Wood is a popular choice for cabinet doors because wood is not only good looking but is usually sturdier and more durable than composite products - but durability does come with a price.

Wood cabinets are more expensive than their laminated or veneered counterparts. How expensive, will depend on the wood you choose.

Is it a hardwood or a softwood? Is it readily available, or is it imported? Imported woods, such as mahogany and teak, are considerably more expensive than domestic varieties such as oak, cherry or pine.

The natural properties of wood can affect design decisions. Some woods are light by nature and some are dark. These details factor into how light or dark a stain your cabinets will be able to handle

Hardwood comes from trees that lose their leaves in the winter, and softwood comes from trees that do not lose their leaves. Oak is a hardwood, pine is a softwood.

Each species of wood has its own identifiable grain pattern and coloring. Darker wood, the "heartwood," comes from the center of the tree. Lighter colored wood, called "sapwood," is from the outer region of the tree.

All wood cabinets will change color when exposed to different types of light. New finishing

methods will help slow the process, but none completely stops it. Natural color differences in wood are caused by variations in minerals found in the soil in which the tree was grown, and will differ by tree and parts of the tree.

Additionally, every wood species exhibits other characteristics such as knots, pinholes, sap runs and darkening with age. It is the beauty of natural wood to have these characteristics. as well as natural variations in graining and color.

Using a color stain on the wood may produce different color variances. Softer areas of the wood and end grain surfaces will accept more stain and often appear darker than other areas. This is a natural reaction when finishing wood products, and potential variances in color cannot be controlled.

Popular Woods for Cabinetry
The most popular types of wood used in stock and semi-custom cabinets are oak, maple, cherry, hickory and pine. One of the main reasons they are so popular is that they are plentiful and readily available.

Custom cabinets can be made of any wood you choose. Expanded cabinet wood choices include birch, alder, ash, poplar and exotic woods such as mahogany and teak.

Below are characteristics of some of the more popular woods, including a stain chart showing each wood with a clear, light, medium and dark stain - See: Wood Stains/Finishes for more information.

Oak (hardwood)
By far, oak is the most popular of all the cabinet woods. There are two main types of oaks: red oak and white oak. Most oak cabinets are made from white oak; red is usually a premium.
Both are considered strong woods.

Oak can have dramatic variations in color, knots and grain pattern. It contains natural characteristics such as pin knots and flecks, and may contain streaks of green, gold and black mineral deposits. The prominent flame-shaped grain pattern is beautifully enhanced when finish color is applied.

Red oak is a very strong, open-grained wood that ranges in color from salmon-pink to almost white. It is sometimes streaked with green, yellow and black mineral deposits, and may contain some wide grain.

The sapwood of red oak is white to light brown and the heartwood is a pinkish reddish brown.

The wood is similar in general appearance to white oak with a less pronounced figure (patterns). The wood is mostly straight-grained, with a coarse texture.

Other uses for red oak include: lumber, railroad crossties, veneer, flooring, furniture, wall paneling, architectural interiors, general millwork, boxes, pallets and crates, firewood, agricultural implements, caskets, woodenware, handles, boats, and truck flooring.

White oak is harder and heavier than red oak. It has a tan tone where red oak has a pink tint. The majority of oak cabinets are made from white oak.

The sapwood of white oak is light-colored and the heartwood is light to dark brown. White oak is mostly straight-grained with a medium to coarse texture, with longer rays than red oak. White oak therefore has more figure (patterns).

Unlike the extremely porous red oak, white oak is impervious to liquids making it highly desirable for use in bathrooms or other areas with high humidity.

Other uses include: high-quality flooring, barrels, kegs, and casks. Normally, oak flooring will outlast the life of any building in which it is installed.

Maple (hardwood)
The 2nd most popular of all the cabinet woods.
There are two main types of maples: hard maple and soft maple
Both are hardwoods, but of the two, soft maple is physically softer.
Hard maple is more expensive than oak or soft maple

Natural characteristics of maple cabinetry include gray mineral streaks and variations in grain patterns and color. Maple will take on a warm golden hue as it ages.

