Custom maple kitchen cabinets

Few hardwoods inspire the same quiet confidence as maple. It never goes out of style. Its surface accepts every finish, from clear varnish to hand-applied lacquer, and its durability has made it a cabinetmaking classic for generations.

You can recognize a maple cabinet by what its surface hides. Maple wood has a closed-grain and tight, fine-textured pattern that is remarkably uniform. Light glides over it like a continuous wash. There are no open pores to catch the eye.

On maple, the finish becomes the character of the wood; on red oak, it is the grain.

On the Janka hardness scale, hard maple reaches 1450 lbf, surpassing red oak, white oak, and walnut. Walnut is softer. Compare it to ourwalnut kitchen cabinetsto measure the difference in grain and hue.

Hard maple, also known as sugar maple (Acer saccharum), is the gold standard for durable maple kitchen cabinets. Natural maple provides a creamy warmth, honey-stained maple appears brighter, and darker shades offer a richer character. Three stains pair particularly well with the wood:

1. Natural : a clear protective finish that lets the honey-cream undertones shine through, the most popular choice for natural maple
2. Winter Lake : a cool gray-blue stain that transforms maple into a contemporary canvas
3. Grand Marnier : a rich reddish-brown amber that amplifies the warm undertones of traditional and transitional kitchens

For a look without visible wood grain, painted maple and hand-applied lacquers provide access to the entire color spectrum.