Maple: Generally a straight grain, expect occasional wavy flows and bird’s eye patterning. Maple’s soft grain pattern allows it to easily adapt to both traditional and contemporary designs, making it easy to see why maple has outshined oak as the most popular wood. A very durable wood, maple finishes well, making it an excellent choice for stains and glazes.
 

Cherry: A very refined straight and close grain gives cherry its smooth and elegant look. This smoothness makes it well suited for mixing with other woods. Its sophistication is belied by its rough and tough characteristics; cherry is extremely durable and finishes well.
 

Oak: Oak’s coarser natural texture results in a relatively defined straight grain that’s more causal than elegant. Oak’s porous nature makes it extremely absorbent: The darker the stain, the more apparent the grain pattern; light stains reduce its visibility. Among the most common cabinetry woods, oak’s durability and finishing characteristics make it a sound choice.
 

Pine: Pine’s straight grain is relatively long and continuous, giving your cabinets a more rugged look. Southern yellow pine is much more durable than white pine; be sure to ask what you’re getting.
 

Alder: Once dismissed because of its weed-like growing habits, the Pacific Northwest’s most abundant hardwood is one of the most in-demand options. Consistent in color, alder tends to range from a pale pinkish-brown to almost white. Because it has a close grain and readily accepts stain, red alder can imitate cherry, mahogany, and even walnut.  
 

Birch: Though white paper birch may be the most familiar, the prevalent yellow birch species is the most valued commercial lumber birch. Commonly found in stock cabinetry, this cream-colored wood may stain unevenly.  
 

Hickory: A relative of the walnut family, hickory is one of the strongest and heaviest used American woods. With colors ranging from white to a ruddy brown, this relatively straight and fine grain accepts medium to dark finishes and bleaches well.
 

Mahogany: Valued for a look that’s as rich as its name, this durable hardwood’s straight grain often incorporates esteemed and unique figures such as mottle, curly and roe. Reddish in color, mahogany stains well to reveal either light or deep hues.
 

Walnut: Dark brown to purplish black, this open grained wood’s luster grows over time to increasingly reflect light. 
 

Ebony: A dark wood with both black and brown grains, this rare species is best suited for decorative inlays and turnings.