Choosing the Right Wood Type and Stain for Your Kitchen Cabinets

Shopping for cabinets can be a complicated and frustrating process. Even if you try to compare what appear to be the same cabinets, there can be a wide variation in price. While some companies will try to get more money for their RTA Kitchen Cabinets by changing the name of them, they really come down to 7-8 different finishes using 3-4 different types of wood. The most popular finishes are going to be Oak, Ginger Maple, Honey Maple, Chestnut Glazed, and Marquis Cinnamon. Whether you are looking for lighter kitchen cabinets to brighten up your kitchen, or darker cabinets for that rich, traditional look, there are enough varieties available on-line to meet your needs. In this article we will cover all 5 of the most popular finishes to help you decide which one is right for you.

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Traditional Oak Kitchen Cabinets are probably the most widely used cabinets on the market today. The traditional oak has a basic clear glaze which helps brighten up a small or dark kitchen. This tends to be a favorite with contractors and rental property owners because they are readily available, both on-line and in the stores. For very little money a bathroom or kitchen cabinet be remodeled using traditional oak cabinets. Traditional Oak also are popular because of the rich grain detail provided by oak wood.

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The next 3 cabinet styles are all variations created using Maple wood for the doors and face frames. The Heritage Honey Maple finish is a nice light finish, that much like the traditional oak, can be used to brighten a small or dark kitchen. The Heritage Honey has a milky finish that helps mask some of the wood grain. With a moderate price range, this Maple finish is becoming more and more popular. The Heritage Honey Maple creates a great look when combined with a dark marble or solid surface countertop.

The Ginger Maple cabinets are a great alternative those that like the look of the maple wood, but don't want a light or dark stain. The reddish tint of the Ginger Maple finish allows some of the grain to shine thru, but don't let it become the primary focus of the cabinets. Accented with brush nickel or stainless steel hardware and appliances, the Ginger Maple cabinets create an eye-popping look at an affordable price.

The most popular cabinet style, by far, is the Chestnut Glazed Maple cabinet line. This offers the wood grain of Maple, with a darker brown stain that goes well with just about any color of marble, solid stone, or laminate countertop. The darker Chestnut stain is often found in older homes, and creates an old-world look for new kitchens. The Chestnut Glazed Maple also looks great with brushed finish hardware. With the look of an expensive, high end cabinet, and a price that can be half or a third the price of custom ordered cabinets, it is easy to see why the Chestnut Glazed Maple is such a popular line.

The Marquis Cinnamon cabinets are a close second to the Chestnut Maple in popularity. The Marquis Cinnamon is another reddish finish that is applied to Cherry wood. The cherry wood tends to have less grain and allows the color of the stain to stand out. The Marquis Cinnamon also offers the unique feature of rope detailing around all of the doors and drawer fronts (along with the crown molding). The contrast of the reddish stain, with the darker antiquing applied around the rope detailing, creates a stunning look for any kitchen. The Marquis Cinnamon is one of the few cabinet lines that you will find the face frame and doors being made of cherry wood. In my opinion, the Marquis Cinnamon offers the most visually appealing look of all the RTA cabinets. Even though this is the most expensive cabinets of the RTA cabinets, you can still save 25-40% versus the cabinets being sold in Home Depot and Lowes (the key is to shop around to the various stores on-line).

So whether you are looking for a lighter cabinet to brighten your kitchen, or a darker finish to create that old world look, there are plenty of RTA cabinet lines on the market to meet your needs.

Choosing the Right Wood Type and Stain for Your Kitchen Cabinets

I have been able to save thousands of dollars on discount kitchen cabinets by buying RTA cabinets. If you are interested in finding out my secrets, go to my Kitchen Cabinets article at Hubpages

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