Your choice of wood plays a big role in making your custom kitchen just what you want it to be.  At U P Custom Cabinetry, we offer a rich variety of the highest quality woods that possess extraordinary characteristic color and grain patterns. 

Just as no two trees are alike, no two pieces of wood are alike. Some species of wood have more variation in color and graining than others and, of course, each species has its own inherent characteristics that make it unique and special. 

If you don’t see the wood species here that inspires you, we will help you find that look your after.

Click on any wood species sample to enlarge the image.

Walnut

Rare and treasured, Walnut is a durable, strong, hardwood with a grain wavier near the roots and straighter at the trunk. Light to chocolate brown, it contains burls, butts and curls, that show off well in a variety of finishes. For reproductions and antique styles, Walnut is versatile and popular, since its luster grows over time – reflecting the incoming light and suffusing a kitchen with a warm glow.  Walnut varies considerably from light to dark.

Cherry

Boasting a rich, natural reddish-brown tone, Cherry evokes elegance. This solid hardwood is known for its fine, tight grain patterns. When machined and sanded, it’s shiny and smooth. It takes stain well, and darkens over time with exposure to light.  Cherry may have mineral streaks and pin burls, and will darken noticeably with age. Sapwood may appear in profiled areas.

Hickory

A heavyweight contender for your kitchen, Hickory is famous for its extreme strength, flexibility and shock resistance. Once used for wagon wheels, and even the Wright Brothers’ historic plane, it exhibits wide variations in colors, ranging from white to chocolate, and provides an alternative to oak for those who prefer an open-grained wood, but have tired of the traditional oak look.

Maple

Normally whitish or creamy in color, Maple looks clean and radiant in a light stain. Maple is a strong and durable hardwood and tends to be evenly and closely grained. It’s perfect for a contemporary feel.

Birdseye Maple

Bird's eye figure is a phenomenon that occurs within several kinds of wood, most notably in maple (bird's eye maple). It has a distinctive pattern that resembles tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of grain. It is somewhat reminiscent of a burl, but it is different in that it is not composed of small knots.

The swirling grain and "birds eye" features found in bird's eye maple can be attributed to hormonal responses within the maple. In an effort to capture more light during the elongation/ bud breaking period, the maple will desperately produce new shoots. Low soil pH and a sugar deficit within the maple cause the tree to abort the new growth. The aborted new growth leaves tiny knots ("bird's eyes") in the tree which become covered up by the next year's growth ring.
here in the Upper Peninsula we are very fortunate to live in one of the best places to find this figured wood.

Curly Maple

curly maple also known as fiddle back or tiger stripe, is a feature of maple in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating pattern, producing wavy lines known as curl. This effect is often mistakenly said to be part of the grain of the wood; it is more accurately called "figure", as the distortion is perpendicular to the grain direction. Prized for its beautiful appearance, it is used frequently in the manufacturing of musical instruments, such as violins, and fine furniture. Another well-known use of the material is its use in guitars.

Red Oak

Extremely strong, ever popular and always reliable, Red Oak’s handsome, open-grained wood has varying patterns as well as colors – ranging from warm, soft browns and pinks to near-white. The variety of grains allows for a pleasant color gradation when a stain is applied

Beech

Hard and strong, Beech is a reddish-brown wood with straight, consistent graining and virtually no visible flaws, making for a clean, sleek surface. Beech takes any finish well.

Ash

Another local favorite is Ash, we use both White Ash and Black Ash
The sapwood is light-colored to nearly white and the heartwood varies from grayish or light brown, to pale yellow streaked with brown. The wood is generally straight-grained with a coarse uniform texture. The degree and availability of light-colored sapwood, and other properties, will vary according to the growing regions.
Ash has very good overall strength properties relative to its weight. It has excellent shock resistance and is good for steam bending.

© 2009 U.P. Custom Cabinetry