Wood Used for Kitchen Cabinets

Quality kitchen cabinets are made of quality wood and not particleboard or plywood. Ready-to-assemble cabinets are no different. A customer searching for great-looking cabinets will be severely disappointed if they opt for particleboard products. Read the following post about wood used in kitchen cabinets to become a better-educated consumer.

The most popular species of wood to make cabinets and cabinet accessories are cherry, oak, maple, and hickory. Cabinet doors are usually made from durable, hardwood regardless of the species of wood.

Cherry cabinets are highly popular because the dark-grained wood is one of the most coveted hardwoods. Cherry hardwood kitchen cabinets are known for their fine grain, as well as dark red and brown colors, which deepen with age.

Variations of oak (especially red oak) are frequently used to manufacture kitchen cabinets. Oak is strong, relatively inexpensive, and offers a variety of color options.

Hickory is a very strong wood and offers itself in varying colors and tones. Some interior designers opt for hickory as a replacement to oak because the former is also open-grained, yet offers a more modern look.

Maple is offered in two variations; one type is softer and less expensive. The harder maple is close-grained with a white appearance. Maple provides a contemporary look to your kitchen cabinets.

Kitchen and Bath Style

There are so many options today for kitchen and bath cabinets, it can be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes the best way to start is to determine what your style is. Everyone has their own style, and sometimes don’t yet know what it is. Simply looking at design magazine photos, design center display kitchens, or model homes can help define what you like, don’t like and need in a kitchen or bath. Some homeowners prefer a more sophisticated look, with lots of detail, while others want a simple, classic look. Wood species, colors and features are all part of deciding which cabinets are best for you. Start your search by looking at all the available styles and colors. Once you narrow it down, you’ll want to find out which options for color, door style, sizes and features are available in those particular cabinet lines. For those remodelers who need custom sizes, or want more options for getting the finish they love, built-to-order cabinets are a great option.

If your existing cabinets are in good condition, and you’re not changing the layout of your room, you may want to consider just refacing the cabinets you have. This is like getting a whole new kitchen or bathroom at a fraction of the cost, and takes much less time to reach the finish line. There are so many options to choose from, you’ll find something that tickles your fancy!

Kitchen Display

Many people these days want to integrate their kitchen into the great room, and give it a warmer, more inviting feel. One way to do this is to display collectibles and art. How do you do this in a kitchen? Just take the doors off the cabinets. Wall cabinets have adjustable shelves, which can be replaced with glass to provide a dressier look; putting lights in these cabinets enhances your display even more. Showing off your treasures helps make the kitchen one of the ‘living’ spaces.

Some cabinets are made specifically for display; these cabinets have glass in the upper portion of the door, and interior lights. This gives you the option of displaying your beautiful things, and hiding the more functial items in your kitchen. With options like this, you can make your kitchen more comfortable, inviting and livable.

Question about matching furniture to hardwood flooring.

ncmom

My husband and I ripped out our carpet and installed a beautiful oak hardwood floor. We’ve decided that our next project is going to be building an entertainment unit (wall) in our family room. My question is: should the entertainment unit match the floor exactly? The flooring is a medium oak stain called Gunstock. It’s almost like a warm caramel color. Does it look funny if the wood tones in a room are a little lighter or a little darker than the flooring? I hope this makes sense. I’m not into matchy-matchy stuff, but I don’t want overkill on one color.

Thanks for your help!

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LisainVA

IMHO, no. Your new floor sounds nice. I would not build a unit that would match the floor. It would just blend to much together and not stand out. That unit is it’s own piece of furniture. Mixing and matching woods and colors is very nice.

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charley

I agree with Lisa, you need contrast between the two.

Same thing when you put wood floors in the kitchen. They always looks better with contrasting cabinets … otherwise it’s just a mass of the same.

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Veecee

I’m not into matchy-matchy stuff, but I don’t want overkill on one color.

ncmom, “Matchy” is out anyway. Back-in-the-day; if you had cherry something, you had to have cherry everything. No more.

