How Does Wood Species Affect Your Cabinets
When selecting a wood species for your kitchen cabinets, you are setting the tone for nearly every other choice that you make when planning out your kitchen. Will your aesthetic be modern, or rustic? Are you looking for durability, or are you more budget-conscious?
Regardless of your process, these questions must be asked and answered before you choose your kitchen cabinets' wood species. It dictates the wood grain patterns, the depth of color that your finish reveals, and how your cabinets will ultimately hold up over decades of daily use.
A skilled cabinet maker will typically start the planning process by discovering what species of hardwood works best for your cabinets and go from there. Every other choice is built upon that foundation, from the paint or stain to the mounting hardware.
What are Hardwoods?
Simply put, hardwood species are the gold standard for cabinetry as they resist wear and tear while also taking nearly whatever finish you apply to them. Hardwood is the dense, heavy wood from broad-leaved flowering trees such as oak, maple, walnut, and hickory. Hardwoods grow much slower than softwoods, forming dense wood fibers that are compact and heavy. Hardwood lumber is often used in flooring, furniture, cabinets, and casework.
Appalachian hardwoods are some of the most sought-after, as the growing conditions found throughout Appalachia promote slow, consistent growth due to the soil conditions and climate. Hardwoods are measured by using Janka hardness, which gauges how well wood resists dents and normal wear.
How Different Wood Species Affect Stain, Paint, and Finish
Each wood species absorbs stain, paint, and lacquer differently. Rich finishes on walnut may look blotchy on maple, while a white paint that lays flat on one wood may look uneven on another because of the density and grain pattern.
Closed-grain woods take paint much more cleanly than open-grain species. However, open-grain species will accept dark stains but require careful sanding and sealing to keep things smooth. Specialty cuts like rift and quartered red oak produce unique grain structures that can give cabinets a high-end luxury look.
The Top 6 Hardwoods for Kitchen Cabinets
When we are asked which of the best hardwoods work for kitchen cabinets, we always recommend one of these six species. Each of these hardwoods is known for its quality, ability to take finishes well, and its natural beauty.
1. White Oak Cabinets
White oak is one of the most versatile and durable hardwoods used in kitchen cabinetry. It has a tight, straight grain with occasional ray flecking that gives the wood a distinctive appearance. Its color generally ranges from light tan to medium brown.
White oak is especially well suited for kitchens because of its strength and natural resistance to moisture. It can be stained, finished naturally, or treated with modern finishes that highlight its grain. Its combination of strength, appearance, and stability makes white oak a dependable choice for high-quality cabinets.
2. Red Oak Cabinets
Red oak has been a popular cabinet material for generations. It is known for its prominent, open grain and warm reddish-brown color. Compared with white oak, red oak generally has a more pronounced grain pattern, making it a strong choice when the natural character of the wood is intended to remain visible.
Red oak is durable, readily available, and machines well, making it a practical material for cabinet doors, face frames, drawer fronts, and other components. Because of its availability and workability, red oak continues to be a practical hardwood for cabinet manufacturers.
3. Maple Cabinets
Hard maple is a dense, durable hardwood with a fine, smooth grain. Its light, consistent appearance makes it particularly well suited for modern kitchens and painted cabinetry.
Maple's closed grain provides a smoother surface than open-grained species such as oak. It can be finished naturally to highlight its light color or painted for a clean, uniform appearance. Its hardness and smooth appearance make maple an excellent option for cabinets designed for everyday use.
4. Cherry Cabinets
Cherry is a premium hardwood known for its smooth texture and rich, warm appearance. When first milled, cherry can range from light golden brown to reddish brown. Over time, exposure to light naturally deepens its color. The wood has a relatively fine, closed grain and machines well, making it suitable for detailed cabinet construction and high-end furniture-style cabinetry.
Its natural aging process gives cherry cabinets a distinctive character that continues to develop over time.
5. Hickory Cabinets
Hickory is one of the hardest and strongest domestic hardwoods commonly used for cabinetry. It is known for its dramatic variation in color, ranging from light cream-colored sapwood to darker brown heartwood.
This natural variation gives hickory cabinets a bold, rustic appearance. Its strength makes it an excellent choice for kitchens that receive heavy daily use. Because every board can display significant differences in color and grain, hickory creates cabinets with a distinctive and highly natural appearance.
6. Walnut Cabinets
Walnut is valued for its rich brown color, smooth texture, and elegant grain pattern. It is often associated with high-end furniture and custom cabinetry because of its refined appearance.
Walnut is softer than oak, maple, and hickory, but it remains durable enough for quality kitchen cabinet construction. Its natural dark color can also reduce the need for heavy staining. A clear finish can highlight the natural depth and variation of walnut, making it a popular choice for statement cabinetry.
Choose Select Hardwoods For Hardwood Cabinet Products
Select Hardwoods supplies Appalachian hardwood lumber for cabinet manufacturers, custom cabinet shops, millwork companies, distributors, and specialty woodworking operations. Available species include rift and quartered white oak, plain-sawn white oak, red oak, hickory, ash, walnut, cherry, soft maple, poplar, and sycamore. The company also offers specialty sorting, custom dimensions, surfacing, and other options based on specific cabinet and manufacturing requirements.
Whether your cabinetry project calls for the stability and clean grain of rift and quartered white oak, the familiar character of red oak, the durability of hickory, the smooth appearance of maple, or the rich coloring of walnut and cherry, Select Hardwoods can help you evaluate the right material for your application.
Choose Select Hardwoods for quality hardwood lumber for cabinet manufacturing. Contact our team to discuss species, grades, dimensions, quantities, and lumber specifications for your next custom cabinetry, commercial millwork, or manufacturing project.