Hard maple is also known as Sugar Maple and Black Maple. This wood is extremely hard.

The sapwood of the hard maple is preferred for cabinets. It is dense, close-grained, strong, smooth and predominately white in color, although it may contain light hues of yellow-brown, pink, light tan, or small dark mineral streaks.

The wood is generally straight-grained, but it may exhibit special grain patterns (figure) that are also much sought after, including "birdseye" (dots resembling the eyes of birds) "curly" (a tight wavy pattern in the annual rings), and "blister figure" (resembles a 3 dimensional landscape).

Hard maple takes lighter stains well, but darker stains will exhibit uneven levels of penetration.

Hard maple is most often finished in a light color or whitewashed.

Other uses include: furniture, handles, cabinets, woodenware, flooring, paneling, millwork and moldings.

Soft maple is also known as Red Maple, Silver Maple and Box Elder. Red maple is the leading soft maple and ranks second to sugar maple in the furniture industry.

Although soft maple is not as heavy, hard, or strong as that of the hard maples, their characteristics are similar. Soft maple is close-grained and well suited for use with enamel finishes and brown tones, and takes a polish well.

Soft maple takes stain more readily than does hard, and the sapwood has more gray hues, which are more visible in certain light when given a light stain. Soft maple is also much easier to dent than hard.

Soft maple is often stained to look like cherry, walnut and other more expensive hardwoods. Because soft maple mellows (darkens) at a much slower rate than cherry wood, the color will maintain its original appearance longer.

Other uses include: furniture, cabinets, molding, trim, flooring, paneling, chair parts

Mellows (darkens) considerably within the first 3 years, (especially noticeable in lighter stains)

If you choose cherry cabinets, order exposed side panels in the same material as the door panel. Otherwise the exposed sides of cabinet will remain the original color, while the door darkens in color.

Light, strong and rather hard, cherry's grain is more subtle than some other hardwoods. The fine-grained wood has a smooth texture and satiny feel. Cherry has a lustrous appearance that seems to glow.

The sapwood has a creamy white appearance. The heartwood ranges in color from rich red to reddish brown, with localized color variations of green, pink or yellow streaks and may contain small knots and pin holes.

Distinctive figures (patterns) and wood grains are brought out through quarter sawing. It is

usually finished in a medium or dark finish to bring out the mahogany-red tones.

Cherry helps define Shaker, Mission and country styling, as well as more formal traditional styles.

Other uses include: Fine furniture and cabinet making, moldings and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling, flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings

Hickory (hardwood)
Often considered an upgrade from oak. A member of the pecan family

Hickory is one of the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods in the United States. It has a strong, open grained wood, distinguished by dramatic contrasts of light and dark wood, even within a single board. It is not uncommon to see doors, or parts of doors, ranging in color form light to a deep brown when light or natural stains are applied. Darker stains will mildly tone these color variations.

Hickory's color is brown to reddish brown in the heartwood and nearly white sapwood. It may have random bird pecks, water spots and mineral streaks. The wood takes stain well, but the natural variance in color will still be visible. For a more even color, hickory is often finished with opaque paint.

Other uses include: tool handles, skis, golf clubs, wheels, agricultural implements, flooring, furniture, ladders, musical instruments, sounding boards, paneling, veneer, fishing rods, dowels, building materials.

Pine (softwood)
Usually the least expensive wood for cabinets
Several different varieties of pine
Extremely soft - dents easily

Like cherry, pine mellows (darkens) with age within 1-2 years.
If you choose pine cabinets, order exposed side panels in the same material as the door panel. Otherwise the exposed sides of cabinet will remain the original color, while the door darkens in color.

The characteristics of "knotty" pine's natural grain and color shades, give each piece its own unique personality, ensuring that no two pieces look alike. However, the knots will "bleed" through washed or light finishes and they tend to darken with age

However, pine's physical characteristics are extremely soft. Pine dents easily and hinges may loosen after time. Pine takes most finishes well, but staining can produce "blotchiness."

