Choosing wood for custom cabinetry

Start with where the piece lives

The right wood depends on the room. A kitchen door is opened thousands of times a year, a vanity lives in humidity, a library sits in sunlight, and a bar front takes boots and stools. Hardness, stability, how the colour changes with light and how the finish wears all matter more than which species is fashionable.

How the common species compare

Janka hardness is the force needed to press a steel ball halfway into the wood. Higher numbers resist dents better, though a good finish matters as much as the timber underneath.

White oak

The most requested cabinet wood of recent years, and for good reason. It is hard, stable and, unlike red oak, has closed pores that resist water. Rift sawn boards give a straight, quiet grain; quarter sawn boards show the ray fleck that Arts and Crafts furniture made famous. It takes clear finishes and stains well.

Walnut

Dark, warm and naturally rich, walnut rarely needs stain. It is softer than oak, so it suits doors, panels and furniture pieces more than a heavily used work surface. Veneered slab doors make the most of its figure across a run of cabinets.

Maple and cherry

Hard maple is one of the most durable cabinet woods and one of the best for painted doors, because its fine grain gives a smooth surface. It can blotch under stain, so stained maple needs care. Cherry is fine grained and traditional, and it darkens markedly over its first years, which many people choose it for.

Ash and poplar

Ash looks much like oak in a paler tone. In Ontario its supply has been affected by the emerald ash borer, so availability is worth checking early. Poplar is a soft, inexpensive hardwood that machines cleanly and is the standard for painted frames and trim.

Plywood, MDF and particleboard

• Plywood: strong, relatively light and good at holding screws. A common choice for cabinet boxes and shelves.
• MDF: flat, stable and smooth, the best substrate for paint and for veneer, but heavy and weak at holding screws in its edges.
• Particleboard: economical and stable when faced with melamine or veneer, widely used for cabinet boxes.

Veneer is not a compromise

Veneer is real wood sliced thin and laid on a stable core. Because the core does not move with the seasons, veneered panels stay flat where wide solid boards would cup. Veneer also allows sequence and book matching, so a whole wall of doors can show continuous grain. Most fine furniture and high end cabinetry relies on it.