Maple
Maple cabinets are predominately white to creamy-white in color, with occasional reddish-brown tones. The subtle grain pattern of Maple wood creates a smooth, uniform appearance making it the preferred wood for painting. Unpainted maple will yellow with age. Maple’s tight grain makes it a versatile and popular cabinet choice.
Cherry
Cherry has a smooth, close-grained appearance with a fairly uniform texture and random markings. The even grain allows finishes to be applied with ease. Cherry cabinets are characterized by their red undertones but may vary in color from white to a deep rich brown. Because cherry cabinets are light sensitive, they darken with age, giving them a lustrous patina.
Oak
Oak cabinets have distinct grain patterns and range in color from white to pink and reddish tones. Streaks of green, yellow and even black may appear due to mineral deposits in the wood. A traditional and commonly used wood species in cabinetry for many years. It is known for its distinctive open graining and attractive price.
Quarter Sawn Oak
Shaker or mission styles often utilize Quarter Sawn Oak with its distinctive grain pattern. The desirable straight flecked grain pattern of “Quarter-Sawn” comes from the manner in which the wood is cut from the log. The color varies from golden to light brown with reddish hues, deepening with age. Stains easily enhance the natural patterns in oak making it popular in contemporary and traditional designs.
Alder
Alder is a medium density hardwood with a soft, straight grain, and even texture. Alder’s natural color ranges from pale yellow to reddish brown and may contain small pin knots. These characteristic markings are blended naturally throughout the cabinetry. Due to the soft nature of Alder is susceptible to dents more so than other hardwoods. Rustic Alder’s natural color ranges from pale yellow to reddish brown. Rustic Alder is chosen for its rugged appearance. Knots will be random in size and distribution and will range from tight sound knots to very rustic, split, and open knots.
Hickory
Hickory is a very hard, heavy wood known for its extremely bold and distinct open graining and color variations. Within a single board of Hickory there can be several color variations from almost white to dark brown and black. These extreme color variations are expected in hickory and that is what gives hickory its charm.
Poplar
Poplar has excellent strength and stability. A medium density wood with excellent strength and stability. The colors range from creamy white to olive green. It is best suited for dark-stained finishes and is often an inexpensive substitute for cherry. The wood has a medium to fine texture and its graining is generally noticeable.
Thermafoil
Thermafoil is a flexible vinyl material that is applied by heating the vinyl and molding it over medium-density fiberboard (MDF) or engineered wood. The resulting cabinet door has a smooth surface that resists chipping and is easier to clean than painted surfaces. While Thermafoils surfaces are resistant to water if there is a breech in the surface water will do irreversible damage to the MDF. Heat will cause the Thermafoil to pull away from the MDF, therefore it may be necessary to install a heat shield between the cabinets and the heat source.
Laminate
High Pressure Laminate (HPL) is made of resin impregnated cellulose layers, which are consolidated under heat and high pressure. The resulting sheets are glued to particle board resulting in a cabinet door which is durable, easy to maintain and has a sleek finish.