Wood experts--Unstained natural birch vs natural maple as far as color
julieste
3 years ago
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PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agojulieste
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Choosing a wood floor to go with natural cherry cabinets
Comments (22)Fori, I think FritzCat would object to being replaced by an orange tabby so we will really have to stay with modern/contemporary rather than vintage. ;) Jerzeegirl, yes, a lighter colored wood will likely show wear and tear more than something darker (as long as one doesn't go all the way to black) and with more pattern. But the light floor seems to work best with the cherry. Actually - our last floor (beech) was almost as light as the maple and the scratches didn't get bad until some time between 10 and 15 years. Then we refinished and that didn't hold up as long as the original factory finish. My husband is even more anti-bevel than I am. I did pick up a sample of the Mirage with micro-bevels today so we can talk about it. I've noticed even on the sample boards that I can feel a slight level difference between the square edged boards. The salesman today claimed that the bevel was also an advantage because sand that got tracked in would tend to settle into the bevels until it was vacuumed up instead of sitting on the surface where it could grind against the finish. We aren't on slab. The tract MCM houses like Eichler and Streng were normally (always?) on slab, but our house has a raised foundation. The back patio and pool area is higher than the ground under the house so that there is no going from the living room or family room to the patio so when people see that, they sometimes think the house is on slab....See MoreDoes anyone do natural wood cabinets any more?
Comments (84)I strongly dislike painted wood. When comparing wood to painted wood - wood is always timeless - paint will always go in and out of style. We are building a new house and my brother in law just finished building his new house. He has grey kitchen cabinetry and an espresso island. He will be doing the white subway tiles as well. He has a ceiling full of canned lights that look like a space ship is about to land on you. Congrats - he has a standard modern American kitchen. I don't want a standard American modern kitchen that EVERYONE else has. I want old world. I want the warmth of old world. My brother in law's kitchen looks like a modern, industrial cold kitchen. In our kitchen, we will have simple colonial maple cabinets stained pecan (dark brown). They are beautiful and the grain makes the cabinets have depth and character (not like a flat paint). Our island will be a lighter stained maple to add brightness to the kitchen. There will only be 2 upper cabinets left open for glass or for a mesh (I haven't decided yet). There will be some open shelving. The lighting is all dimmable and and the lit areas are on separate circuits so I can affect the mood. I have pendants over the island and a pendant over the kitchen sink. There will be 2 sconces as well. None of the lighting can be sourced from a big box store - and they are beautiful. It's been frustrating trying to gather all of the materials needed for my kitchen because almost all of the stores carry only the standard American kitchen stuff - and many of the designers/salespeople want to push everyone into buying into the "modern American kitchen style" that everyone else has. I puke on the modern American kitchen!...See MoreMaple vs Birch Cabinets
Comments (17)This thread is ancient, but just to be clear on the discussion of birch vs. maple, it depends on what variety of maple we are talking. Hard maple varieties from northern climates can get up to 1500, some even close to 1600 on the Janka scale. That is significantly harder than birch which falls around the 1250 range. Both are a "hard wood" but if you want a straight up resistance to denting the maple will usually win, BUT softer maples won't be as good and will be closer to birch. To get good, hard, properly dried and aged premium maple from the right climate and right species, will be an up-charge over birch and is worth the $$....See MoreNeed to find natural wood flooring that is resilient
Comments (30)If you think hard maple is “too soft” to stand up to the reality of the abuse you dish out, but still only want wood, you’re setting yourself up for an expensive cycle of abuse and replacement. You either have to change the materials to something that can physically stand up to the abuse you dish out, or you have to change your entire culture of care for everyone in your house, including the dog. You can’t go on doing the same things that you are doing now, with the same materials, and somehow expect a different result....See MoreUser
3 years agoBirch ambers also. Just like maple. Look at all the 50’s slab door birch plywood cabinets. That’s what aged birch looks like. And aged maple. The two are very very similar. All wood changes color as it ages. You cannot stop that.
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
3 years ago User
3 years agojulieste
3 years agojulieste
3 years agoUser
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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