Cabinetry - Materials/Finishes
Solid Wood Cabinetry

Solid wood means all exposed parts of the cabinet are made from natural wood.

Wood is a popular choice for cabinet doors because wood is not only good looking but is usually sturdier and more durable than composite products - but durability does come with a price.

Wood cabinets are more expensive than their laminated or veneered counterparts. How expensive, will depend on the wood you choose.

Is it a hardwood or a softwood? Is it readily available, or is it imported? Imported woods, such as mahogany and teak, are considerably more expensive than domestic varieties such as oak, cherry or pine.

The natural properties of wood can affect design decisions. Some woods are light by nature and some are dark. These details factor into how light or dark a stain your cabinets will be able to handle.

Before deciding on wood cabinet doors, you should be aware of the following: All wood doors have 'imperfections' which are characteristic of wood. (spots, shade variances, etc.) All wood will change color when exposed to light, some more so than others. New finishing methods will help slow the process, but none completely stops it. A solid wood cabinet door will not have full matching grain or color. If this is important to you, you should consider the less expensive veneered doors. Colored stains, paint and glazes will look different on different types of wood. Be sure you see the color on your choice of wood before you order.

Characteristics of Wood Species

Wood is divided into two categories, hardwood and softwood.

Hardwood comes from trees that lose their leaves in the winter, and softwood comes from trees that do not lose their leaves. Oak is a hardwood, pine is a softwood.

Each species of wood has its own identifiable grain pattern and coloring. Darker wood, the "heartwood," comes from the center of the tree. Lighter colored wood, called "sapwood," is from the outer region of the tree.

All wood cabinets will change color when exposed to different types of light. New finishing methods will help slow the process, but none completely stops it. Natural color differences in wood are caused by variations in minerals found in the soil in which the tree was grown, and will differ by tree and parts of the tree.

Additionally, every wood species exhibits other characteristics such as knots, pinholes, sap runs and darkening with age. It is the beauty of natural wood to have these characteristics. as well as natural variations in graining and color.

Using a color stain on the wood may produce different color variances. Softer areas of the wood and end grain surfaces will accept more stain and often appear darker than other areas. This is a natural reaction when finishing wood products, and potential variances in color cannot be controlled.

Popular Woods for Cabinetry
The most popular types of wood used in stock and semi-custom cabinets are oak, maple, cherry, hickory and pine. One of the main reasons they are so popular is that they are plentiful and readily available.

Custom cabinets can be made of any wood you choose. Expanded cabinet wood choices include birch, alder, ash, poplar and exotic woods such as mahogany and teak.

Oak (hardwood)
By far, oak is the most popular of all the cabinet woods.
There are two main types of oaks: red oak and white oak.
Most oak cabinets are made from white oak; red is usually a premium.
Both are considered strong woods.

Oak can have dramatic variations in color, knots and grain pattern. It contains natural characteristics such as pin knots and flecks , and may contain streaks of green, gold and black mineral deposits. The prominent flame-shaped grain pattern is beautifully enhanced when finish color is applied.

Red oak is a very strong, open-grained wood that ranges in color from salmon-pink to almost white. It is sometimes streaked with green, yellow and black mineral deposits, and may contain some wide grain.

The sapwood of red oak is white to light brown and the heartwood is a pinkish reddish brown. The wood is similar in general appearance to white oak with a less pronounced figure (patterns). The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture.

Other uses for red oak include: lumber, railroad crossties, veneer, flooring, furniture, wall paneling, architectural interiors, general millwork, boxes, pallets and crates, firewood, agricultural implements, caskets, woodenware, handles, boats, and truck flooring.

White oak is harder and heavier than red oak. It has a tan tone where red oak has a pink tint. The majority of oak cabinets are made from white oak.

The sapwood of white oak is light-colored and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight-grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure (patterns).

Unlike the extremely porous red oak, white oak is impervious to liquids making it highly desirable for use in bathrooms or other areas with high humidity.

Other uses include: high-quality flooring, barrels, kegs, and casks. Normally, oak flooring will outlast the life of any building in which it is installed.

