[madge45]

As an intermediate cabinet maker, I am wondering what material would be best to make my kitchen cabinet doors out of, and what finish would be the best?

I have built lots of free standing cabinets out of pine and used Danish oil, but a kitchen is different and I don't want pine.

I have most tools, and the hubby is a professional painter.

suggestions?

 

[Deanr]

There is not a "best" type of wood for your doors.
Are you going to have these painted or go with stained/natural look.
Depends a lot on your budget, wood availability, appearance preference,
tools available and probably a host of other considerations including trying to match existing finishes.
If you are looking at hardwood, raised panel type doors, I think cherry or walnut are hard to beat. If that doesn't fit your budget then red oak is also a good choice.

 

[cabinetman]

As an intermediate cabinet maker, I am wondering what material would be best to make my kitchen cabinet doors out of, and what finish would be the best?

I have built lots of free standing cabinets out of pine and used Danish oil, but a kitchen is different and I don't want pine.

I have most tools, and the hubby is a professional painter.

suggestions?

Not to sound curt, but it's like asking what kind of car you should buy. Preferences plays a big part, as the previous post outlines. Can you give some parameters?

.

 

[TimPa]

most kitchen cabinet doors are made of hardwood (oak, maple, cherry, etc.) for duarability, with a multitude of styles and types of construction. maybe go to a showroom and spend some time looking. you may get some ideas.

 

[MT Stringer]

Thought for the day - I just returned from a local lumber yard where I normally buy plywood and hardwood such as maple and red oak.
They have a discount bin; actually it takes up one wall. They put short pieces (less than 48 inches) of varying width and thickness and discount it 50% off the regular going price.

I have bought poplar, red oak and maple from those bins and use the pieces for all sorts of stuff including door frames for frame and panel construction. The one drawback is the thickness of the material can vary so I run them through the planer to size them accordingly so all will fit nicely. 50% off is a nice discount in my book.

You might want to check out lumber companies in your area to see what they carry...and I am not talking about the big box stores but true lumber yards.

 

[rrbrown]

Materials will also depend on style of cabinets.

frameless or face frame, will there be moldings or panels applied to the boxes, sides or doors. Slab doors, raised or flat panel doors. Painted, stained or natural finish. There are any number of other options that can apply also.


Start getting ideas.:thumbsup:

 

[madge45]

Sorry

I guess what I am looking for is expert opinion on what type of lumber or lumber product is preferred
for kitchen cabinet doors,
the style doesn't matter, I will adapt that to suit the material.

 

[ryan50hrl]

Well...oak and maple probably make up 80 percent of all kitchen cabs

 

[JMartel]

Cherry has been getting very popular as well.

 

[red]

Cherry makes a beautiful kitchen. But it really depends on what you want for a look. I did a birdseye maple kitchen years ago and that was gorgeous. Good luck. It is a tough choice.

Red

 

[woodnthings]

The style does matter

I guess what I am looking for is expert opinion on what type of lumber or lumber product is preferred
for kitchen cabinet doors, the style doesn't matter, I will adapt that to suit the material.

You can make simple hardwood plywood doors from Maple and just round over the edges, and paint them. They would look boring, flat with no frames or borders, but you could add moldings within the frame to increase the visual interest.

You could make a mitered or half lap frame with a hardwood plywood panel inset and either paint or stain them. The plywood veneer and the frame material should be the same species for the stain to look good. If they are painted, it won't matter if they are different species.

A stile and rail construction will look basically the same as above.

A Mission style would have a simple rectangular section frame, half lapped or mortised with a panel inset. A Modern style would have a bead or Ogee molding on the inside of the frame. More ornate styles will have more details in the molding. The style may/will determine the construction details and the finish...... :yes:

 

[madge45]

Thanks for all the ideas, I appreciate it.