Kitchen Cabinets
Nothing dresses up a kitchen quite like the kitchen cabinets. Cabinets are what set the tone to kitchen style. New York homeowners need more kitchen cabinets now to hold all of the kitchen gadgets that are available on the market today.
The most popular kitchen cabinets in are made from wood and there are a variety of woods to choose from. The wood you choose should reflect your sense of style and usually will match the other woods that are located throughout the house.
Wood has a natural beauty that can be finished out in several different types of finishes. As in nature, wood will exhibit changes in color when exposed to different light sources. Each type of wood will have different characteristics in the wood grain and the variations of color.
Once you understand the characteristics and variations that are found in the different types of wood you will be able to better determine what type of wood you want for your kitchen cabinets.
Maple is a type of wood that is hard and strong. It has a close grain that is predominately off-white but there are light shades of yellow, brown, and pink. Hard maple usually has a mineral throughout the wood that is either light tan or tinged with red. When a stain is used on Maple these characteristics will become more evident with the wood grain.
Hickory is also a strong wood that has an open grain that is often flowing and very dramatic in color variation. Sometimes it will contain random spots and mineral streaks that range in color from light to deep brown when stained. Because of its unique characteristics, Hickory is often very desirable because it produces a one of a kind product.
Another popular wood for kitchen cabinets is oak. Red oak offers a prominent open grain that will range in color from white to yellow to reddish brown. Often red oak is streaked with green, yellow, or black mineral deposits that produce a sweeping arch pattern in the natural oak wood grain. Oak is one of the more popular woods for kitchen cabinetry.
One of the most elegant woods for kitchen cabinetry is cherry. Cherry is pinkish-brown when it is raw but when stained it produces a rich brown-red color. Cherry is a wood that will continue to darken as it ages so it is best to not have cabinets made from freshly cut cherry wood. After a few months you may be unhappy with the darkness of the color.
Birch is a wood that is medium in density and offers a distinct pattern to the grain. Often the grain will be straight and in other places it will be curvy. Birch tends to be light in color and is usually stained to a light yellow color.
Wood cabinets can be styled in many different ways. Some people may want to showcase a special dish collection so they can put glass doors on part of the cabinets. These particular cabinets can also feature a light inside the section of the cabinets that have the glass. Routers can be used to create designs on the doors that will give the doors a dimensional look. You can also add decorative molding and accents that will provide you with a finished look. Moldings add an elegance to otherwise dull looking cabinets.
Another great way to dress up kitchen cabinets is with decorative hardware. Hardware can be expensive, costing up to $50.00 per handle. This can be expensive if you have a lot of cabinets in the kitchen but it is also an expense that will only be a one-time expense and the difference in the appearance of the cabinets can be well worth the price.
The most popular kitchen cabinets in are made from wood and there are a variety of woods to choose from. The wood you choose should reflect your sense of style and usually will match the other woods that are located throughout the house.
Wood has a natural beauty that can be finished out in several different types of finishes. As in nature, wood will exhibit changes in color when exposed to different light sources. Each type of wood will have different characteristics in the wood grain and the variations of color.
Once you understand the characteristics and variations that are found in the different types of wood you will be able to better determine what type of wood you want for your kitchen cabinets.
Maple is a type of wood that is hard and strong. It has a close grain that is predominately off-white but there are light shades of yellow, brown, and pink. Hard maple usually has a mineral throughout the wood that is either light tan or tinged with red. When a stain is used on Maple these characteristics will become more evident with the wood grain.
Hickory is also a strong wood that has an open grain that is often flowing and very dramatic in color variation. Sometimes it will contain random spots and mineral streaks that range in color from light to deep brown when stained. Because of its unique characteristics, Hickory is often very desirable because it produces a one of a kind product.
Another popular wood for kitchen cabinets is oak. Red oak offers a prominent open grain that will range in color from white to yellow to reddish brown. Often red oak is streaked with green, yellow, or black mineral deposits that produce a sweeping arch pattern in the natural oak wood grain. Oak is one of the more popular woods for kitchen cabinetry.
One of the most elegant woods for kitchen cabinetry is cherry. Cherry is pinkish-brown when it is raw but when stained it produces a rich brown-red color. Cherry is a wood that will continue to darken as it ages so it is best to not have cabinets made from freshly cut cherry wood. After a few months you may be unhappy with the darkness of the color.
Birch is a wood that is medium in density and offers a distinct pattern to the grain. Often the grain will be straight and in other places it will be curvy. Birch tends to be light in color and is usually stained to a light yellow color.
Wood cabinets can be styled in many different ways. Some people may want to showcase a special dish collection so they can put glass doors on part of the cabinets. These particular cabinets can also feature a light inside the section of the cabinets that have the glass. Routers can be used to create designs on the doors that will give the doors a dimensional look. You can also add decorative molding and accents that will provide you with a finished look. Moldings add an elegance to otherwise dull looking cabinets.
Another great way to dress up kitchen cabinets is with decorative hardware. Hardware can be expensive, costing up to $50.00 per handle. This can be expensive if you have a lot of cabinets in the kitchen but it is also an expense that will only be a one-time expense and the difference in the appearance of the cabinets can be well worth the price.
