While Working on Heating Systems...

Jon_10

You might try Hickory or white Ash, both reasonablely priced in rough lumber. When getting it planed, insure the boards are uniform thickness, if not refuse it. Save you alot of grief down the road. I use a digital caliper to measure both sides and they best be the same within a couple of thousands. Glue-up for the raised panels, pieces should not exceed 3", will help stop future checking. Wood should be kiln dried, or it air dried, less then 10% moisture content. I'm a serious woodworker on the side.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

...have any of you been struck by any particular kitchen cabinet finish? If so, could you share what you saw?

Am finally ready to order wood for my kitchen. Large (600 sq.ft.) for kitchen proper, breakfast area, laundry and rear stairs. LOTS of cabinetry--save the laundry, most will go up to the 9' level. Any wall not covered in cabinets will have floor-to-ceiling ceramic tile. Large center island with cast iron panel rad built in to one side.

Paint, distressed ("antiqued") paint finishes, natural finishes, stained finishes and combinations are all possibilities. Only things I don't want are oak, knotty pine, cherry or too much of a dark wood like walnut. Time involved to achieve the finish is unimportant, but cost of the wood does matter. Decent cherry for example is $5.50 or so per board foot--I have enough of it to buy for the library and won't spend that much for the kitchen.

High-quality poplar is currently available at a very good price, but it's unsuitable for clear finishes. If wood cost is kept fairly low can splurge on thicker wood for "proud" raised panels, deeply fluted pilasters and additional pull-outs in the base cabinets.

Any comments/suggestions from anyone both appreciated and welcomed.

Mike T., Swampeast MO

Thanks Jon. Do like ash (photo shows linen cabinet at head of main stairs), but would prefer something with less pronounced grain. Used a gel stain (colonial maple) in cabinet in photo to even the appearance somewhat. Haven't worked with hickory but believe the grain is very similar. Do my own planing.

Am hoping for a quite light finish with little or no stain in the kitchen. Do you know of any finish for ash (besides "pickling") that will disguise the grain without much darkening?

Supplier has a good stock of butternut (aka "white walnut"). Supposedly a delight to work but only available in 4Q thickness.

Have you ever tried a finish similar to this:

Two good coats of underbody enamel well tinted with red oxide (rust). Coat of natural off-white milk paint. Distress by sanding near wear points and some artful chain banging?

(Can't seem to add a photo right now, will try later.)

Here's a Link to Photo Gallery

tim smith

Bob W._3

cabinets

sounds like maple might be the ticket

c.t.kay

kitchen woodwork

look at walzcraft,many types of woods ,finishes, etc.www.walzcraft.com

RoosterBoy

i like the maple idea *~/:)

it is fairly tough stuff though... you say your not looking to use walnut and you dont like oak and well ,i made mine out of maple with walnut panel doors and used sort of an really light stain of walnut and oak stain and linseed oil,wiped it with alcohol, wiping them down and verathaned them .looks ok to me. a buddy of mine went with all cherry wood some special stain he concocted goes great with his cherry floor in the living room...that reminds me thanks. In Bermuda the favorite cabinetry is made from African ceader,next is ceader from America. they are as diffrent as night and day.

Joe@buderus_2

Red Birch

We used red birch wood for our cabinets. This wood has very little grain, slight look of cherry, easy to finish and work with and reasonable cost. Wife liked oak, I liked cherry - red birch was a good alternative. Nine years later a later still looks good and holding up to the two kids.

thfurnitureguy_4

Finally a subject I can chime in on. You can do about anything you want with wood if you keep in mind that most stains are mud in oil. Pick the color of mud. These are wiping stains for adding color to soft woods and deep grain. oak, ash, walnut, pecan, butternut, chestnut, mahogany, all have open deep grain and will stain with alot of contrast. Maple, birch, poplar, soft maple, are much tighter grained and require a NGR stain or dye stain. Dye stains require perfect prep and spray equipment to apply succesfully. dye stains work best as a pre stain (back color) under a wiping stain. Most kitchen finishes are either a catylized lacquer or a conversion varnish. Both require spray equipment to apply successfully. Their advantage in a kitchen is a good resistance to greese and water. lacquers are easyer to apply and have less build (not so thick) These finishes are simular to car finishes in there makeup and produce diisocyinates when cureing. (they burn your eyes, hurt your lungs and make you stupid) you should have a spray booth and at least a respirator. Using a poly or oil like toung oil ect are not advised in a kitchen they do not handle the greese and become stickey over time. They also remain wet and tacky for enough time for every bug and flake of dirt to become an intrical part of your finish so be ready with the steel wool if you go that route. With lacquers you can do some really cool effects with glazing to add contrast to the carvings and deep grain. white over wood is pickleing. It will also mute and mask some grain. You can also add a dye stain to your topcote to tone a bland looking wood. Walnut bleached with wood star bleach will give a blond walnut look that you can dye orange or yellow and then stain with a mid tone wiping stain and glaze with purple ( bring out your Jimmy Hendrix records) My point is there is no end to what you can do. Just find a look you like and snap a picture I can tell you what they did to get it. It takes 5 years to learn how to spray and a lifetime to get good at color. don't be discouraged if it takes a time or 2 to make it right. It's fun to play with!