Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/30/2007

Question
Hi Jamie,
i had a question regarding birch and maple wood. I am debating on which to use for my kitchen and i would just like to know the difference in price and quality.  

Answer
Hi Regina,

Good question- I'll try to give a good answer!

Birch and Maple are somewhat similar, both are hardwoods, and both are relatively light colored and lightly grained.  I know when I go to the lumberyard, Maple is pretty expensive, and Birch is much less.  Every month, I receive about a half dozen trade magazines about various aspects of woodworking. One of the big ones- Custom Woodworking Business (CWB, for short)- has a chart with various wood prices. See, wood is a commodity, and the price varies from month to month, and disaster to disaster. Prices fluctuate with supply and demand.

But I just looked at a couple of old price lists (from lumber yards, as well as CWB) and I see that Birch normally sells for about 3/4's the price of Maple. So if I am buying Maple at $5 a board foot, Birch is probably running about $3.75 a board foot. I'm rounding it off to 75%, but it fluctuated from 70-80% of the cost of Maple.

Now that doesn't translate into your cabinets being 25% cheaper. The costs are fixed for much of the cabinet, like hardware, plywood, etc. But the doors, face frame (if applicable) or edgebanding is where the wood specie will show. So the cost of your cabinet should be somewhat cheaper, not a whole 25% cheaper.

Maple is more highly regarded for several reasons: it's harder, and therefore, hold up better. It's also though to have a more attractive grain. I guess the answer to your question is going to depend on your budget, your long term plans for staying in the home where you're planning on putting these cabinets, and what your feeling is about wood in general. Honestly, it's a personal decision, but some people I know couldn't LIVE with the thought of Birch versus Maple. I suppose we could call them "Maple snobs".  :)

My opinion? If your cabinets are going to be stained, I would probably go with Birch, the less expensive wood. I don't feel like there is enough of a difference in the two woods when they're stained.

There are a lot of places you can go to learn about wood, and certainly websites about cabinets. I'm not sure how in-depth you want me to go, but if you're interested, here's a link to a lumberyard website:  

http://www.kencraftcompany.com/HDWDPL.HTM

The prices this site shows are for a board foot, which is how wood is priced. I can't say for sure how much board footage is needed for an individual cabinet.

I have a suggestion- have your contractor price these cabinets out both ways- in Birch and then in Maple. Perhaps the bottom line might be actual dollars... if it's a HUGE difference, I would probably lean toward Birch. But if the prices are close, I would probably choose Maple. It's a great wood, and anyone would be proud to have Maple cabinets in their kitchen. As Martha Stewart would say... it's a good thing!

OK, good luck, I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back if you have any further questions after reading this. And if this answer was helpful... please take a minute and rate my service. Thanks!

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com