1. What type of Wood is Used to Make Kitchen Cabinets?
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Wood Kitchen Cabinets, everyone has them but what type of wood are they made from? Some
of the answers may surprise you, cherry cabinets, maple cabinets, oak cabinets, maybe or
again maybe not.
Oak
Oak is one of the more common hardwoods in North America, long used in flooring, cabinet
construction, railroad ties, paneling and general construction uses. There are more than 80
species of oak in North America alone, not all are suitable for use in cabinet construction. Red
Oak and White Oak are the two most common North American species used in kitchen cabinet
construction; oak is a very hard durable wood with a distinctive flame-like pattern that stains
well. To show the distinctive pattern a light honey colored stain works best, darker colored
stains tend to blur out the beauty of this wood. Beware that some cabinet manufacturer’s use
lesser oak species is cabinet construction, typically this will be noticeable in the grain pattern
which does not take a finish well.
Birch
Birch is another popular hardwood used in cabinet construction, birch is a wood without a great
deal of character to it allowing the cabinet maker to produce a variety of appearances imitating
expensive woods like mahogany, walnut or maple. Birch is a good choice if you are looking for a
painted cabinet with the tight grain you will get a smooth flawless painted finish. Yellow Birch is
the most common variety used in cabinet making.
Maple
Maple has become one of the most popular hardwoods used today the construction of kitchen

2. cabinets, prized for its fine texture and smooth uniform grain. Maple tends to show a pale
creamy white color with reddish streaks that give Maple it's characteristic look, maple gives a
kitchen a warm welcoming look. Red Maple is the most common maple used in furniture and
cabinet construction. When looking at Maple hardwood for cabinet construction be aware that
there are over 150 species of Maple trees, many considered as "soft" maples, you will see a
considerable variance in quality of maple used in cabinets, look for smooth consistent patterning
in the wood and consistent finish, poorer quality maple will show variance in pattern and
absorption of stain.
Hickory
Hickory has a distinctive two-toned appearance with strong variances between a pale white to
darker red coloration, when stained these changes in pattern and color are very pronounced
giving Hickory a rustic appearance. Hickory is an extremely hard wood that is resistant to
liquids. Hickory cabinets are a personal taste cabinet due to large color and pattern variations in
the wood.
Pine
Pine is used for cabinets but usually associated with rustic "cabin" look, decorators are now
using pine more in kitchen cabinet design, pine is an economical wood as pine trees are fast
growing and offer sustainable harvest. There are many species of pine many of them are very
soft producing cabinets that can be easily damaged, yellow pine is much harder and more
suitable to cabinet use. Pine is very porous and will take numerous coats of stain or paint, many
homeowners will paint pine cabinets to improve durability.
MDF
Medium-density fiberboard (MDF) is an affordable and versatile alternative to solid wood.
Although some people resist the idea of using this manufactured material, there are also several
applications in which is does a better job and holds up better than wood does. Wood will always
expand and contract with natural temperature fluctuations, leading painted finishes to bubble or
crack. MDF resists climate changes allowing for a smooth painted surface that will last for years.
MDF has no graining and easy to cut.
Cherry
Cherry cabinets are highly sought after with a rich, dark color and holds a beautiful stain
producing an elegant and durable cabinet. Cherry in the natural state is pale yellow to red in
color once stained will give a deep mahogany color with pleasing color variations. Cherry
cabinets will darken over time giving a rich deep finish. Now a word about "Cherry Cabinets"
real Cherry wood is expensive so most Cherry Cabinets that are currently sold on the market
are actually Cherry Colored Cabinets, the most common wood used to replicate Cherry is
Maple, having similar patterning in the wood most lower priced cabinets are cherry stained
cabinets.
Bamboo
Do something nice for the planet and set your kitchen apart from the rest with unusual,
renewable bamboo. Unlike traditional wooden cabinets that are cut from planks made from large
trees, bamboo boards are assembled from stalks that are cut into strips and laminated together.

3. The way the strips are orientated creates horizontal or vertical “graining” that affects the
appearance of the finished wood. Different grains can be used in a single cabinet to achieve a
multidimensional finish. Bamboo cabinets are extremely sturdy and the laminated surfaces
easily resist dents, chips and dings. Bamboo cabinets are extremely durable and are a
completely sustainable forest product.
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