When buying unfinished wood kitchen cabinets, there are many different types of wood to choose from. Selecting the wood type that is right for you depends largely upon your style, design, and available funding. Of course, the way you plan to finish your unfinished wood kitchen cabinets is also important, as different types of wood take to staining and finishing differently.

Maple Unfinished Wood Cabinets

Maple unfinished wood cabinets are moderately expensive. There are approximately 5 different species of maple commonly used in the creation of unfinished wood cabinets, most of them being soft maples.

Sapwood and heartwood are similar, with both being creamy in color. Sapwood is moderately dense and it is strong, but Rock Maple is stronger and denser. It also has a redder tint to it. In general, maple finishes quite well.

Cherry Wood

The sapwood of cherry unfinished wood cabinets has a pinkish tint to it, while the heartwood is pinkish brown. The heartwood will change to a red-brown color after extended exposure to sunlight. Cherry wood tends to be straight grained and is moderately strong and dense. It also takes finishing very well and is moderately expensive.

Hickory Wood

Another moderately priced form of unfinished wood kitchen cabinets is hickory. Its sapwood has a light color, while the heartwood is reddish-brown and strong and dense. It also typically has a straight grain and takes stain well.

Oak Unfinished Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Oak is one of the less expensive woods used to make unfinished wood kitchen cabinets. With over 200 different species of Oak, the wood used is not always exactly the same. The most common form of oak, however, has light colored sapwood and heartwood that is tan or yellowish brown. It can be straight grained, but can also be irregular or cross-grained. It is very strong and dense and takes stain well.

Pine Wood Cabinets

Another of the less expensive woods used to make unfinished wood kitchen cabinets is Pine. It can be yellow, white, or ponderosa. Yellow pine tends to be straw colored and is not very dense. It is not very dense and is straight grained.

It does, however, take both stain and paint well. White pine is similar to yellow, but tends to be white in color. The sapwood of ponderosa pine has a yellowish color, while the heartwood is reddish or orange. Ponderosa pine requires special preparation in order to take paint and stain well.

Mahogany Unfinished Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Mahogany unfinished wood kitchen cabinets are more expensive because the wood is typically from the rain forests of western Africa. The grain is generally interlocked, but can also be straight. The wood is reddish-brown in color and it is very strong, though not very dense. It takes both stain and polishing quite well.

Walnut

Another higher priced wood for unfinished wood kitchen cabinets is walnut. The heartwood of American walnut is dark brown and tends to get darker with age. Its grain is pretty straight, but can also be wavy. It is strong with a medium density and it takes finishing very well.

Ebony Unfinished Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Ebony unfinished wood kitchen cabinets are also more expensive and are commonly derived from Indian and African ebony. They grain of Ebony is typically straight, though it can be irregular, wavy, or even curly. It is strong and dense, but also brittle. Ebony is quite beautiful when polished fully.