Custom Cabinet Doors: Which Wood Should You Choose?

By Leslie A.M.
RefacingCabinet.com Columnist

What is your kitchen's personality? It may be a family gathering place, a hotspot when entertaining friends, and a backdrop for sampling some great recipes. Choosing kitchen cabinets with the right custom cabinet doors must look great and be functional. Here are some popular wood choices for custom cabinet doors and their leading personality traits.

Oak Kitchen Cabinets

Hard and durable. Many people use these words to describe oak kitchen cabinets. Naturally it has a golden hue with beautiful grain. It can take a beating in a busy kitchen and does really well stained if you want to change the look down the road. Oak kitchen cabinets are relatively affordable and long-lasting, known to resist mold and mildew.

Cherry Cabinets

Expensive and versatile. Cherry kitchen cabinets can be dressed up or casual depending on the look you want, but they are the most expensive. Cherry is a hardwood--it's sturdy enough to withstand the demands of a busy kitchen. Cherry cabinets start out a light golden tone and over twelve months darken to a radiant reddish-brown.

Maple Kitchen Cabinets

Multiple personalities. Another hardwood, maple kitchen cabinets come in a variety of hues ranging from a light blonde to a golden tone. The grains of maple kitchen cabinets are as diverse as its color: Smooth, birdseye, fiddleback, quilted, tiger, or curly maple. Birdseye maple, one of the more common maples for furniture, is defined by a pattern of dark, unevenly shaped dots. Fiddleback has a wavy pattern that looks like wrinkles. All maple cabinet styles are beautiful and can improve your kitchen's personality.

Choose the look and the character of your kitchen first, then finding your cabinets falls right into place.

 

About The Author

Leslie A.M. Smith lives in a 1929 house in Long Beach, California. When she isn't fixing things and redecorating, she is a freelance writer and public relations consultant.