Western White Pine has straight and even grain with a medium to coarse texture. The

heartwood is cream colored to light reddish brown that darkens on exposure and yellowish white sapwood.

Eastern White Pine has a comparatively uniform texture and is straight grained. The sapwood is white to pale yellow with a reddish tinge. The heartwood is light brown, often with a reddish tinge. The wood darkens with age and air exposure, eventually turning to a deep orange color.

Yellow Pine is classified as a hard pine and is harder than white pine. Warm pale yellow in color with brown knots, it has a distinctive light and dark grain pattern.
Other uses for pine include: building construction, boxes, crates, matches, carvings, patterns, millwork, fixtures, caskets, paneling, plywood, sashes, doors, furniture, interior woodwork, knotty paneling, caskets, shade and map rollers, and toys.

Wood in its natural form is beautiful and makes attractive cabinetry and furniture. But only a small fraction of the lumber supply is suited to this purpose, and the demand far outstrips the supply. To satisfy this demand, the forest industry has developed methods of producing high quality lumber out of wood that once would have been scrapped.

Many manufactured products are suitable for furniture and cabinets. Others are more suitable for use in construction projects.

In cabinetry, engineered wood is used as substrate (an underlying layer, covered with another material such as a laminate or wood veneer).

Particleboard, flakeboard and other engineered lumbers are composite products made from wood flakes, chips, splinters, etc., formed into layers and held together by resin glues and heated under pressure. Being layered and consisting of larger chunks, particle board does not have the uniform texture of MDF.

It is used widely in the manufacture of furniture, cabinets and floor underlayment. Particle geometry, resin levels, board density, and manufacturing processes are altered to produce products designed for specific uses. Additives are used to provide greater dimensional stability, better fire resistance, or to impart additional characteristics

Whereas solid wood (lumber) suffers from the swelling and shrinking of wood due to environmental changes such as humidity, particleboard's stability, flatness, smoothness, lack of knots or voids, and ease of laminating make it the major substrate material used in countertops, meeting the ANSI A161.2 performance standard. Particleboard is preferred by laminators because of its uniform density and thickness tolerance, as well as surface smoothness. Its dimensional stability, strength, stiffness, flatness, and workability enhance performance.

SHELVING
Shelving is a popular application for particleboard because it provides a flat, easy to cut, void free, smooth surface. Industrial grades are typically used depending on particular requirements. Particleboard shelving is available plain or edge filled with a square edge or bullnose.

Many kitchen cabinets have laminated particleboard shelves, sides, backs, drawers, doors and/or other parts because of particleboard's superior performance and economy.

Shelves are usually designed for specific applications with typical loads. For example, kitchen shelves are designed for a uniform load of 15 pounds per square foot (psf); closets, 25 psf; bookshelves 40 psf.

Particleboard grades M-S, M-2, and M-3 as described in ANSI A208.1 are used in kitchen and vanity cabinets.

Refer to ANSI Standard A161.1, Recommended Performance and Construction Standard for Kitchen and Vanity Cabinets, sponsored by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA), phone 703-264-1690.

OVERLAYS
To enhance its appearance, any number of overlay materials are usually applied to the surface. The materials most commonly applied to particleboard substrates include high pressure laminates, thermofused melamine laminates, resin saturated papers, vinyl films, decorative papers, and wood veneers.

Industrial particleboard grades used in office and residential furniture, kitchen cabinets, case goods and other applications are typically ANSI A208.1 grades M-S, M-2, or M-3.

Medium Density Fiberboard is used increasingly in the manufacture of kitchen cabinets, furniture, door parts and moldings.

Cabinetmakers use MDF when they require a shelf or panel free of defects. The surface of MDF is flat, smooth, uniform and free of knots and grain patterns, which simplifies finishing operations, especially for thin laminates. The consistent density of MDF allows for intricate and precise machining and finishing techniques. Its stability and strength hold to close tolerances in accurately cut parts.

MDF is a composite panel product typically consisting of lignocellulosic wood fibers combined with a synthetic resin or other suitable bonding system and joined together under heat and pressure.

