Cherry would be an intermediate in cost between maple and walnut. It takes a darker stain beautifully. But, no wood should be stained more than a shade or two darker than it really is. If you want truly dark wood, paint it. You can’t see the grain anyway.

Walnut is a dense and durable wood and very appropriate for cabinetry and furniture. I have had Walnut kitchen cabinets in my last two homes.

I do not like dark-stained Maple because of the splotchiness and unevenness. I agree with Sophie that Cherry stains better and comes with a better price point, but the red undertones in it can be difficult to contain if you are looking for a Walnut color.

Using a gel stain from General Finishes like Here page down and click on Colors. Can give you the dark color without blotches. Sophie doesn't have any significant personal experience in finishing furniture. Watch the videos for more info. It can be accomplished with the correct products. But Walnut would look better even if the maple wasn't blotchy. You'd be able to bring out more different tones for a broader range of colors.

She’s not staining the cabinets herself. She ordered a sample door from the manufacturer. If they do not already use gel stains, they likely will not start just with her suggestion, unfortunately.

Yes it is unfortunate and maybe Amish makers or another manufacturer would be a better option. That's what samples are for.

The house I grew up in had walnut cabs in both the kitchen and family room. My parents had them for 48 years. My dad was like a bull in a china shop so there were a LOT of dents and scratches in that house. However, I can tell you that there were never any dents in those cabinets, and my father was the primary cook!

Nicole

We’ve had our stained walnut installed for a little under 2 yrs now. 3 kids (6-11), we cook a lot and are not particularly easy on anything. They’ve held up beautifully so far.

Be prepared for a decent-sized price differential if you go with the walnut...

Real walnut is going to be much more beautiful than the rather odd looking stain you posted on the other thread. Given that walnut is used for flooring why would it not be fine for normal use in kitchens. We had a lot of walnut furniture growing up and it looked fine - I used some to furniture during college and first apartment and it lasted quite well.

Gel stain is a thin paint or a thick semi opaque stain. Take your pick of the viewpoint. It obscures the grain. In a dark color, it might as well be paint. It’s a hack around using an unsuitable wood for the intended purpose and look.

Much like using toners to mask the quality of wood underneath and even out the use of different woods, or lower grade woods. That’s what the cheap cabinet companies do. They up charge you for using a premium wood like cherry, then source the cheapest possible wood they can and use toners to mask it. Kinda like the old Bombay Co. rubberwood “cherry” tables sold by the zillions.

A better woodworker would start with the suitable material for the job rather than trying to hack an unsuitable one to fit the job.