consumer guide

So, now that you have decided to remodel your kitchen, you must decide what wood species and finish you will be using on your cabinets. There are many options today. It seems most of the kitchens done in the 80's had oak cabinets. While oak is still used today, it is not quite as bland as it previously was. Now you can get both quarter sawn (the old standard) and rift cut oak, where the grain is very straight. This adds a contemporary feel to your kitchen. Oak is fabulous in some of the darker stains, and it is especially appropriate when you are trying for an "Arts and Crafts" feel in your kitchen. While you can paint oak, it is generally not done unless trying to match something in an existing home. You will still see the grain through the paint.

Photo 1: Example of dark stained oak

Maple is a great hardwood that is appropriate for both stained and painted finishes. The grain is very tight, so that painting over it works beautifully. Whenever I specify a painted cabinet, it is always on maple. Maple is great for distressing, and you can do that with both a stain and a painted finish. Natural maple, without a stain, is about as light as you can get a wood finish. There are also many medium toned maple stains that give your kitchen a warm look, I will frequently specify a medium toned maple with a glaze. When maple is stained very dark, it does tend to get a bit blotchy, and I have had clients who have not liked that. Also, maple will yellow a bit with age. Usually it just gets a bit warmer in appearance. Not like the maple furniture my mother had that "oranged" with age!

Photo 2: Honey maple kitchen

Cherry is still incredibly popular. It is hard to beat for the its' beauty. I can't imagine cherry ever going out of style. It can be left natural (warning: there will be variations in the color of the wood, that is the way God made it!) or stained. A few years ago it was unheard of to glaze cherry, as it was so beautiful on it's own, but now we glaze it all the time. It is appropriate for both traditional and contemporary kitchens. Lighter cherry will change color more than most other woods. It darkens, but that is not a negative thing. I have never had a client who did not like the color after it darkened.



Alder has been extremely popular with people who like a distressed wood look. The grain and color of alder is quite similar to cherry, but alder is readily available with knots, which are great when you want a more "aged" or distressed look. Alder is not quite as hard as cherry, so it will ding if you bang it around, but in a distressed look, that is the whole point! You can also get clear alder, which is without the knots.



Photo 3: Knotty alder detail

Of course, you can get many other species of wood. Pine (very soft), walnut (beautiful dark brown, but pricey), birdseye maple, and hickory (a wood lover's wood, lots of wild grain and variation, but strong and beautiful). There is also lyptus, which is a fast growing hardwood that is harvested about every 15 years. It has a grain similar to mahogany, and is a very beautiful wood. The grain is a bit more open than cherry, so it lends itself well to a casual look. In addition to these woods, exotics are also available.

Knowing the look you want for your finished kitchen will help you narrow down your choices of wood species. If you do not know what wood you want, show your designer pictures of kitchens that you like, and then they will be able to steer you to the right wood and finish.

These are some of my thoughts, share yours.

-Marybeth