Wood Kitchen Cabinets

When preparing to renovate a kitchen or install a new one, you'll need to decide on your kitchen cabinet materials. You can choose from a wide range of materials, and wood kitchen cabinets are among the most popular.

The most common material used in kitchen cabinetry today is wood. Wood is a popular choice due to the numerous finishes available, allowing you to create a truly customized kitchen.

Once you have settled on wood kitchen cabinets, your next choice will be to determine the type of wood you use. Because wood is a natural product, it will vary in texture, color and grain. It may also change over time because of its exposure to sunlight.

Cherry is one of the most popular woods used in cabinets because of its medium reddish brown color and its uniform grain color. It also is more expensive than some other types of wood.

Maple is also a popular wood option. It is lighter than cherry but has a smoother texture and thus is an ideal wood for painted or stained finishes.

If you want a more prominent grain pattern in your kitchen cabinets, you might choose red oak. It has a lighter brown color and is rich in texture with a distinctive pattern of grain that many homeowners like.

If you are looking for a more affordable wood option, you may choose pine for your cabinets. Pine is a budget-friendly natural wood material. It provides a distinctively rustic look that is popular in a more traditional or country kitchen design. Pine is a softer wood, however, and may dent or scratch more easily than some other woods.

On the opposite end of the budget, mahogany is the wood that is known as the premier wood for fine cabinetry. It has a deep rich reddish-brown color and a characteristic swirling grain that produces an attractive design; it polishes to a high luster. Because this species of wood is becoming increasingly more rare and because it proves to be extremely durable, it is priced significantly higher than the more common woods such as pine and oak.

When you've determined the type of wood you prefer, you'll have to decide whether you want stock or custom wood cabinets. Stock cabinets can be purchased fully pre-fabricated and are the least expensive option for purchasing wood kitchen cabinets. Custom cabinets are the most expensive option but give you the most creative freedom in your design. With custom cabinets you may even be able to choose more than one wood option, thus making your kitchen a true reflection of your unique taste and design aesthetic.