Advantages:
- Durable
- Takes stains and varnishes well
- Wide variety of choices in oak family
Disadvantages:
- Not as smooth and fine as maple
- Usually recommended only for kitchens with traditional, rustic, casual or country feel
OVERVIEW on Oak Cabinets:
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home, and the right choice for kitchen cabinets is key to the successful execution and ongoing use of the space. Now more than ever, you can choose from a diverse range of kitchen cabinet materials and finishes. For each aspect of home design and remodeling you can also strive to make choices that are 1) Functional, 2) Stylish, 3) Cost-Effective, and 4) Environmentally Sustainable. These are the four key guiding principles in the GREENandSAVE strategy. You will find that in certain cases, one or two of the criteria take precedent over others. However, as you review the home improvement options that are right for your home, you may be surprised to learn that reaching all four is more achievable than you thought.
Selection Tip: In choosing a kitchen cabinet material and finish make sure to think through the countertop and backsplash that will work best for your design and installation. Solid surface and natural stone materials typically need to be precut prior to installation versus tiles that can be cut and set right on the job site. Kitchen countertop backsplashes sometimes look great when they match the countertop material, but you can alternatively enhance the countertop material by choosing a different tile to run from the top edge of the counter all of the way up to the underside of the head cabinets. If you decide on the tiles, also take care in choosing the right color grout and look for new tile grouts that are stain resistant. Think of the kitchen cabinets, countertops, and backsplashes as an integrated kitchen design system, so try to avoid buying one before you get perspective and price out the materials, finishes, and installation implications for all three.
DETAILS on Oak Cabinets:
Oak is one of the most popular choices for kitchen cabinets in the country, due in large part to its durability and the wide variety of options that come with an oak fixture. No two oak kitchens will ever look the same in a home.
Oak's durability shows through the fact that it can be used for flooring and will hold up for years. Your oak cabinets will provide an original look along with the assurance that they can withstand virtually any wear-and-tear.
When choosing an oak cabinet, there is a wide variety of options, due to the large amount of oak trees in North America. You can choose from different colors of oak, including:
- White
- Tan
- Yellow
- Red
- Burgundy
Many colors often come with streaks of different colors unique to certain trees, such as green, blue or black.
A great benefit to oak cabinetry, along with the wide variety of color choices, is the fact that it will take staining and varnishing very well. As your oak is stained, it will absorb the color and as a result, more definitions of the oak will show.
Though oak cabinetry is durable, attractive and original, it is usually only recommended for kitchens with a casual, rustic feel, due to its distinctive grain, which is unlike the smooth, adaptable look of maple. If you have a more elegant, deeper look in mind for your kitchen, oak is probably not your best option.
GREEN Considerations:
If you are considering oak to remodel your kitchen, do not fall into the habit of thinking everything has to be brand new. Are you updating your existing oak cabinetry? Good! Can any of it be reused? Even better!
Before purchasing everything that will go into your new kitchen, check to see if you can reuse existing parts from your current kitchen. Maybe your cabinet's shelves are fine, but the doors need to be replaced. By saving the shelves, you've saved a large amount of wood and money. With all of the oak options, finding doors that are a match to your shelves should not be too difficult.
For the new oak fixtures you are purchasing, make sure to use FSC-certified or reclaimed wood. A Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification guarantees that wood is grown and harvested in a sustainable manner. Many companies also use reclaimed wood, meaning they use salvaged wood to produce functional, beautiful items.