We have oak hardwood throughout our house, the wood is a backdrop to anything you want to put in your house. I have a medium tone cherry entertainment unit in the family room that looks great, as well as some med-dark oak pieces, and some cream color throughout the house. Matching is not an issue - just go with what you like and it all seems to work.

All comments approved by Kitchen Cabinet Depot.com

Odd dimensions "I'm not normal!"

Question: What do I do if standard cabinet sizes don’t fit my space? I have a very old house, with cabinets that must have been made just for the space. My ceilings are only 70″ high, so if I use regular 30″ high wall cabinets, they will practically be sitting on the counter. Help!

Answer: Help is on the way! Thankfully, someone has thought about the rest of us. It is possible to have a beautiful and functional kitchen, even in an odd space. You just need a little ‘custom’ help.

Standard cabinet sizes from Unfinished Kitchen Cabinets.net can be modified to suit your space. Ordering 16″ high cabinets for your kitchen will solve your dilemma, and still give you plenty of space between the bottom of the cabinets and your countertop (just like ‘normal’ people!). Best of all, it’s easy! Visit Unfinished Kithen Cabinets.net to see all the wood types and door style options for this line. Then call for a custom quote on modified wall cabinets. You’ll be surprised at how affordable these are, and you’ll even get to customize the finish, so you’re kitchen can live up to its full potential.

Ready-Made Kitchen Cabinet Supplier Goes Green

Are you thinking about remodeling your kitchen cabinets? Do your bath cabinets seem outdated? Did you have an idea to add more vanity cabinets around the house to spruce up its look? Kitchen Cabinet Depot supplies solid wood cabinets. Wood cabinets are durable, well-constructed, and beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, wood comes from trees - there is just no way around the fact.

We at Kitchen Cabinet Depot care about making our customers happy with our ready-made kitchen cabinet kits, and we also care about our world and environment. It requires wood to make our ready to assemble kitchen cabinets, and the wood comes from trees. As a consequence, we make a commitment to replace a tree with every order from our customers.

After their order of bath cabinets, kitchen cabinets, vanity cabinets, etc., we send our customers a thank you card attached with the sentiment that we have planted a tree in their honor as well as in efforts to keep our planet green.

Our Green efforts are not the only endeavors, which make our customers happy. We are fully committed to our customers in any way we can express. We offer a 90-day best price guarantee (if you can find a competitor's price lower than ours and send us proof, we will send you a refund for the difference). In addition, we offer free shipping for orders exceeding $1,500 (the free shipping is for orders of a single finish/style).

Visit our kitchen cabinet Web site and come see what we have to offer you!

Customizing your kitchen: hiding the clutter

One way to get a more pleasant view of your kitchen from the adjoining rooms is to use taller cabinets on the back of your peninsula or island. Many decorators have used the 42″ high wall cabinets, facing out, to hide the sink/cooktop clutter from view. You can build a base for the cabinets to raise them off the floor, and give even more height. This gives the kitchen a more custom look and is a nice way to vary the look and style. It’s especially effective with glass doors to display collectibles.

You can find 42″ cabinets and glass doors at Kitchen Cabinet Depot.

I just want to add one or two cabinets

If you are remodeling your kitchen and like your basic layout and your cabinets are in good shape, you can just reface the cabinet boxes with real wood or Thermofoil veneers and hang new doors. Doors and Refacing Supplies can be found at Cabinet Doors Depot If you want to add one or two cabinets, you can get a quote for complete unfinished cabinets, without doors and drawer fronts from Kitchen Cabinet Depot Then you can install the new cabinets and reface everything to match.

Red and yellow base tones will give your kitchen a warm and inviting look.

Warm colors are appealing and inviting to the senses. Usually the red and yellow based tones are selected for kitchens. They convey a hospitality element. If you limit yourself to reds, yellows and orange tones, you will still have a variety of options. The terra cotta reds, cork colored yellows and yellow based greens are very appealing. Sherwin-Williams has a great variety. Their Anjou pear is a favorite, as well as the gold and copper hues.

