Guides to custom cabinet woods, construction, finishes and costs from Timber Design + Build.
The right answer is both. Solid wood and MDF each belong in a well-built cabinet, just in different places — and the shops that build cabinets worth owning have been combining the two for decades. This article is part of our custom cabinets guide. Where a material sits inside the cabinet determines which one is… Read the Full Guide: Solid Wood vs. MDF Cabinets: Which One Belongs Where? →
By Jeff Wiegmann, Licensed General Contractor & Co-Founder, Timber Design + Build This article is part of our custom cabinets guide. Painted cabinets and stained cabinets both hold up in a working kitchen. The finish you choose should follow the wood species and how the space is used — not the trend cycle. In our… Read the Full Guide: Painted vs. Stained Cabinets →
By Jeff Wiegmann, Licensed General Contractor & Co-Founder, Timber Design + Build This article is part of our custom cabinets guide. For cabinetry built for your home, see custom cabinetry and millwork in the Hudson Valley. White oak holds grain, maple holds paint, and cherry holds patina. Which one belongs in your kitchen comes down… Read the Full Guide: White Oak vs. Maple vs. Cherry Cabinets →
For most kitchens, hard maple is the best all-around wood for custom cabinets: it takes paint cleanly, holds fine profile detail, and machines without tearout. The finish you are planning changes that answer. If you want a stained cabinet that shows grain, white oak or cherry will outperform maple every time. This article is part… Read the Full Guide: Best Wood for Kitchen Cabinets →
By Jeff Wiegmann, Licensed General Contractor & Co-Founder, Timber Design + Build Custom cabinets are built to your exact space, from the dimensions of every box to the wood species, door profile, and finish system you choose. What determines whether they last 40 years or fall apart in 10 is not the door style —… Read the Full Guide: Custom Cabinets: A Complete Guide →