Design & Decor
Building Blocks
Cabinets make the kitchen, so start with a solid foundation of knowledge.
BY
Corinne Casazza
PHOTOGRAPHY
Photos courtesy of NorthStar Surfaces

The kitchen is at the heart of today’s home, but what constitutes most of the space? The cabinets. Cabinets are an integral part of kitchen design and must be high-functioning and reflective of your personal style. The choices seem limitless, but a little education goes a long way. Let’s take a look at the building blocks of your cabinets.

Wood

The natural beauty of wood still seems to be the most popular choice in cabinetry right now. Wood species in all finishes exhibit color changes when exposed to different types of light and environments over time. Through this natural process, graining differences, mineral streaks and color variations can be expected in wood cabinetry.

Cherry
Moderately hard and heavy, strong and stiff, cherry wood has a high shock resistance. Its fine-to-medium, uniform grain is distinct and rich-looking. The color can vary from almost white to light red and dark reddish brown. Cherry is an elegant, multicolored hardwood and may contain small knots and pin holes. “Cherry is currently being used in high-end homes and mostly in traditional kitchens,” says Jay Waldenmeyer of Kansas City Building Supply.

Oak
Oak wood is heavy, hard and stiff with a high shock resistance. It has a medium-fine, uniform grain and varies in color from light tan to pink, red and dark brown. Red oak is sometimes streaked with green, yellow or black mineral deposits and may have some wide grain. “Oak has a very distinct and prominent grain that will show through almost any finish — even very dark finishes,” says Karen Moyer, co-owner of S & K Cabinetry. 

Maple
Silver and red maple trees provide moderately heavy, hard, strong and stiff maple wood.

It has medium shock resistance and a fine, uniform grain. The color can run from nearly white all the way to reddish brown. “When maple is stained, some wood grain will appear, but it will be subtle; the grain can be completely obscured by a painted finish,” Karen says. In fact, if you want painted cabinets, this is the wood to use. Cream and chocolate colors are currently quite fashionable.

Hickory
The wood is derived from butternut, pecan or shagbark trees. Hickory is extremely heavy, hard, strong and stiff with a shock resistance to match. Its shades vary from nearly white to dark brown. Hickory has a rustic look to its grain and adds unique character to a kitchen.

Alder
According to Jay, alder wood is gaining in popularity. “It has knots and gives a rustic appeal; think Colorado mountain style,” he says. The tendency is to stain alder in darker colors, part of a general trend toward darker colors and earth tones.

Green Materials

Species that are developed in short growing seasons — one to five years versus the many years it takes to grow a tree — are in high demand. Besides being rapidly renewable resources, some of the following products come from agricultural waste. They generally contain no formaldehyde, petroleum or VOCs, which is great news for your home’s indoor air quality and the environment. For more information, go to www.greencabinetsource.org.

Sunflower Board
As the name suggests, this composite is made from sunflower hulls and gives the appearance of traditional burled wood. It can be used naturally or stained with conventional wood stain to create a wide range of colors and can be used for cabinetry but is most often used in interior applications, replacing plywood, particleboard or MDF. For more information, visit www.environbiocomposites.com.

Wheat Board
Wheat board is derived from waste wheat straw, which would normally go into a landfill but is processed into fine particles and bound together with formaldehyde-free glue. This unique material offers a detailed fiber pattern with golden-yellow hues and can be stained with conventional wood stains to create many color options. For more information, visit www.environbiocomposites.com.

Bamboo
“Bamboo is very hot right now. People like its natural look,” says Nancee Yonally of NorthStar Surfaces, a local wholesale distributor. Bamboo matures in five years. It doesn’t require water, fertilizer or pesticide, and it grows wild where crops won’t. Many who choose this product stain their bamboo in a clear coat or slightly darker. “My clients love the natural caramelized effect,” Nancy says. For more information, visit www.nssurfaces.com.

Palm Wood
Made from plantation-grown coconut palm trees that are past their fruit-bearing years, palm wood is another unique product that sands and finishes like other panel products. “Palm wood comes as a 4 x 8 sheet-good and also as tambour paneling, which is cloth-backed like a piece of tile,” explains Gerould Sabin, owner of Elements of Green. The sheets come in either flat-grain or edge-grain and range from dark to medium-red mahogany in color. This product is sustainable, using reclaimed palms, and is formaldehyde-free. For more information, visit www.plyboo.com.

Sorghum Board
Manufactured from reclaimed sorghum straw, Kirei board reduces forest clear- cutting by reusing material that would otherwise be burned or thrown into a landfill. It is held together with a nontoxic adhesive. Kirei board is strong, lightweight, durable and an eco-friendly substitute for wood that can be used for cabinetry, flooring, interior design, wall coverings and millwork. For more information, visit www.kireiusa.com.

What’s in Your Cabinets?

Many times, only the cabinet fronts and sides are composed of wood while the boxes and shelves are actually made from other materials. “The material content depends on the line of cabinetry that the customer chooses,” Karen says. “All of our lines offer all-wood face frames and doors. The tops, sides and bottoms of cabinets can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.”

Most entry-level cabinets contain industrially manufactured materials on the box, shelving and drawers. More high-end lines feature all-wood cabinets; semi-custom lines may be upgraded to all wood for an additional charge.

But just because some manufacturers use particle board or other wood composite material doesn’t necessarily make the cabinets subpar, Jay notes. It’s generally thought that plywood cabinet boxes are of higher quality. “There are some great manufactured woods that perform very well and are used in very expensive cabinets. Some very high-end cabinets actually use metal drawer boxes and they are very chic and perform very well,” he says.

Jay adds that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to defining the materials. So how can you know what’s inside the cabinet? Review the literature most manufacturers supply or visit their websites. Many companies post product specifications for each of their lines, including the recommended uses of the products, sizes and thicknesses of the materials, and the warranty. You also can find safety data sheets that speak to the toxicity of all materials in the products. These documents tell whether the product contains formaldehyde, petroleum or other VOCs.