Whatever colors you decide to investigate, picking up trial size paints is a good way to see how different shades will look in your home. Most paint companies sell sample packs of their colors that, after an application of primer, can easily be brushed over a small area.

For accent colors, remember that they don’t necessarily have to come in the form of paint. Window treatments, placemats, hardware and other kitchen accessories can often be found in colors that can be a complement to your kitchen cabinets.

If you’re planning to update your appliances, choosing a warm color instead of the standard white, black or stainless also can make your kitchen more inviting.
Many kitchen appliances are now available in warm, bronzed metallic colors. This gives consumers an opportunity to mix warm and cool colors. The warm metallic mixed with a medium to charcoal gray wall color and oak cabinets can provide a real contemporary twist.

One final point to consider: Not all whites are the same. Many have undertones of another color. Glossy, matte or textured finishes also can differentiate white surfaces. People think anything goes with white, and for the most part it does, but don’t forget to look at your existing finishes for help in determining color selection.

Sherwin Williams

Choosing Kitchen Cabinets and Overall Kitchen Layout

All unfinished kitchen cabinets are not the same. Some types of wood absorb stains better than others. A wood’s final color depends upon its hardness and original shade. It’s easier to darken wood than to lighten it, so select unfinished cabinets accordingly. Light colored woods are ash, maple, pine, oak, birch, beech, chestnut and elm. Medium colored woods include cherry, teak, butternut and rosewood. Darker colored woods are hickory and mahogany.

If you plan on painting, staining or glazing kitchen cabinets, you can use cheaper types of wood. Oak cabinets can be stained to look like expensive mahogany or cherry.

Before making your final choice, try various types of stain on samples of wood you’re considering. Compare those colors against the rest of your kitchen’s woodwork. Which ones complement the furniture you have?

Don’t choose ash unless you want a natural look, or light-colored cabinets. Ash doesn’t absorb stains very well.

If you are considering new cabinets or a simple kitchen refacing, first decide on general distribution of the kitchen cabinets according to the space available. With different types of kitchens, (i.e. single-row, L-shape or corner-shape,

U-shape - with or without kitchen islands), where to put what depends on your room size.

The classical way to distribute basic kitchen appliances around cabinets is: refrigerator, cabinet, oven, cabinet, kitchen sink with dishwasher. Obviously not considering any additional space for a possible washing machine. This traditional lineup keeps the heat of the oven away from the refrigerator and still allows room to have them close enough. You’ll want to find the best distribution, based on the space you have in your home. You can draw a simple floor plan of your kitchen, with the correct dimension, and cut (using paper board) some pieces equivalent to the size of each of your appliances. This will give you a rough idea of what cabinets can be used to fill in the available spaced.

Kitchen cabinet's hinge side or finished sides

Question: When purchasing kitchen cabinets, you are asked to choose a hinge side or a finished side. Is this when facing the front of the kitchen cabinet or as if you are the cabinet and your front, is the face of the cabinet?

Answer: This would be as you are standing facing the the front of the kitchen cabinet. For more tips on ordering kitchen cabinets go to: Our Articles Page

Painting unfinished cabinets

Unfinished kitchen cabinets are a great option for those who want a custom finish. Many people have a particular stain they want to use, or are looking for a special glazed or antique look. Of course, painted cabinets have always been popular, so whether you’re excited about just the right yellow to brighten up your kitchen, or want a country blue for your cottage bath, you can find a huge selection of paint colors to complete your project.

It’s important to properly prime and seal the wood before applying color, so be sure you use a high-quality primer meant for wood furniture. We recommend an oil-base primer, to help protect against cracks in the wood. You can find many options for paint and stains at Sherwin-Williams or Minwax.

Start with the right product - our high quality, solid wood unfinished kitchen cabinets, made to order just for you! Or, you can have the products finished for you with our wide selection of paint and stain options. Either way, you can be sure that you are purchasing quality products that will enhance your kitchen or bath for years to come!