Kitchen cabinets deliver more than just storage. Your choices for construction material provide various possibilities for style, durability, and cost. From designing a kitchen with dark modern elegance to country charm, here’s what to consider when choosing the perfect wood for your kitchen cabinets.

How to Find the Perfect Wood for Your Kitchen Cabinets

1. Cherry, Walnut, & Mahogany

These woods are timeless choices for designs ranging from formal to contemporary. Their hard timber delivers a spectrum of intricate, reddish-brown to black finishes that stand up to wear and tear. If you’re looking for deep warmth and unrivaled elegance, you should explore this classic trio.

2. Red & White Oak

Oak is a tough, relatively inexpensive choice for stock kitchen cabinets. Its dramatic grain serves a range of finishes, but it’s the material of choice for traditional styles. Red oak is more common and modestly priced. Choose pricier white oak to show off airy custom cabinetry.

3. Hard & Soft Maple

Maple is a light-colored wood that’s less dense but slightly costlier than oak. Its fine grain and light hue make it a staple of contemporary custom cabinetry. Soft maple is slightly less dense than hard maple. Both can take a stain or paint but explore finishing maple cabinets with a clear coat for a clean, modern look.

4. Hickory

Hickory delivers strength and grain closely resembling oak, but with a more pale, creamy coloration. It lends itself well to rustic-style kitchen cabinets. Staining is an option with versatile hickory. But, like maple, it’s usually finished with a clear coat to show off its natural, yellowish beauty.

5. Walnut

Walnut is a creamy, whitish-to-brown premium wood with a prominent grain. If you’re looking for a classic look that’s easy to work with for traditional American styles, check out walnut. Just keep in mind that it’s less readily available, making it more expensive.  

6. Ash

Ash is a light-hued, straight-grained wood that complements clean, contemporary styles. This is especially true when finished with a simple, clear coat. Its strength is comparable to sturdy oak, but its higher cost makes it more popular for semi-custom kitchen cabinets.

7. Pine

Pine is a pale-blonde wood defined by its display of knots and grain. As a hallmark of the country style, pine is among the few softwood species used for cabinets. Because of its softness, keep in mind that it may dent and ding more easily. Pine is also a great choice for painting.

8. Birch

Birch is a less expensive “faux” alternative to cherry and maple that’s easily stainable to resemble its more costly cousins. Often used for stock and semi-custom cabinets, birch is slightly less durable and may stain unevenly unless coated with care.

 

If you’re ready to change up your kitchen with beautiful wood cabinets, trust professionals to guide you through the material selection process. The experts at Berthiaume’s Neversink Lumber in Port Jervis, NY, help their customers choose the perfect wood and hardware for kitchen cabinets and all their projects. Call (845) 856-5161 to learn more about their quality lumber supplies or visit them on Facebook.