Additives may be introduced during manufacturing to impart additional characteristics. MDF belongs to the hardboard family of products, but it is designed for a density range of 31-55 lb/cu. ft. As its density implies, MDF is very heavy and thus potentially difficult to handle.

MDF has many qualities that make it an ideal upgrade from plywood or particleboard. It is dense, flat, and stiff, free from knots and is easily machined. Its fine particles provide dimensional stability without the grain common to lumber. Unlike most plywood, MDF contains no voids, and will deliver sharp, clean edges.

A prime attribute of MDF is its sharp, clean edge machining requiring minimal treatment prior to finishing. Edge banding or molding is eliminated with proper finishing. It can be machined into intricate patterns as easily as natural wood, thus is an excellent substitute for solid wood in many interior applications.

MDF is used as core material for paneling with veneers, printed surfaces, vinyl and low pressure laminates. It is stable, flat, smooth, has no grain to telegraph through the overlay, and can be installed quickly and easily

MDF is easily shaped into almost any form and is commonly available in lengths up to 20 feet. This makes MDF an excellent material for vinyl, veneer or paper wrapped and pre-primed interior moldings. Manufacturers often use embossing-pressing cast die patterns into the MDF surface-to produce three-dimensional designs.

A number of manufacturers produce laminates that are commonly used in conjunction with MDF. Some of the more popular brands are Wilsonart, Abet Laminati, Formica, Nevamar, Pionite, Micarta and Laminart.

While woodworking joints such as butt, miter, rabbet, dovetail, spline, and dado are preferred over mechanical fasteners, some common fasteners are frequently used with caution, such as staples, nails and screws. Note however that fasteners alone cannot be relied on to securely join components, and they increase the risk of splitting and separation of the material.

MDF is very porous. glues typically used are gap-filling glues such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA)

typically known as white (paper) and yellow (wood) glues, or modified PVA glues like Titebond II. Epoxy, urea, polyurethane and hot melt glues are also often used.

MDF from different sources will vary in texture, density, color, etc. Physical and dimensional tolerances for MDF are specified in ANSI A208.2-1986 This standard classifies MDF by density and use (interior or exterior) and identifies product grades. Specifications identified in the standard include physical and mechanical properties, dimensional tolerances and formaldehyde emission limits. Copies of the ANSI Standard for MDF are available from the CPA.

People sensitive to formaldehyde emissions should consider low formaldehyde or

formaldehyde-free MDF, or consider methods of controlling these emissions through proper finishing.

Finishes that work best at controlling formaldehyde emissions are solid add-on surfaces such as high pressure laminates, vinyl covering, and finished wood veneers. Less effective at controlling emissions are simple seal coats, oil and latex paints, Danish oil, and wax.

Plywood
Plywood is manufactured from thin sheets of cross-laminated veneer and bonded under heat and pressure with strong adhesives.

Plywood is available in many grades using various lumber species, depending on the purpose for which it will be used. It is used in cabinetry to fabricate the side panels. and has an excellent reputation for durability and screw-holding power.

Hardboard (Hard Density Fiberboard - HDF)
HDF is a high quality panel manufactured from specially engineered fibers that are compressed under heat and pressure. These panels are produced by a "wet" or "dry" process.

The "wet" process produces panels 1/8 or 1/4 inch thick that have one smooth side and a screen pattern on the backside, and are designated S1S. The "dry" manufacturing process produces a panel that is smooth on both sides, or S2S. Hardboard was first produced in 1924 by W. H. Mason, founder of Masonite Corp. The term Masonite is therefore often used to denote hardboard products, High Density Fiberboard (HDF) has a density that ranges between 50 and 80 pounds per cubic feet.

Standard hardboard has excellent machining and finishing properties suitable for numerous interior uses such as paneling, partitions, furniture, toys, packaging, flush doors, garage doors etc.

Tempered hardboard is impregnated with special oil that is polymerized by heat treatment. It is particularly suitable in applications where there is a need for extra water resistance, surface hardness, rigidity, bending and tensile strength. It is often used in construction siding.

