Find kitchen remodeling contractors in your area
Find our top-rated kitchen contractors and kitchen remodelers focused on quality kitchen renovation. Check out the top rated experts.A well-designed kitchen is a combination of beauty and quality. Kitchen cabinets should be made of quality materials to exhibit a classical look and last a decade. Since the kitchen is frequently used, it is prone to stains, scratches, and damage. Therefore, as a homeowner, you should strive to pick the right cabinetry material that can withstand wear and tear.
Birchwood is the ideal kitchen cabinetry material, a go-to for most designers. Birch cabinets are also popular among homeowners because they are available and affordable. Many characteristics make birch cabinets a prominent feature in most kitchens.
Here are the key points to consider when deciding if birch wood is a good choice for your kitchen cabinets:
- Birchwood is a great material for cabinets and comes in a range of natural hues, from nearly white to a light golden brown. It also holds screws and nails well, making it sturdy.
- Birch is ideal for a rustic, distressed, or shabby chic finish but not for a glossy finish.
- Solid wood like Birch is durable and gives a sophisticated look to the kitchen.
- The cost of new birch cabinets varies, but expect to spend between $5,000 and $20,000.
- Two-tone kitchen cabinets (wood and white) can create a timeless look.
- Birch is a popular choice for rustic kitchen cabinets.
- Birch is cheaper and easier to get than other woods like Cherry and Maple.
- Birch and Maple work well together for any use.
I will take you through the characteristics, pros, and cons of Birchwood cabinetry. You’ll also learn the best finishes on your birch cabinets for a better look.
Birch Cabinets Pros
Birch cabinets are a popular choice for many people for good reason. Birchwood can be used to create several kinds of cabinet designs, whether flat-panel or shaker birch cabinets. Knowing the advantages of Birch cabinets can help you make an informed decision.
Easy to work with: Birch is a popular material for cabinets and furniture because it is appropriate for handiwork and easy to work on using machine tools.
Strong and durable: Birch is a strong and durable material; so your kitchen cabinets are guaranteed to last longer if properly maintained.
Budget Friendly: Among the other varieties of wood used for furniture, like Cherry, Oak, and Maple, Birch is the least costly. It is the most cost-effective option if you want to update your kitchen’s appearance.
Versatile: Birchwood can be used to make Birch plywood, a common go-to building material for most homeowners. From traditional birch shaker cabinets to modern birch cabinets, Birchwood will never disappoint whatever your style.
Can be naturally finished: Birchwood reacts to different finishes and stains naturally, so it can be easily finished depending on your style. Yellow Birch has a light color and an attractive pattern, making cabinets appear naturally finished. Finished wood cabinets attain added durability and beauty.
Birch Cabinets Cons
The downsides of Birch cabinets include:
- Prone to wear: Birch cabinets can easily rot and disintegrate if exposed to water, making them a perishable option. Insects can also damage the wood.
- Easy to crack: Birchwood is hygroscopic; therefore, it can warp and break if exposed to a dry atmosphere. Avoid exposing your kitchen cabinets to high humidity levels to prevent them from cracking and breaking.
- Rough texture: Birchwood is not the best choice if your goal is shiny cabinets. It has an irregular texture and is coarse to the touch.
- Not good for darker stains: Due to its porous nature, applying deeper stains on your Birch cabinets will produce blotchy and uneven effects.
Birch Wood Characteristics
Birchwood is a natural hardwood. There are several birch tree species, but the most common are the white, yellow, and black Birch. Yellow Birch or golden Birch is the most common material for making cabinets.
The wood is fine-grained and pale in color. The light wood has cream to yellow undertones that go well with medium brown and white to pinkish-brown finishes.
It is harder than other hardwoods like Red Oak and Honduran Mahogany, so it is a durable furniture material. Birchwood is difficult to carve, chip, or generally work with using hand tools.
Birch Cabinets: Finishing Options
You can apply stains or finishes on your Birch cabinets to enhance their natural color and protect the wood. While stains enhance the natural colors of wood, finishes seal and keep the wood dry and free from moisture. For the stains, you can choose from water-based or oil-based birch stain and pre-stain wood conditioner.
The different types of finishes for Birch cabinets include:
- Oil-based finishes are ideal if you want white or lighter birch cabinets. This finish gives an amber hue to the wood, making it as light as possible.
- Water-based conditioner: A single coat of water-based conditioner can stimulate the texture of the birchwood to give your cabinets a colored finish.
- Water-based conditioner and a water-based stain: Blending these two can revive your rustic birch cabinets, giving them a brighter and shinier look.
- Paint: A painted birch cabinet surface protects the wood from harmful UV rays, prevents moisture from penetrating, and protects the wood’s natural compounds like polymers from wearing away. Painting your cabinets is a beautifying as well as a protective move.
What is the Most Popular Kitchen Cabinet Finish?
Paint remains the most popular cabinet finish since it is easy to apply and a versatile option. Paint comes in dozens of colors that can blend into any style, white being the most popular. Some other finishes include stain, glaze, melamine, and laminate.
Is Birch Wood a Good Wood for Flooring?
Birchwood is one of the most popular flooring options due to its availability and durability. There are several sub-species of birch trees, yellow Birch being the most commonly used for hardwood flooring. Apart from yellow Birch, you can also choose between white Birch, flamed or curly Birch, and paper birch sub-species. Each has a different appearance from the other.
Is Birch Wood a Good Wood for Cabinets?
Birchwood is a great material for cabinets and comes in a range of natural hues from nearly white to a light golden brown. The wood also holds screws and nails well, so your cabinets will remain sturdy for a lengthy period. Renovating birch cabinets is easy as the wood stains, sands, glues, and cuts easily.
