Expert: Greg Scholl - 3/23/2010

Question
Hello Greg,

I would like to know your advice in regards to types of woods for kitchen cabinets; we were looking for a nice wood but taking care fo our budget.

we looked at Poplar, Cedar, Oak, and Maple ..poplar being the less expensive and maple the most expensive..

If we go with Poplar we want to know if the durability and look are good or not..


and in regards to interiors we want to know if melamine is a good option or not we think is easy to clean plus is cheap.

we also look to some brand kitchens such as Diamond , the cabinets look very nice but we thought it is expensive and use just Maple wood without a "brand name" will be the same..but we are not sure.

Thanks for your advice

Answer
Hi Cynthia, are we talking ready made factory cabinets here? or are you having them made? Cedar is too soft for cabinets...Poplar is a nice stable medium hard wood, well suited for cabinets, but the color does not lend itself to a stained and/or clear finish. It can have greenish hues with streaks of brown and even purple.Oak and Maple are hardest, the main difference being the grain structure and natural coloration. Oaks have open grain with aggressive and visible pores,and colors ranging from white to browns, to pink. Maples are tight grained with no pores,quite whitish in coloration, and can also have streaks of browns.Both will look quite different finished, but a wide range of colors and finishes can be found on both of these woods. I would visit a large kitchen showroom, if you haven't already, like Home Depot, Lowes, etc., to view their samples of available finishes from the major manufacturers to get an idea of what the differences are, and what they can be....the finishes are what set the standards on good cabinets. Anyone can make a decent cabinet, but a high end, durable, furniture grade finish is the hallmark of a great cabinet, and todays state of the art catalyzed finishes will last 25+ years with almost NO maintenance. This is not a finish one can do themselves, either, this is highly skilled finishing.Post back- Greg