What Should You Consider When Selecting the Type of Wood for Your New Kitchen?
You’re considering remodeling your kitchen but where do you start? Maybe you’ve looked through some of the trending kitchens on Pinterest or have seen something in one of those home and garden magazines. Here are some of the things to consider when remodeling a kitchen.
What Kind of Wood is Best for Cabinets?
Whether you’re wanting a natural wood look or painted cabinets you will want to know which type of wood is best for your remodel. All woods have a natural color variation that can even come from the same tree. These natural colors and variations in the wood will provide amazing possibilities for your kitchen. It is important to understand the color characteristics of the wood to make sure you are selecting the correct wood type and color for your home.
Stained Cabinets
Cherry
Cherry wood brings a sense of warmth to interiors. It has a close grain with uniform texture and random markings; and a crazy fact is that it darkens with age! The more light cherry is exposed to the more the color mellows and deepens. Cherry is considered a luxury wood as it is a bit
more expensive. Cherry has pink and brown hues, it can have whites, greens and grays in its color as well. Did you know that cherry has been used for cabinets for hundreds of years? Pretty crazy! Even though it has been used for so long it is still an in-style type of wood to use in kitchen cabinets. For more info on cherry wood cabinets check out https://kitchencabinetkings.com/cherry-wood-kitchen-cabinets. They have a short, good article on cherry wood.
Alder
It has a fine grain and the color ranges from pale pink, brown to tan. Alder is a more rustic wood with burls and open and closed knots. These characteristics are preferred as it is natural to this type of wood. Alder is a softer wood and it can mimic cherry if you like that look. There is the option of knotty alder as well which, as you guessed, has more knots and knot holes which can give it an even more rustic look. Why do people use alder? Alder looks like cherry wood and is considered a cheaper alternative. Although it looks like cherry it is a softer wood. Ultimately you decide if the kitchen you’re planning will be high traffic and run the risk of getting dents in the alder wood, or if there is less activity in the kitchen and the cabinets will be safe. As mentioned before, alder is going to keep its color longer than cherry would as cherry darkens over time.
Maple
Typically having a white color to the wood, maple has a very subtle grain. The color remains uniform and consistent throughout the wood. Some black streaks will appear in the grain giving the wood character. Maple stays consistent with time and is a great option for families with children. Maple cabinets are popular in the kitchen and also work with a variety of finishes, glazes, stains or paints.
Hickory
Is a very hard wood and one of the strongest. The color ranges dramatically and can have different colors in the wood ranging from light to dark. When a lighter stain is used, the natural wood properties will come out beautifully. If you’re looking for a toned down look a medium stain can be used.
Birch
Birch has tight grain and is a very durable wood. It comes out darker than maple, and it takes finish well and can look more like an expensive wood. It is a very light wood and when stained it can mimic cherry or maple.
Painted Cabinets
Not all kitchens have that crisp look but painted cabinets are going to provide that. Paint is going to give a nice uniform look whereas the stained look will be more random and have the different grain patterns. Since the wood comes from different trees the color may vary even after being stained. With painted cabinets they will all be one color and won’t have that variance.
Paint is also going to allow you to use different colors in your kitchen. Whatever color you can dream up (that you would want in your kitchen) can be used to paint the cabinets. We just did a kitchen with the cabinets stained and the island painted a dark royal blue. It is a very interesting look but seems to be becoming more popular. Now you can also do your whole kitchen a nice white or mellow gray. But you and your imagination can come up with whatever color you want. With painted cabinets it can bring down the cost of your kitchen project by using wood material that is not solid wood. If you’d like to see a pros and cons list between stain and paint you can check out the post by Houzz here.
Things to Consider When Preparing for a Remodel
When remodeling a kitchen you’re going to want to think about function and what works best for you? How efficiently can you do the things you need to do in the kitchen? What style of kitchen are you going for? And consider that you’re going to want a kitchen you can live with for the next 20 years. A kitchen is going to last you a long time; don’t settle for something that you may grow tired of in the next 5 years.
You’re going to want to come up with a budget for your new kitchen. Houselogic.com says that it should take longer for you to plan the kitchen than the kitchen remodel should take. They say that the National Kitchen and Bath Association says it should take you 6 months to plan out your kitchen. This is to deter changing your mind during construction creating change orders and ultimately inflating the cost of the kitchen. This way the project will be able to remain on a timely schedule.
- Do research. Figure out what you’re going to need for the process of your remodel. Go to a local home improvement store and look at the cost of the items your new kitchen will require. You will get a general idea of what the kitchen will cost. Double check with the company you are considering to work with and get a list of their vendors and where they get their supplies. This will further help you narrow down the cost of the project.
- Prepare for the unexpected. There will be times that something unexpected comes up in the project. Maybe electrical needs to be rerouted, or there’s mold behind one of the cabinets. Be prepared for unexpected issues and set aside an additional 10% for the project. Stay ahead of the game. 🙂
- You’re going to want a kitchen that still resembles the style in your home. Something may stick out to you on Pinterest but may not go with your house. Be sure you find a style you like that will also fit well in your home.
- It’s always great for the people working on your kitchen if you have the material ordered and on site in a timely manner. Flooring, tile, lighting, handles are all things that will need to be ordered and on the job in order for everything to run smoothly and in a timely manner. The last thing you will want is to have your kitchen ready to start and no materials on hand to actually get anything done.
- Something to considering is having a treat for the people working on your project. It doesn’t have to be extravagant or break the bank, but offering coffee or just having a thing of cookies or something for them to snack on always brings something extra to the job. This isn’t something that is necessary, but again, can lighten a mood.
Hgtv has a great place where you can find work sheets that may better help you understand what you’re looking for in a kitchen remodel. You can check it out in the link above.
Kitchens are one of our specialties here at A Time to Build, LLC. If you live in Colorado and are looking to get some remodeling done reach out to us and we’ll get back to you with any details you might need. We’d love to work with you! If you enjoyed the post leave us a comment, or if you found this on our facebook page be sure to like our page.