Eastbank Interiors Portland, OR -- Materials

Cabinet Materials

Solid Wood

Solid wood cabinets are expensive and some custom shops provide this construction material. Most face-frame cabinets use solid wood frames and doors and an engineered wood product product to construct the rest of the cabinet. Engineered wood eliminate the labor involved in joining pieces of wood to get the widths necessary to construct the cabinet and they are more stable in changes of temperature and moisture.

Wood is constantly changing size and reacting to climate changes. Engineered wood products, which are manufactured, minimize this so it is not a factor and can last a comparative amount of time without refinishing.

Types of Wood – Note that the wood design presented below are representative of either solid wood or veneer-core products.

		Cherry($$$) A fine-grained hardwood that ranges in color tone from near white through pinks and reds. Its subtle grain patterns are enhanced by localized color variations of green, pink, or yellow streaks. Cherry is known and expected to change and with age, creating a beautiful patina.

		Maple ($$$) A dense, strong, fine-grained, smooth wood that is mostly off-white in color with streaks of gold, pink, and brown throughout. It can also have mild, dark streaks. The tightly swirled grain is very muted and subtle. For this reason, natural and light color stains are very popular. There are more than 10 species of maple in the North and Northwest however, most maple used commercially comes from one of five species. The most common being the soft maples. Maple finishes very well.

		Hickory ($$) A strong, course-grained hardwood that has dramatic variations in color, knots, and grain pattern. The grain pattern is so intense it's not uncommon to see cabinet parts that vary from extremely dark to almost white. Darker stains will mildly tone the appearance of these variations. Be sure to see a sample door at your dealer.

		Red Oak ($$) A dense, strong, course-grained hardwood with color tones from near white or yellow to pink, red, or brown. Oak has streaks of green, gold, and black mineral deposits, as well as other natural characteristics, such as pin knots and flecks. Its grain is often described as a prominent flame-shaped pattern that is beautifully enhanced when finish color is applied.

		Paint Grade ($) Typically Birch, Poplar, Maple or Sycamore.

		Mahogany ($$$$$) Most mahogany comes from the rain forests found on the western coast of Africa. The wood is reddish-brown and the grain is typically interlocked but can be straight. It is a medium density wood but not very strong. It takes stain and polishing very well.

		Walnut ($$$$$) There are many species of walnut, American Walnut being found across North America into South America. The heartwood is dark brown and gets darker with age. It is relatively straight grained but can be wavy. It is a medium density wood but strong. European Walnut is similar in characteristics except that the wood is more gray-brown with a pronounced wavy grain. It takes finishing very well.

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