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mlb418

Wood choice for cabinets with a darker stain?

mlb418
5 years ago
We are doing a wood and white kitchen with wood cabinets on the bottom and white on top. We are getting cabinetry quotes (I have posted previously about layout if interested) and see there is a real price difference between say, cherry, and birch or maple. I know cherry is considered a good wood for taking a darker stain, but how would maple or birch turn out? The stain would be factory applied - not applied on site or by a local cabinetmaker. Does that make a difference? We are considering Bertch Kitchen+ and Wolf Signature. Any experience with darker shades with these lines in the maple or birch? We are looking at a dark brown, but not as dark as espresso. I’ve seen pictures here with maple cabinets where dark stains look ok and other where they do not. Haven’t seen any pictures of dark stains on birch. Does anyone even do that?

Comments (6)

  • salex
    5 years ago

    Both birch and maple can look good with dark stains, but they don't always look good because they can blotch (absorb stain differently on the same piece of wood). Ask for samples - not small pieces, but entire doors. The final result really depends on the process used in the factory. Birch and maple are more likely to result in a more neutral dark brown, while with cherry it almost always retains more warmth/redness.

  • PRO
    User
    5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    If you want a dark stain with no pricing upcharge, you should look at oak. Perhaps alder if it’s offered. Birch and maple both are best as light to medium stains. Both tend to unavoidably blotch when trying to go darker, even in the hands of professionals. It’s just how the wood behaves. You can combat that with a tinted trsnslucent top coat, but that masks the graining. Cherry has a beautiful grain and takes darker stains well. It does have a price upcharge, but not as much as something like walnut.

    Here is a darker stain on oak for a showroom that I designed. You really do not see grain when it’s dark.


    Here is a slightly lighter stain on alder in that same showroom.


    Here is a cherry with a medium stain in the same showroom. It’s a much prettier grain up close than he above two.


  • mlb418
    Original Author
    5 years ago
    Thank you cook’s kitchen - Both Alder and Oak are available in the Bertch. I have read that Alder is soft though. It is more prone to dings and other wear and tear? We have cheap maple now and it’s actually held up pretty well, despite being crappy Home Depot stuff.
  • Aglitter
    5 years ago

    @mlb418, Yes, Alder will ding and scratch more easily than Oak. Look up the Janka scale ratings for the woods you're interested in to see the exact specifications on hardness. Cherry is softer than Oak but harder than Alder. The softness of Alder is one reason why so many Alder cabinets are offered in a "rustic" or "character" style with imperfections already included in the new product. However, you'll see rustic Alder in expensive mansions as it is a popular wood trend at the moment.

  • dan1888
    5 years ago

    You have to get samples. Bertch offers eucalyptus and hickory which may be less. Quarter-sawn oak doesn't show open grain in medium dark stain colors. Flat cut oak has open grain that turns black and become prominent when stained. Cherry can turn dark if sunlight hits it every day.