Birch is ideal if you’re looking for a distressed, shabby chic, or rustic finish on your cabinets due to its rough texture. If you prefer cabinets with a glossy, mirror-like surface, Birch is not for you.
What are the Disadvantages of Birch Wood?
There are a few disadvantages to birchwood which include:
- It rots and decays when exposed to the weather.
- It is prone to bug infestation.
- It isn’t easy to work on Birch using hand tools.
Two-Tone Kitchen Cabinets: Wood and White
Two-tone cabinets are a timeless look. During a kitchen remodel, you can explore the design by painting some of the top cabinets white to create a contrasting impact against the rest of the hardwood cabinets. The design creates visual interest while adding glam to your kitchen.
Why Choose Solid Wood Cabinets for Your Luxury Kitchen?
Solid wood, like Oak, Birch, Mahogany, and Cherry, is a strong and durable cabinetry material that gives the kitchen a sophisticated look. It also gives the room warmth and a sense of comfort, a characteristic lacking in most modern synthetic kitchens. Solid wood cabinets tend to have a high-quality appearance against kitchen appliances and fixtures.
How Much Do Birch Cabinets Cost?
It’s hard to estimate the cost of new birch cabinets since the price varies depending on your kitchen’s size, the type of cabinetry, the manufacturer, and the quality of the wood used. However, expect to spend between $5,000 and $20,000, with custom cabinets falling on the high end.
Birch cabinets are considerably less expensive than Cherry, Oak, or Maple.
Natural Wood Kitchen Cabinets
Cabinets in their natural state remain a great choice if you prefer a rustic touch in your kitchen. Natural wood is a durable, strong, and high-quality material. The most popular woods for kitchen cabinets include Maple, Birch, Oak, Cherry, Hickory, and Pine.
Birch, Pine, Oak, and Hickory are cheaper and easier to get, while Cherry and Maple cost more and look luxurious. No matter the material, wood cabinets last longer while giving the kitchen a timeless look. It’d be best to invest in solid wood cabinets instead of their cheaper counterparts like plywood, veneer, or medium-density fiberboard (MDF).
Other Natural Wood Species
Natural wood falls under two categories: hard or soft wood. Hardwoods are the most commonly used on furniture and cabinetry, Oak being the most popular due to its distinct grain finish. Other species include Cherry, Mahogany, Walnut, Hickory, Maple, and Alder.
Cherry Cabinets
Although Cherry is often more costly than other hardwoods like Oak, Maple, or Birch, it is worth the investment. Cherry wood is widely used for its smooth texture, weight, and durability, and you can choose between black cherry and sweet cherry. Cherry wood also has strong workability and is highly resistant to rotting and decay, making it the perfect cabinet material.
Maple Cabinets
Maple is a good fit for kitchen cabinets because it is tough, versatile, and affordable. Maple has a pretty, smooth, even grain ideal for stains and paints, depending on your preferred style. After Birch, Maple is the second-most affordable cabinet material since it is cheaper than Oak and Cherry.
Maple and Birch Cabinets Combined
You don’t have to choose maple vs birch cabinets. Maple and birch work nicely together for any use, including cabinetry. They both have subtle grain patterns and large swirls of darker wood. When the two tree species are used together, it is hard to tell them apart. They both finish naturally, requiring no stain, making them the perfect pair on furniture.
For a bright kitchen, try maple and birch cabinets, and you won’t regret the choice.
FAQs
Does Birch Wood Darken Over Time?
Birch, together with Walnut, White Oak, Red Oak, and Red Alder, are some woods that lighten over time. The ashy light brown color of birchwood tends to develop a yellowish color. On the other hand, Cherry, Fir, and Maple get a dark stain over time.
Is Birch Plywood Good for Kitchen Cabinets?
Birch plywood is great for making cabinets due to its high durability. It’s also hard to scratch or ruin the wood. However, Birch absorbs liquids easily, making it prone to staining.
What is the Best Type of Wood for Kitchen Cabinets?
Oak is by far the most popular wood for cabinets. White Oak gives a less red look, while red Oak gives a dark brown color. The wood is highly durable and ideal for use in a hot and humid environment like a kitchen.
What is the Most Durable Type of Kitchen Cabinet?
Hickory is the most durable of the solid wood materials used on kitchen cabinets. It is not prone to moisture damage, cracks, or nicks.
Is Birch Water Resistant?
Birchwood is not water resistant and doesn’t have waterproofing ability. The wood tends to absorb moisture from the air; therefore it can easily rot if not well maintained.
Are Birch Wood Kitchen Cabinets Worth It?
Absolutely. Birch has many advantages that surpass its downsides. The fact that it is durable, easy to work with using machinery, and a versatile material gives you all the reasons to give it a shot. In addition, Birch cabinets have a natural finish if you like a rustic look with a rough feel.
However, take your time to weigh the different hardwoods for your kitchen cabinets until you settle for the one that tickles your fancy.
This helped me to understand the pros and cons of using birch for my kitchen. I appreciate the detailed information about the cost and the natural look of the wood. One thing I would have liked to see more of is information about how to care for birch cabinets over time
Thank you! We’re glad that you found the information helpful. As for caring for birch cabinets, one idea to consider is regularly treating the wood with a sealant to protect it from damage and wear. This will help to preserve the natural beauty of the wood and ensure that your cabinets last for many years to come. Additionally, you can use specialized cleaning products that are formulated for use on wood surfaces to keep your cabinets looking great.