Guide to Wood Types for Kitchen Cabinets
by Francine L. Huff

The type of wood you choose for your kitchen cabinets depends on your personal taste and the style of your home. Once you begin shopping around, you'll see that there are a variety of woods in different price ranges that you can use in cabinets, depending on whether you want a traditional or contemporary look.

High End Woods
Two of the more expensive woods commonly used for kitchen cabinetry are mahogany and walnut. Mahogany is reddish-brown and has a medium density but isn't very strong. Kitchen cabinets made of mahogany stain and polish well. American walnut has dark brown heartwood that darkens as it ages. It has a medium density but is strong and finishes well. European walnut is similar but is more gray-brown in color.

A Variety of Colors and Grains
There are more than 200 species of oak, but the most common is light colored sapwood with tan or yellowish brown heartwood. Oak is very dense, stains well, and is ideal for more traditional or country-casual style kitchen cabinets. Pine wood used in cabinets is often white or yellow with a straight grain. Because pine is a soft wood, kitchen cabinetry constructed from it may be more prone to dents and scratches.

About five species of maple with different coloring are commonly used in cabinets. Maple is a strong hardwood with a uniform grain that works well for traditional or contemporary style kitchen cabinets. Birch is a close-grain wood that looks good on contemporary kitchen cabinetry. The color of birch ranges from cream to reddish-brown with a straight or wavy grain. Birch has a smooth surface that is easy to paint and is sometimes stained to resemble mahogany or walnut. It is generally the least expensive wood for cabinets.

Cabinets Are Eye-Catching
Kitchen cabinetry will probably be noticed by everyone who steps into your kitchen. When choosing a wood for cabinets, think about whether or not you want your kitchen to have a relaxed or more formal look. Whether you buy stock, semi-custom, or custom cabinets, there are a variety of wood grains and colors from which to choose.

Sources
Armstrong
BCV Designs

About the Author
Francine L. Huff is a freelance journalist and the author ofThe 25-Day Money Makeover for Women.She has appeared on a variety of TV and radio shows.