Finding The Right Wood For Your Kitchen Cabinets: Oak
With a unique coarse grain and a hard character, oak is one of the best cabinetry woods to work with. Because the wood is so stiff and strong, it holds hardware extremely well. The sawing pattern on oak can have a great effect on the appearance of the wood. All of this strength and hardness also means that wood is extremely durable and long-lasting.
Despite the coarseness of the grain, oak will take to sanding well, providing a very smooth and satiny surface for staining, painting and glazing.
The different species of oak, white oak, red oak and scarlet oak, and over 600 more species each have a distinctive color. The name is often and indicator of the color of the wood to be expected to be found under the bark. From beautiful reds and pinks to nearly milky white, oak provides many different color to choose from.
The wood of the oak can be divided by the heartwood and the sapwood. The sapwood is generally lighter in color than the heartwood of the same tree. The environment and weather during the trees growth can have a large effect on
Oak will lighten in color if exposed to sunlight, but if you are looking for cabinetry that will maintain its color for years, oak is the perfect choice. It tends not to age very much without sunlight.
Stains look wonderful and take well on oak. Paints and primers can actually create an opaque finish while allowing the grain to the wood beneath to show through. Glazes can penetrate the wood very nicely and draw out lots of highlights and beauty.
Oak tends to only have a few small knots that are dark and very visible. Red oak frequently has tiny pin knots that will add to the texture of the wood. Also, mineral streaks are very common, adding dark streaks to the wood. Between these two features and the distinctly individual grain of each sawn oak, gives oak the ability to be wonderfully rich and lovely.
For many modern homeowners, oak is seen as old style wood, but for those looking for incredibly durable and rich wood, oak is an affordable option. Because of the variety of colors and the beauty of the woods, combined with the ability to paint or stain it to nearly any décor, oak should definitely be included for consideration.