Hard Maple Vs Soft Maple For Kitchen Cabinets
Hard maple is difficult for stain to penetrate.
Hard maple vs soft maple for kitchen cabinets. Oak because it can chip or splinter is less desirable for molding trim or carvings but many still use oak this way. I do like the color and figure that i can get locally in soft maple and have used it for legs on benches but where strength is necessary i stick with hard maple. Soft maple is typically reserved for carvings knobs handles veneers and solid guitar bodies. It is also good for moldings and trim and can be used in cabinetry.
Soft maples on the other hand are comprised of a few varietires of maple species such as big leaf maple acer macrophyllum and red maple acer rebrum. What are the differences in hardness color grain cost finishing considerations between hard maple vs soft maple kitchen cabinet cabinet doors. Main uses furniture paneling and millwork kitchen cabinets moulding doors musical instruments and turnings. There s lots in the knowledge base about blotchy maple.
Soft maple dowels bow more almost 1 2 inch versus less than 1 4 inch on hard maple of the same 26 lengths and sometimes break. Soft maple is slightly less dense and not as strong. The investment you ll make in your new maple wood cabinets will vary depending on the size of your kitchen. A standard 10 by 12 foot kitchen equipped with top and bottom maple rta cabinets can run from 2 500 to 6 000.
All of the soft maple varieties are softer than oak. Soft maple will actually absorb stain thus making it easier to get deep colors. Soft maple is about 25 percent less hard than hard maple has medium bending and crushing strength and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. Many common products like furniture cabinets and musical instruments are made using both hard and soft maple.
Best offers for your garden https amzn to 2innd0w how to tell the difference between hard maple soft maple trees. It has good steam bending properties. If blotching is a concern try a light seal coat to even it out. Soft maple can be used as a substitute for hard maple to save money in situations where low to moderate density is called for such as profiled moldings trim plaques and carved items hard maple is roughly twice as hard as soft maple and is often reserved for structural items like workbenches and.
Buying ready to assemble rta kitchen cabinets online can significantly reduce costs and time. Now it may look like hard maple is heads and tails above the rest and to a certain extent it is but for reference black cherry has a janka hardness of 950 lb f the same as red maple and black walnut is rated at 1 010 lb f also note that black maple not pictured isn t quite as hard as its close relative hard maple and ranks in the mid range with a hardness of 1 180 lb f. Even the most beautif. For hardwood flooring.