Expert: Jamie Yocono - 8/9/2006

Question
hi we are re-doing are kitchen.  We are thinking of putting wood cabinets, but are debating between maple and birch, the difference in price is not big.  We would go with a medium brown, but not as dark as chocolate.  I don<t want oak because the grains of the wood show too much.  Which would (birch or maple) should I pick considering staining, durability and look.

an answer would be appreciated quickly (by friday)
thanks
great website

Answer
Hi Brigitte,

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

Birch and Maple are fairly 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.

So right off the top of my head, if you're going to stain these a brownish color, I would probably go with the less expensive wood, since you're masking the natural colors anyway. So my choice would be Birch. But..........

Both Birch and Maple are going to give you blotching.  It's caused by stain penetrating deeper into some parts of the wood than in others. This is quite common in woods that have uneven densities, such as Pine and Fir (softwoods) and Cherry, Birch, Poplar, Aspen, Maple and Alder, which are hardwoods.

Don't worry though- I have a solution for you... Gel stains.  Liquid stains penetrate deep into the wood, and if you have that uneven density, you're going to have a lot of blotching. Gel stains are not like normal stains, as they resist absorption and sit right on the surface of wood, lightly penetrating it. This will minimize the blotching. And they will look gorgeous.

So my recommendation? Save the money, buy Birch, and use Gel Stains. Normally, if you were going to keep these the natural light color, I would recommend buying Maple, as it's grain and color is gorgeous. But since you're staining it, those points are insignificant.

As far as durability goes, Maple would probably be better, but not that much. So I'd still go with Birch if you like the grain and look of it.

Hope this helps!  Write back if you have any other questions after reading this.

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