Wood Finishes
With so many beautiful choices for wood cabinets, where to begin? Whether you want cherry, maple, oak, alder, hickory, birch, or rustic cabinets, here are some unique characteristics of individual woods to help you find your favorite cabinet wood type.
Maple has a smooth texture and tight, uniform grain patterns. Generally creamy white, it can vary from bright white to light pink or reddish brown. Maple will amber as it ages.
Hickory has a bold grain pattern. Color can vary dramatically within a single piece of wood: from almost white to a deep, dark brown. Burls, pin knots and mineral streaks are typical and are not considered defects.
Cherry has a smooth grain and a color that varies from light pink to dark brown. It will darken or mellow with age. Mineral streaks, pin knots and sap wood are all natural and acceptable characteristics.
Oak has a varied, open grain pattern. Colors range from light tan and pink to medium dark red and brown. Oak may contain small mineral streaks and some pin knots.
Knotty alder has a very uniform light brown color with a reddish tinge and a fairly straight-grained, uniform texture. Knots, mineral streaks and other variations are typical and are not considered defects.
Rustic maple is a dense hardwood with a smooth texture and closed grain pattern. Color ranges from creamy whites and light tans to almost black in knotty areas, bark pockets and mineral streaks.
Quartersawn oak is quartered and then cut at an angle to the growth ring of the tree to expose a beautiful aspect of the grain. Color ranges from light tan and pink to medium dark red and brown. Quartersawn oak is a dense, heavy wood that is very strong and resists shock.