WOOD CHARACTERISTICS AND FINISHING
ALDER is a soft, straight grained, orangish-brown colored wood. It easily absorbs tain. Alder is a good substitute for cherry and mahogany.
Ash is a hard, wide wavy grained, light brown to tannish-white wood. Ash is opened grained and absorbs stain well.
BASSWOOD is a soft, straight uniform grained, creamy brown type of wood. Basswood absorbs stain well, but may be blotchy if not applied evenly.
BIRCH a mixture of sapwood and heartwood, and is suitable for dark stain and painted finishes.
CHERRY is a hard, tight grained light to dark reddish type of wood. Cherry stains and finishes to a deep reddish-maroon color.
CYPRESS is a soft medium grained, orange to pinkish-brown wood. It easily absorbs stain, but is less stable than other hardwoods.
EUROPEAN BEECH front has some color variation with small limited pencil size marks/knots, up to dime size sound knots on back.
HARD MAPLE is a very hard, straight grained, light yellow to white type of wood. Hard maple does not absorb stains well, but works well for natural to light finishes.
SOFT MAPLE is a hard, tight grained, pale pinkish-brown white wood. Soft maple absorbs stain with difficulty, and is almost as hard as hard maple.
HICKORY is a very hard, very tight grained, cream to brownish-grey type of wood. Hickory does not absorb stain well, and will have a wide range of wood color in each door.
MAHOGANY is a hard, straight grained, pale to dark reddish-brown wood. It absorbs stains well for a rich deep finish.
RED OAK is a hard, wide wavy grained, light reddish to creamy-white wood. It absorbs stain well, and is one of the most poplar woods for cabinet doors.
BLACK WALNUT is a hard, straight wavy grained, rich dark brown to brownish-white wood. It stains and finishes well.
KNOTTY PINE has tight knots and is suitable for rustic style cabinetry. Filled or loose knots and blue stain is not acceptable.
KNOTTY ALDER has some color variation with up to 2” diameter open knots allowable. Filler is acceptable on back. No open knots allowed.
POPLAR is a soft hardwood with a pale yellowish to white color with some green and brown mineral. Not selected for color and is typically used as paint grade.