With a medium stain, I think there probably isn't an issue. But I know with darker stains, Maple tends to be a bit more "blotchy" in appearance. Cherry is a softer wood and yes, will darken with age. Maple is harder and I **think** the color remains the same. I tend to notice that Maple, regardless of stain, has a bit more yellow/orange-ness about it while the Cherry has a richer red tone. I personally prefer the look of Cherry over Maple. I like to see a bit of graining and Maple is too fine for my taste. I am currently trying to decide on a wood type myself: Cherry (love it), Alder (looks the same, even softer wood, but less$$), or Pecan (jury is out - waiting on sample. Much harder wood, graining more prominent - but not to the same degree as Oak, same $$ as Alder). Good luck with your decision.

Stained, I like cherry because I think the grain is prettier. We are going with painted maple.

I just had to make this choice too but on a much smaller decision - master bath 72" vanity. I told the local cabinet builder (who happens to be a HS friend) - "just do maple, it's harder wood and cost less" but he talked me into cherry. Said it's much nicer and has prettier grain. He just built a new house with all cherry. The price was only about $100 more so I just went with what he said. It turned out beautiful and I'm going to have him build me more vanities for the other bathrooms (all cherry) and hopefully new kitchen cabinets someday.

Cherry has a richer feel to me but I still think maple looks great too.

Here's another opinion of mine - believe it or not, there are people out there who have never heard of "Houzz" or "Gardenweb" and wouldn't know the difference between maple, cherry, or other woods LOL... Some people just don't care about this stuff so they don't know much. I guess my point is, I'm sure whatever you pick will look lovely. :)

I had maple kitchen cabinets and they darkened and "oranged" a lot over a decade.

If flooring and/or countertops have already been chosen, they should be a major driver for cabinet choice IMHO.

The only maple things I've ever encountered yellowed horribly. Like the orange-y, sweaty, glow that basketball court floors have.

Uh oh, this isn't good news for me. Our cabinets are a light stained maple, one shade darker than natural. I sure hope they don't turn orange!

I think aged maple looks fine, but our crummy builder grade cabinets had melamine panels that "matched" the maple. Believable when the cabinets were new, but dramatically contrasting after a decade. Go to a building salvage store and look at maple doors to get a realistic idea of what colour you are picking.

Thanks for all of the comments. I did speak with our KD/GC today and he said that Maple itself does not change colors. In the past, he said that the lighter stains used on Maple would turn more yellowish/orange, but that the stains used today will keep their color. Cherry will darken a bit because the wood naturally darkens, but he said it happens so gradually you probably won't notice it.

"he said that Maple itself does not change colors" Then he is a BIG FAT LIAR. Maple is photoreactive, just like cherry and walnut. Cherry reddens and deepens. Maple ambers, and walnut actually lightens.

You need to get away from this guy. He's not qualified to be a KD if he doesn't know one of the most basic things there is to know about wood.

Yeah, but if people are telling me "horrible orange color", that's not what maple does, on it's own (pure wood). That's the top coat. And a modern topcoat with UV-inhibitors, etc., possibly will do it a lot less. Water based vs. oil based is another huge difference (oil goes yellow/orange, water...not so much). Or people's definition of "horrible orange" are a lot different than my experience, that's for sure, I've got a maple dresser that's in a room with natural light that hasn't changed to a horrible orange in 18 years (actually, come to think of it, several different dressers in the house, including mine, which has cherry knobs which did change color, while the maple is just a bit mellower). Maple changes color a lot less than cherry. All wood changes color some, especially if in direct sunlight.

No one seems to have said it yet: Cherry, you have the whole sapwood/heartwood thing to contend with, 2 types of wood in there that look a bit different to start & lots different later, which is why they stain it (to even it out). Maple doesn't go in for nearly as much color variation. But it's a notorious pain to stain.

The only credible source I could find on the subject is the following which came from the National Wood Flooring Association. They do explicitly state that maples changes very little over time.

Q: Why is the wood flooring under an area rug a different color from the rest of the floor?

A: This is a very common question asked in the hardwood flooring industry,largely due to the increased use and awareness of alternative species such as hard maple, jatoba (Brazilian cherry) or even American cherry, where such color differences are more prominent. For the same reasons we love the natural beauty of real-wood floors, we must embrace the individual species characteristics that create the problem we hear from our clients regarding color change.

