The Best Cabinets: Maple Vs. Cherry
Kitchen cabinets are a beautiful and functional part of kitchens. They represent a major investment in anyone's budget. Careful consideration and selection is wise. While there are several choices of woods for cabinetry today, two of the most popular choices are maple and cherry. Does this Spark an idea?
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Maple Cabinets
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Maple is a beautiful hardwood. Kelly Richardson, an avid do-it yourselfer, calls it "the wood of the American settlers." Maple is strong and durable; it resists abrasions and general wear. Maple cabinets serve a busy highly trafficked kitchen well. Richardson describes maple cabinets as having solid construction and multiple applications. Maple is both practical and pretty. It can be casual or traditional, depending upon the cabinet style and stain. Maple has a broad range of color choices, from creamy white with a brownish tinge to dark reddish brown.
Cherry Cabinets
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Cherry, another beautiful hardwood, is used for making instruments as well as fine furniture. Cherry, a red to reddish brown, has rich undertones. It gives a refined warmth to a room. Although elegant and traditional in appearance, cherry easily accepts nails, glue and sanding and staining well. It marries the practical and the beautiful successfully. Rooms with cherry cabinets may look more refined, though not necessarily so; choice of cabinet style and stain can change cherry's effect.
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A Cost Comparison
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Although cherry may be in more demand than maple and cost a bit more as a raw material, the cost differences between the two woods are negligible. The true cost of the cabinet is in the labor. A similar style well-made cherry or maple cabinet will cost about the same, as it is the labor that determines most of the cost. Choose what you like, maple or cherry, as it is the craftsmanship of the cabinetry that will cost you.
The Choice
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The choice is yours. Both hardwoods are durable cabinet choices as well as attractive. Whether you choose maple or cherry will be determined by the look you want to achieve in your kitchen and the lifestyle your family will bring to it.
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References
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