Kitchen Cabinet Materials - The Beauty of Natural Wood Cabinets
Each species of natural wood will feature variations – such as differences in color – due to environmental changes and light exposure. These differences in wood grain, color and mineral streaks are natural and to be expected. Natural variations can be a beautiful feature of kitchen cabinets made from wood.
These nuances are unique to wood cabinetry, which can be appreciated for its natural beauty. It is important to understand the variations frequently found in the wood of your choice. To ensure that you are pleased with the uniqueness of the wood species, you and your kitchen design specialist should discuss wood characteristics and take a look at cabinetry samples with a natural finish.
Kitchen Cabinet Materials - Characteristics of Woods
Birch Wood
This hardwood is of medium density and features straight, wavy or curly grain patterns that are moderate, yet distinct. Birch can be in a range of color, including the white or creamy yellow sapwood and medium-dark brown or reddish-brown heartwood.
Cherry Wood
Elegant and multi-hued, this hardwood is pinkish-brown in its natural state and may contain hints of pink, gray, white or green. These variations can be enhanced with stains in natural or light tints. As time goes on, cherry may become darker or richer in appearance, and this natural change is considered one of solid cherry cabinetry’s advantages.
Hickory Wood
With its variations in color, hickory is a wood-lover’s dream. Strong and open-grained, hickory can have a variety of colors, specks, and mineral streaks. A range of colors – light or darker brown – are common in hickory doors finished in stains that are lighter or more natural. To mildly tone the differences in color, a darker stain can be used.
Maple Wood
Maple is generally light in color, off-white with tints of pink or yellow-brown and tan or reddish mineral streaks that become darker when stained. It is strong and close-grained, with grain that can be straight, curly or wavy.
Red Oak Wood
Oak can feature a variety of colors ranging from white to yellow to brown and at times may have dark mineral deposits and yellow or green streaks. The open-grained wood may have a flowing arch-like pattern or a more closely knit grain.