Maple (hardwood)
The 2nd most popular of all the cabinet woods.
There are two main types of maples: hard maple and soft maple
Both are hardwoods, but of the two, soft maple is physically softer.
Hard maple is more expensive than oak or soft maple

Natural characteristics of maple cabinetry include gray mineral streaks and variations in grain patterns and color. Maple will take on a warm golden hue as it ages.

Hard maple is also known as Sugar Maple and Black Maple. This wood is extremely hard.

The sapwood of the hard maple is preferred for cabinets. It is dense, close-grained, strong, smooth and predominately white in color, although it may contain light hues of yellow-brown, pink, light tan, or small dark mineral streaks.

The wood is generally straight-grained, but it may exhibit special grain patterns (figure) that are also much sought after, including "birdseye" (dots resembling the eyes of birds) "curly" (a tight wavy pattern in the annual rings), and "blister figure" (resembles a 3 dimensional landscape).

Hard maple takes lighter stains well, but darker stains will exhibit uneven levels of penetration. Hard maple is most often finished in a light color or whitewashed.

Other uses include: furniture, handles, cabinets, woodenware, flooring, paneling, millwork and mouldings

Soft maple is also known as Red Maple, Silver Maple and Box Elder. Red maple is the leading soft maple and ranks second to sugar maple in the furniture industry.

Although soft maple is not as heavy, hard, or strong as that of the hard maples, their characteristics are similar. Soft maple is close-grained and well suited for use with enamel finishes and brown tones, and takes a polish well.

Soft maple takes stain more readily than does hard, and the sapwood has more gray hues, which are more visible in certain light when given a light stain. Soft maple is also much easier to dent than hard.

Soft maple is often stained to look like cherry, walnut and other more expensive hardwoods. Because soft maple mellows (darkens) at a much slower rate than cherry wood, the color will maintain its original appearance longer.

Other uses include: furniture, cabinets, moulding, trim, flooring, paneling, chair parts

Cherry (hardwood)
More expensive than oak
Considered a medium strong wood

Mellows (darkens) considerably within the first 3 years,
(especially noticeable in lighter stains)

If you choose cherry cabinets, order exposed side panels in the same material as the door panel. Otherwise the exposed sides of cabinet will remain the original color, while the door darkens in color.

Light, strong and rather hard, cherry's grain is more subtle than some other hardwoods. The fine-grained wood has a smooth texture and satiny feel. Cherry has a lustrous appearance that seems to glow.

The sapwood has a creamy white appearance. The heartwood ranges in color from rich red to reddish brown, with localized color variations of green, pink or yellow streaks and may contain small knots and pin holes.

Distinctive figures (patterns) and wood grains are brought out through quarter sawing. It is usually finished in a medium or dark finish to bring out the mahogany-red tones.

Cherry helps define Shaker, Mission and country styling, as well as more formal traditional styles.

Other uses include: Fine furniture and cabinet making, mouldings and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings

Hickory (hardwood)
Often considered an upgrade from oak
A member of the pecan family

Hickory is one of the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods in the United States. It has a strong, open grained wood, distinguished by dramatic contrasts of light and dark wood, even within a single board. It is not uncommon to see doors, or parts of doors, ranging in color form light to a deep brown when light or natural stains are applied. Darker stains will mildly tone these color variations.

Hickory's color is brown to reddish brown in the heartwood and nearly white sapwood. It may have random bird pecks, water spots and mineral streaks. The wood takes stain well, but the natural variance in color will still be visible. For a more even color, hickory is often finished with opaque paint.
Other uses include: tool handles, skis, golf clubs, wheels, agricultural implements, flooring, furniture, ladders, musical instruments, sounding boards, paneling, veneer, fishing rods, dowels, building materials.

Pine (softwood)
Usually the least expensive wood for cabinets
Several different varieties of pine
Extremely soft - dents easily

Like cherry, pine mellows (darkens) with age within 1-2 years.
If you choose pine cabinets, order exposed side panels in the same material as the door panel. Otherwise the exposed sides of cabinet will remain the original color, while the door darkens in color.

The characteristics of "knotty" pine's natural grain and color shades, give each piece its own unique personality, ensuring that no two pieces look alike. However, the knots will "bleed" through washed or light finishes and they tend to darken with age

However, pine's physical characteristics are extremely soft. Pine dents easily and hinges may loosen after time. Pine takes most finishes well, but staining can produce "blotchiness."

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