There are two factors at work when a hardwood floor changes in color. First of all, every wood species—in fact all organic matter—will be affected by exposure to light rays; just think of your skin when exposed to the sun! Likewise, each wood species has unique characteristics and will react accordingly with exposure to light.

The change in color in hardwood flooring is often described in terms of color fastness; this is the expected change in color over time as the species ages, either from exposure to light or as it naturally oxidizes over time. Certain species such as oak and maple show very little color change over time,while American cherry and most exotic imported wood species have an extreme degree of color change.

Additionally, with natural products such as real wood flooring, individual pieces of the same species change color differently. The sapwood and heartwood of most wood species age at different rates. Also, within each wood species there is a range of color. As an example, hard maple has a wide range of color variability, from the creamy white sapwood to the dark black or brown tones in the heartwood.

The second factor at work is the change in color of the finish applied to the wood flooring (or furniture, moldings, cabinetry or other mill work). Some prefinished flooring products contain "UV blockers," but these do not eliminate color variability; they merely limit the degree of color change.

For the same reason that oil-modified finishes generally amber over time and water-based finishes generally remain clear, the finishes applied on factory-finished floors appear differently based on the chemicals and formulations used. The gloss of the finish also affects color variability. Flat or satin finishes appear darker than gloss or semigloss coatings. In addition, almost everyone sees color differently, and as we get older, color perceptions change. The color of a finished piece of flooring is affected by the gloss, the light in which it is viewed and the person's own perception.

I don't have any experience with maple cabinets or floors, but my dining table is rock maple. It's a hand-me-down from my MIL. Thirty-five years ago I stripped it down, applied a honey-ish stain and several coats of a protective finish. It's gotten lots of light and hard wear. The color I see on my monitor right now looks exactly like the real table it's sitting on.

I should add that this is a very experienced contractor in his mid-fifties who is running a business that was originally started by his father. He has recommended very high quality products to us, and actually said that he thinks cherry is more traditional and would be better if resale value were a consideration. He also freely admits when he doesn't know the answer to a question. So, in an age of Angie's List, Yelp, etc., I seriously doubt he would risk his reputation over a matter that doesn't make a difference to him in the first place.

I should also add that he was talking about a medium reddish-brown finish, not a natural or light color.

I'm not in any way trying to make a case for maple (as I said, I prefer the cherry), but after talking to our KD/GC, I'm not particularly concerned about the cabinets changing color much.

I'm still pondering dcward89's advice. I think she may be on to something!

This is a picture of my maple floors. (Pardon the dirt.) I lifted the register vent to show you the darkening. The area nearest the hole is always covered by the vent. This floor has a natural finish and is nine years old.

Both Cherry and Maple will slightly darken over time, however it won't be significant with either wood. For resale value, both Cherry Wood and Maple Wood have been popular in kitchen remodels for many years. Check our wood species breakdown for in depth information on all the popular wood choices for kitchen remodels.

The best way to select comes down to personal preference. If your wife aka the boss prefers the consistent grain of Maple wood over the wavy natural characteristics of Cherry, then do the right thing and go with her preference. A happy wife, makes a happy life =)

Thanks everyone for the advice. The two votes for a happy wife = happy life can't be ignored, so that's probably what we'll do.

The hard dense grain of Maple is perfect for butcher blocks, and the rich warm grain of Cherry is beautiful for cabinetry, but as you say happy wife = happy life ;)

FWIW, maple is usually cheaper, so that might make you happier to settle for the maple cabinets. Think of all the fun toys you can get with the $$ you are saving! My husband and I agreed about our cherry cabinets (well, he never voiced an objection, so that means he agreed, right!?), but I'm sure he'd have been happy to have saved some $$ if I'd preferred maple.

And, FWIW, I think that if you both cook and both care, then it's nice if you both agree and certainly both have input . . . in general, I think you should defer to whoever it is more important to. In my house, that's me on house-stuff, so my sweet husband just nods, agrees, and pretends to have an opinion (which is shockingly nearly always in agreement with mine). There are other areas of our life together in which I defer to him . . .but, thankfully, he really couldn't give a rat's ass about model numbers/colors/finishes/etc . . . so we never have to negotiate those things. If he cared, I'd negotiate willingly, but I would be bummed to not get my way all the time. :)

Whoever is the cook in the relationship should have the most say in the kitchen design. Or whoever would be most upset by having to look at something they don't like.

