PREMIUM HARDWOODS

Oak is an extremely hard and heavy wood with a very strong, open-grain pattern and coarse texture.  Red Oak and White Oak, the two main American species, are very similar.  Red Oak has a slightly courser grain with large, rounded, open pores.  White Oak has angular pores and is especially suitable where water resistance is required. 

Full of character, Maple is a dense hardwood with an attractive luster and excellent strength.  Usually straight-grained but sometimes found highly figured with curly fiddleback, blistered, quilted grain.  The sapwood is creamy white with a slight reddish brown hue and the heartwood varies from light to dark reddish brown. 

There are knotty and clear distinctions for this particular species. Knotty alder will have knots that vary in size and shape.  Clear alder is a fine, brown-hued wood that will not posses the knots or variations found in the knotty variety.  Natural color ranges from pale red to reddish brown and this rustic wood takes stain exceptionally well. 

Poplar is a very stable wood used extensively for cabinetry and woodwork which is to be painted. The wood has a medium to fine texture and is straight-grained.  The sapwood is creamy white with the heartwood varying from pale yellowish brown to olive green, often with dark mineral streaks. 

Birch is a straight-grained medium hardwood that features a fine, even texture with a heavy grain pattern.  In its natural unfinished state, its colors vary from a creamy off-white to a light-hued brown.  When the finish is applied to Birch cabinets, they look very similar to maple cabinets, but at a less expensive price. 

Beech is a heavy, pale-colored, medium-to-hard wood. It is very hard and tough. It has good strength properties, high abrasion resistance, a fine, tight grain, and is similar to maple or birch woods. It has a high shock resistance and takes stains well.