Expert: Jamie Yocono - 3/1/2007

Question
what kind of wood should i use to build a kitchen cart/island? one that's not too expensive.  i know pine is strong and is approx $20 per board so i am looking for a little cheaper.  thank you.

Answer
Hi Coleen,

I'll try to help you with a wood choice, but I am not sure about your location, so I don't know what woods might be available where you live. Also- you mention a kitchen island, but you don't say whether or not you plan on using it as a chopping block station, or just as an island. I am going to assume you are going to use this for food preparation, but if not, much of this information will still apply.

First- Pine is a bad choice, because it's a softwood. Trees are categorized as hardwoods or softwoods. Hardwood trees lose their leaves, like Oaks or Maples, while softwood trees have needles and cones, like Pines and Fir trees. Generally speaking, hardwoods hold up better for furniture, as well as for something like you want to build - a kitchen island. Softwoods can be SO soft, you can literally dent them with your fingernail! So even though Pine is readily available, it's not a good choice at all. Plus- it can leak sap from it's surface, and that's something you REALLY don't want to experience.

So if we move to the hardwood category, there are various woods available at various price ranges. Some of the lower priced woods would be Poplar or Beech; the higher priced hardwoods would include Cherry, Oak, Walnut and Maple.

Most butcherblock islands have a Maple top. In fact, there is a company (John Boos Co.) that sells these tops already glued and surfaced, in a variety of sizes. Check out this website and you will see what they make, as well as be able to locate a source near you.

http://www.johnboos.com/

I have seen these tops on sale for very reasonable prices. So perhaps you could build the base out of a cheaper material, and then splurge a little on the top. These are high quality tops, and will last forever.

By the way, here are two different plans for kitchen islands:

http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/proj/butcher_block.shtml
http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/pages/bw0005.asp

As far as reasonably priced hardwoods, Poplar is a good choice, as is Beech. Both will work well for the base of an island. For the top, I would choose Beech over Poplar, it's very durable and less expensive. I am not sure if you have an independent, smaller lumberyard near you, but if you do, you will save money there, rather than buying your wood at a Lowes or Home Depot. Independent lumberyards will charge by the board foot, which is a measurement for wood. The other places charge by the board, as you mentioned, and if you do the math, you'll see that they are WAY overpriced.

Just last night, I was talking with a customer who said he was paying $30 for a 1 x 6 of Oak, it was 6 feet long. That roughly works out to 3 board feet, which means that wood was $10 per board foot. That is OUTRAGEOUS! Even some of the more expensive woods I use don't cost that much. So... do yourself a favor and do not buy your wood from the big hardware stores that I mentioned.

OK, I've suggested a few alternative woods, and even a company that will sell you the top already made. Write back if you have any more questions, I can't give much more help unless I know specifically where you're located, and what the island plans are like.

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