Flakeboard (GFB), - An alternative to gypsum fibreboard which uses wood chips, fashioned by a knife-ring flaker and sized by a hammer mill.

Medium Density Overlay and High Density Overlay
These are plywood products with a resin impregnated paper coating. They are often used for exterior painted surfaces. These are not fiber based products

Strandboard/ Waferboard
Oriented Strandboard and its predecessor waferboard are engineered mat-formed panel products made of strands, flakes or wafers sliced from small diameter round wood logs and bonded under heat and pressure with a waterproof and boil proof resin. They are made of aspen or poplar (as well as southern yellow pine in the US) wafers or strands which are bonded together under heat and pressure using a waterproof phenolic resin adhesive or equivalent waterproof binder. The strands in the outer faces of OSB are oriented along the long axis of the panel thereby, like plywood, making it stronger along the long axis as compared to the narrow axis. It's used strictly in construction as sub-flooring or sheathing.

Waferboard has been used in North American construction for over twenty years, for interior

and exterior and for structural and non-structural applications.

Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
LVL is a layered composite of wood veneers and adhesive. It is fabricated into billets of various thicknesses and widths, and can be cut at the factory into stock for headers and beams, flanges for prefabricated wood I-joists, or for other specific uses. Common species are Douglas fir, larch, southern yellow pine and poplar. LVL was first used during World War II to make airplane propellers, and since the mid-1970s, has been available as a construction product for beams and headers where high strength, dimension stability, and reliability are required.

Plywood - Construction Grade

Plywood - a panel product consisting of an odd number of thin wood veneers (plies) glued together, each layer having a grain direction at right angles to the previous layer. Cross-lamination provides excellent two-way strength and stiffness properties, resistance to impact damage, and dimensional stability when wet. Veneers are bonded under high temperature and pressure with a waterproof phenol-formaldehyde resin glue, making the plywood suitable for use under damp conditions.

Plywood is available in many grades using various lumber species, depending on the purpose for which it will be used. Construction grade lumber has knotholes, repaired or un-repaired depending on grade, and voids where holes exist in the various plies. "Void-free" plywood uses plies with supposedly no holes, but this is not always reliable.

Baltic birch plywood is sometimes sold as void-free plywood, and is often used in furniture construction for sidewalls and shelving. Other high-grade plywood such as oak and maple are likewise available for use in cabinet work.

Plywood Ratings Based on Core Type
Plywood Core Type	Flatness	Surface Uniformity	Dimensional Stability	Screwholding Ability	Bending Strength
Industrial Particleboard (Medium Density)	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Fair	Good
Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Fair	Good
Veneer - All Hardwood	Fair	Good	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Veneer - All Softwood	Fair	Fair	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Lumber - Hardwood or Softwood	Good	Good	Good	Excellent	Excellent
Standard Hardboard	Excellent	Excellent	Fair	Good	Good
Tempered Hardboard	Excellent	Good	Excellent	Fair	Fair
Moisture Resistant Particleboard	Excellent	Good	Good	Good	Good
Moisture Resistant MDF	Excellent	Good	Fair	Good	Good
Fire Resistant Particleboard	Excellent	Good	Fair	Fair	Good

Veneered cabinet doors are a popular alternative to solid wood. Veneered panels are less expensive that solid wood, and they have the advantage of permitting the same pattern across

all adjacent doors.

Wood veneer panels are also used as front panels to appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers, etc. Wood veneer can be used on exposed cabinet side panels, when stained to match a solid wood cabinet door. In this case, both the veneer and the door are made from the same wood species (cherry, or oak, or maple, etc.).

The veneer panel begins with thin layers of wood glued together with the grain at right angles over a thick core of particleboard, medium density fiberboard (MDF), or plywood.

This crisscross design not only reduces the chances of splitting or cracking, but the glue is the same as used in aircraft and marine construction, making the final product stronger than the natural wood.

The Veneer Advantage
In addition to the panel being more stable than wood, The best and most interesting logs are usually sliced into veneer, not only because sellers can make more money from a high quality log sliced into veneer than they can from sawing it into boards, but because certain cuts from the tree are structurally unsound when cut into lumber.

