Advantages:
- Durable
- High quality product
- Regarded as the premiere wood for fine cabinetry
- Abnormalities in the wood translate to attractive, original designs
Disadvantages:
- Cost
- Name is misleading
OVERVIEW of Mahogany 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 Mahogany Cabinets:
Not only is mahogany one of the most attractive choices for a wood design, it is also extremely durable. Having products that are both beautiful and able to withstand everyday wear and tear is the first step to a long-lasting design, and mahogany is a perfect example.
Mahogany is in extremely high-demand, with the highest demand being for mahogany from Cuba and West India. Incidentally, these mahoganies are both very rare, so prepare to pay the resulting price. Prices for mahogany can be as much as $28 per board foot, as opposed to cherry wood, which usually runs about $3 per board foot (and oak and pine wood are even cheaper than cherry). A "board foot" measurement includes a volume as well as an area measurement, as opposed to a "square foot" measurement, which only measures area.
Mahogany has been regarded as the premiere wood for high quality cabinetry, for good reason. Even mahogany's "flaws" translate to original designs. Any abnormalities in the grain of mahogany produce very attractive designs, ensuring that your mahogany pieces will bring their own original beauty to a room.
There are multiple color choices in mahogany, including yellow, red and salmon. Like cherry wood, as mahogany ages, its color darkens, turning your original color into deep, rich, reds and browns.
A final thought to remember when choosing mahogany is that the name is very misleading. Many woods have mahogany in their name, but are not part of the mahogany family. Do not be misled by the names "lauan" and "meranti," as they are inexpensive products that do not have the rich qualities of the mahogany you are looking for.
GREEN Considerations:
If you are considering mahogany to completely remodel your kitchen, do not fall into the habit of thinking everything has to be brand new. Are you simply updating your existing mahogany cabinetry? Good! Can any of it be reused? Even better!
If there are variances in color due to the existing mahogany being slightly aged, see if a darker finish on the new product will make the colors match. Along with saving wood and money, this gives you the opportunity to use a finish that is environmentally-friendly. A finish that releases few volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or no VOCs at all is your best bet. This will ensure that you maintain healthy indoor air quality.
If you decide to supply your kitchen with all-new mahogany, 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 beautiful products.
Columbia Forest Products is the largest manufacturer of hardwood plywood in North America. They have transformed their business to supply only formaldehyde-free products, an extremely beneficial factor for the environment, as well as your home.
Checking to be sure that the products you are placing in your home are manufactured and sold in eco-friendly ways is half the battle of keeping your home environmentally-friendly.