That doesn't always mean the wife. If the husband cares more and will use it more, he should have his way. If they both use the kitchen and care, then they can trade off compromising.

Ha, szruns, I hadn't refreshed the page before I answered. Should have just said "ditto."

Cherry will redden, maple will yellow. Staining maple is tough, as it can be blotchy. Cherry should never be stained in my opinion... We use a base coat of oil before our top coats. Makes the grain pop, and brings out the color.

Wood characteristics... We've notice that cherry moves more seasonally than maple does. There are two types of maple... hard and soft. Make sure you are getting hard maple... soft is more for paint grade cabinetry. Maple is harder, and more durable. Maple grain is pretty "boring". Cherry is tough to work with in the shop because of the color difference... There are basically four colors... White, Yellowish, Reddish, Brownish. We cut off the white (sapwood), this is waste. The other colors need to be kept together in the kitchen (either as uppers, or bases, or by themselves in a pantry, etc) so the kitchen looks right. This all takes time, and extra material. Maple is pretty much the same color.

My opinion... I'm a cherry guy. We've been building cherry and painted kitchens pretty much exclusively for the last 8 years. You can have both... I think there is nothing sharper than a cherry kitchen on a maple floor, or a cherry kitchen with a little maple butcher block...

My two cents, worth just that
-Kris

We have cherry Kemper cabinets that are almost 16 years old and they still look as beautiful as the day they were installed. There is something to be said for the longevity and classic nature of this wood.

Maybe the two of you have done this already, but I'd suggest googling or houzzing images of both cherry and maple kitchens. I wouldn't go solely by one or two door samples, for example. By looking at a number of images en masse, you'll both get a feel for what you like and don't like.

Either way, it will be beautiful. : )

DH has been a professional woodworker for 35+ years and I do some wood turning for fun, so I see a lot of wood. We get our wood by the tree. Cherry will have more color variation between trees, some more red toned and some with more gray tones, though all will be in the same color range. It will also have more color variation within the wood, sometimes (though not always) with small darker flecks. It darkens quite a bit between freshly finished wood and wood that has had longer term exposure to UV. DH puts pieces in the sun to darken some before sale, but they will continue to develop deeper color over time. As others have said, it is a softer wood, so a bit more prone to dents if you bump it with something hard and being less dense will move a bit more with changes in humidity IME. Cherry is a very "flat" wood in the way it naturally reacts with light, consistently without much reflection of light from within the wood.

Maple (as someone above suggested, be sure to get sugar maple AKA rock maple as opposed to one of the softer maples) will be blonder in color, so the finish used will effect its final color more. Since you have decided on the cabinetmaker and finish already, I would ask them if any older cabinets with your chosen finish can be viewed in person. Some finishes add more color, and some will yellow more over time, but IME the maple wood itself changes very little after the wood is dry. IME maple grain can vary some as can the figure (tiger maple, birdseye maple and flame maple can all occur in any of the maple species) so there may be some interesting grain or subtle reaction with light in some of your wood even if it is basically straight-grained and without figure.

IME real wood visually can't be mistaken for anything else. Veneer is real wood, however, and used well is beautiful, so I don't understand your reference to maple looking like veneer. In addition to the particular qualities of the wood, look at how the color of the woods integrate with other colors in your home. IMO maple is a bit more neutral and cherry a bit more distinct in that there are some colors which it doesn't look great with such as tan-grays or pink.

I have found that maple takes stain in a very consistent manner. Any yellowing is in the varnish or sealer coats. Cherry is more variable. If you want a natural finish, cherry is a good choice. If you want to stain, I would select maple. If you want to paint, MDF or one of it's variations. In the end, pick what you like.

I have a lot of cherry in my house--natural cherry kitchen cabinets, medium-stained living room furniture, dark-stained bath vanity. I read an old GW thread about Candlelight and it said that Conestoga makes their doors and drawers. Since they make doors and drawers for the best cabinet companies, I would expect their cherry to be premium--no sapwood.

As for maple Mission, I've never seen it. It seems like an oxymoron, especially if the maple grain seems veneer-like. Did you see a door sample? I would order sample doors of both woods in the Autumn Glow finish.