Veneer is also environmentally kind. Veneer is not cut from the log but sliced with a knife (like lunch meat) into 1/32" leaves or sheets. Every one inch thick board produces 32 sheets of veneer. Sawing timber in to one inch thick boards also produces the equivalent of 8 sheets of veneer, in wasted sawdust where the saw blade makes its cut.

How Veneer is Made
Wood veneer is made from slicing or peeling strips of wood off a tree, much like you pull paper towels off a roll. It is much thinner than solid wood and is typically applied to plywood or particleboard to give it strength.

FLAT SLICED VENEERS
The process of slicing from larger lumber planks or half logs, using knives that move backwards and forward - much like slicing bread, is know as 'Flat Slice Veneer'.

ROTARY CUT VENEERS
In this process, the log is soaked in a hot water bath and then mounted on lathe style turning bed, where a blade actually peels off layers of wood from around the outside circumference of the log - much like pulling paper towels off of a role.

Matching Veneer
When it is necessary to use two or more pieces (leaves) of veneer on the same surface, the leaves are aligned at the cut edge. Using different alignments almost limitless and unique

visual effects can be attained.

BOOK MATCH
An advantage to using Flat Sliced Veneers, is that the layers are piled consecutively as they come off the machinery.

This allows the manufacturer to sell the veneer in matched panels, which are matched together like bookends. This type of veneer matching is called "book match."

The resulting veneer joints match in a symmetrical pattern, allowing maximum continuity of the grain across the panel.

SLIP MATCH
Here, the adjoining leaves are slipped out in sequence, but with all the same-face sides being exposed. The Slip Match produces a uniform color because all faces have a similar light reflection.

The figure (pattern) in the wood repeats, but the grain does not match at joints. If the grain is not exactly vertical, a vertical slant may appear. If the grain is straight, the joint may not be noticeable.

RANDOM MATCH
Veneer leaves are placed next to each other in a random order and orientation, producing a "board-by-board" effect in many types of wood.

Degrees of contrast and variation may change from panel to panel, and no attempt is made to make the panels match at the joints. Random matching is often done when a rustic look is desired.

BALANCE MATCH
Each veneer panel face is assembled from leaves of uniform width before edge trimming. Panels may contain an even or odd number of leaves.

To duplicate the look in adjacent panels, each leaf is sequenced and numbered for use in adjacent panels, although the individual leaf distribution may change from panel to panel.

RUNNING MATCH
The panel face contains however many veneer leaves it takes to cover the panel. This is often the most economical way to match veneer, although it comes at the expense of aesthetics.

Usually, this results in unequal widths and a non-symmetrical appearance. Horizontal grain match cannot be expected. Veneer leaves in a running match are seldom matched in adjacent panels.

The Look of Wood
When you look at wood cabinet doors, what you see is not always the actual color of the wood.

In fact, what you see is usually wood that has been stained or dyed before being finished.

Your choice of wood will have the most impact on the cabinet's ultimate look, because the wood grain and natural characteristics will show through.

When purchasing stock or semi-custom cabinets, the manufacturer will have a pre-selected range of woods and colors for you to choose from. You should know that not all color stains or finish treatments will be available for all woods.

Custom Cabinets
When purchasing custom cabinets you will be shown samples of different woods and finishes to choose from, but you can order anything you want as long as it is available and doable.

When choosing a wood for your cabinets, start with a wood that is a little lighter than what the final color will be. Color stains will render the actual color of the cabinet and bring out the natural beauty of the wood. You can always darken the color of lighter woods, but it's very difficult to make dark woods lighter.

Light Color Woods
Light woods are ideal for making a small kitchen seem larger, a dark kitchen brighter, or creating a more contemporary look.

Light woods are predominately yellow in color - ranging from pale yellow to pale tan. Choices include, but are not limited to, maple, oak, ash, poplar, birch and pine.

