Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Wood is one material that will never go out of style. It offers a rich classic appeal that comes in a variety of species. Depending on your own personal taste, you can create the look and feel most desired. The species of wood that you select will have the utmost impact on your kitchen cabinet’s final look.

Types of wood species include:

• Maple (light wood)
• Cherry (mid-dark)
• Oak (light wood)
• Pine (light wood)
• Alder (pale pinkish-brown to almost white)
• Birch (light wood)
• Hickory (colors ranging from white to a ruddy brown)
• Mahogany (rich in color, reddish)
• Walnut (dark brown to purplish black)
• Ebony (dark wood)
• Ash (light wood)
• Beech (light wood)
• Elm (light wood)
• Chestnut (light wood)
• Butternut (rich in color)
• Rosewood (rich in color)
• Teak (rich in color)

Staining Wood Cabinets

It’s easy to darken woods by giving it a stain. A stain works by soaking into wood and bring an element of color to it. Keep in mind that it’s difficult to try and lighten a dark wood so it’s best to start with a wood containing hardly any color and work to darker levels from there. Clear finishes are also available.

Staining Tips:

• If you want the wood's grain to be seen, look for a transparent or semitransparent stain.
• If you want to hide the grain, look for an opaque stain.
• Try not to rely too heavily on the name of the stain because different woods absorb stains differently.
• You can hide low-quality wood with a coat of pigment-type stain (semi-opaque).
• In general stains do not protect the wood, but protective stains are available.

Additional Considerations:

Kitchens tend to be affected by humidity and temperature and your cabinets need to adjust to such changes in temperature. Solid wood often expands and contracts when exposed to such humidity, leading to warping. It may be a good idea to consider using hardwood veneer and laminate alternatives.

Hardwood veneer is a thin piece of solid wood that is typically applied to plywood or particleboard with glue to give it strength. It cost less than solid wood, its uniform in finish and its grain is very consistent. Using wood veneer in cabinet doors provides constancy by minimizing its shrinking and expansion in climate changes which ultimately eliminates cracking and splitting. Also, a stain can be added to blend doors to the rest of the cabinet structure.

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