Type of Woods Which You Can Use For Your Cabinets or Furniture
The type of wood that you will want to use is dependent on a number of factors. One of the primary factors you will want to look at is your personal tastes. You should also look at the design of your home and the furnishings you have. You can have custom cabinets designed with any type of wood which can give it an impressive look. Some wood types may be hard to find due to politics or environmental laws. The types of wood you purchase will have three price ranges. These ranges are inexpensive, midrange, and expensive
The first type of wood you will find is maple. There are more than 10 types of maple available in the United States, but only 5 species are sold on the market. The type of maple which you will run across the most is soft maple. The sapwood has the color of cream, and is very similar to heartwood. It will showcase a straight grain when it is sawn. Maple is somewhat dense and is strong. Rock Maple is one of the strongest species, and has a reddish color. This type of maple is excellent for custom cabinets. They also feature an excellent finish.
The next type of wood which is commonly used for cabinets is cherry. Cherry may have a pinkish color and may become reddish brown when it is exposed to the sun. Much like maple, cherry tends to have a straight grain. It has a medium level of strength and density, and the finish is excellent. Both maple and cherry tends to be midrange in price, and are excellent for those who want to have nice cabinets without spending a lot of money. Hickory is another type of wood which has a midrange price. It can be light or reddish-brown in color. It is a dense type of wood which is much stronger than maple and cherry.
Oak is an inexpensive type of wood which has 200 available species. It will typically come in the form of a light colored sapwood. It has a color which ranges from tan to a yellowish brown color. While it can also be straight grained, it may be irregular as well. It will showcase a silvery figure if it is quarter sawn. Despite being one of the cheapest woods, it has a high level of strength and density. It can also be impressively stained. Oak is a wood which is typically used in mass produced cabinets. It is good for those on a budget, but is not recommended for custom cabinets which are very expensive.
Much like oak, pine is an inexpensive wood which can be white or yellow in color. It does not have a high level of density, but is straight grained and can be impressively painted. Yellow pine shares a large number of characteristics with white pine. Some variations such as ponderosa are a yellow sapwood, while others like heartwood range from a orange to red color. You have to pay close
attention to how you stain pine in order for it to work properly.
Mahogany is one of the most expensive woods you’ll find. It can only be found in west Africa, and it will have a reddish brown color. The grain can be straight, or it can be interlocked. Though it has a medium level of density, it doesn’t have a large amount of strength. It can easily be polished and stained, and will showcase a beautiful look. It is only used by those who want the absolute best for their cabinets. Another type of expensive wood which is much more common than mahogany is walnut. Walnut woods can be found in both North and South America. It will naturally have a dark brown color, and will become darker as it ages.
Walnut woods will typically have a straight grain, but it can also have a wavy grain as well. It has a medium level of density, but is very strong. Another variation of walnut can be found in Europe, and it has a grayish brown color with a grain which is wavy. Walnut is an excellent wood to use if you are looking for an expensive wood for your cabinets which is dark in color. Another dark color wood which is very expensive is ebony. The two types of ebony species which you will commonly see are African ebony and Indian ebony. While most ebony species will have a straight grain, they may also feature a grain which is wavy. It has a high level of density and strength, but is highly brittle as well. If it is well polished, Ebony will showcase a spectacular luster.
These are the primary woods you will find when you want to build custom cabinets. It is important to note that the woods mentioned in the article only represent a small number of the existing wood species. Many of the exotic woods are protected by environmental laws, or may be located in regions of the world which are politically unstable. Because of this, they are difficult acquire or they are protected by law. You will want to pick a wood which matches the look and feel of your home. While it doesn’t have to use the same materials as your other furnishings, it should be similar in color.
If you are on a budget, you will want to choose a wood which will last a long time. Just because you can’t afford mahogany doesn’t mean you should use a wood which is weak. This is something that you will want to take into consideration. If you are buying semi-custom cabinets, you may run across woods which are not high in quality. Since the cabinets play an important role in the value of your kitchen, you will want to invest as much money in them as you can. Since your cabinets are an investment, it makes sense to use the best woods you can afford. If you don’t have the necessary money up front, you may want to set aside savings so that you can invest in walnut or mahogany.