Choose a clear or light colored stain to highlight the wood itself. Semi-opaque stains, and glazes can be used to further enhance the look of the cabinet.

Medium Color Woods
Colors in the mid-range add warmth to a room without overpowering it. Medium colors work well with contemporary and traditional styles.

Medium colored woods have a pinkish cast, with a light brown or tan color to them. Choices include, but are not limited to, beech, cherry,

For colors in the mid-range, consider using cherry with a natural finish, or stain maple a little darker than it's natural color.

Dark Color Woods
Dark colored cabinets can make a large room seem smaller, or can be used create a dramatic effect. Dark colors work especially well with traditional or Mission Style.

As the label implies, these woods range from a medium brown to almost black in appearance. Examples of dark woods are butternut, mahogany, rosewood, teak and walnut.

Traditionally, the difference between a dye and a stain is the size of the color particle which

determines how the color integrates with the wood. Both are applied directly to natural wood that has been sanded.

Stains
Stains have very large, insoluble particles that do not penetrate the wood, but sit in the open spaces on the surface of the wood. Which is why some woods like hard maple, which has a very dense and tight cellular structure, do not take dark stains well. Others, such as soft maple, which is less dense and more open, can be stained as dark as desired.

Stains may be sprayed, brushed or wiped onto the surface. The depth and final color are determined by the length of time the stain is allowed to remain on the surface, and how hard the stain is wiped off.

The doors pictured above are made of cherry, but each has a different stain or colorant that gives the door a different look and feel.

Using a color stain on the wood may produce different color variances. Softer areas of the wood and end grain surfaces will accept more stain and often appear darker than other areas.

This is a natural reaction when finishing wood products, and potential variances in color cannot be controlled.

Dyes
Dyes on the other hand, have soluble, molecular sized particles that actually penetrate the wood. Since the dye is actually in the wood, it is more transparent and does not mask the wood grain and texture like pigments that remain on the surface. Any wood can be dyed any color.

A stain is not a finish. The finish can be self-sealing, or the sealer can be different from the top

coat. The sealer locks in the colorants, seals the grain, starts the filling process, and provides a sandable coating.

Typically, a stain will be coated with a catalytic-conversion varnish to give it durability and the desired sheen. When it's baked on, the varnish catalyzes into a hard, protective finish.

Clear finishes allow the markings and grain variations of the wood to show through. Tinted or opaque finishes change the color of the wood and can make two different woods appear to be the same. Glazes can be used as a top coat over the finish, to create decorative effects, such as an antique look.

A Word About Varnishes
Alkyd varnishes are the traditional varnishes made from a polyester resin. They are durable, flexible, resistant to abrasion, have good adhesion qualities, and are resistant to discoloration from light.

Polyurethane resins have pretty much replaced the alkyds for only one reason - they dry and cure faster. And while they are more water resistant than traditional varnishes, Polyurethane varnishes are not light and UV resistant, and therefore will turn "yellow" rather quickly. The addition of Light Stabilizers to the varnish has helped minimize the effect.

Glazes
Glazes are transparent or semi-transparent stains which are applied after the sealer coat. Glazes are often used to even out a light and dark area after the staining and sealing process, and actually enhance and improve the beauty of the wood and the base finish color.

Colorants
Colored stains, paint and glazes will look different on different types of wood. Be sure you see the color on your choice of wood before you order.

Bleached wood
Some woods, such as pine, are sometimes chemically bleached to give a much lighter and uniform color. However, over time the chemicals used to bleach out the natural wood color begin to lose their effect, causing a change in color.

Exposure to Light
All wood is photosensitive, and any light source (including artificial light) will eventually change the color. Exposure to direct sunlight, as in the case of a bright sunny kitchen, will accelerate the natural mellowing process.

Exposing light colored woods to direct sunlight can cause unattractive yellow spots to develop

in only a few days. The spots are permanent and nothing can be done to remove them.

Choosing a more opaque stain over a clear or light stain, will help make the color change less noticeable, because less of the wood is visible.

Newer finishing methods can slow down the effect of light, but so far, no product has been developed to stop it completely.