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Birch vs. Maple Cabinets: What's Best For Your Kitchen?

By: Andrew Saladino | 8 min

Birch and maple cabinets comparison

Whether you have a luxury kitchen or a small corner unit, there are many details to consider when trying to design your perfect kitchen aesthetic. Your cabinets take up a significant amount of space in your kitchen, making them one of the most important details to consider during a remodel.

After you've decided on paint color, design, countertops, and other specifics, you might find yourself wondering if you're making the right decision when it comes to your cabinet material. Since birch and maple cabinets are some of the most popular options, we created a guide covering everything from price and style to maintenance and durability so you can have all the information you need to make the best decision.

Side-By-Side Comparison Of Birch Vs. Maple Cabinets

Birch

  • Material: Hardwood that grows in forests in Canada and throughout the Northeastern United States.
  • Durability: Durable hardwood with a high tensile strength rating.
  • Appearance: Birch cabinets are typically light brown or golden, honey-colored.
  • Price: Birch kitchen cabinets cost between ​​$2,000 and $4,000.
  • Maintenance: Birch has an uneven texture, and its surface often yields blotchy and irregular results.
  • Porosity: Porous and can stain easily.
  • Installation: Birch cabinets should be installed by a professional contractor.

Maple

  • Material: North American hardwood that grows abundantly along the Eastern Seaboard.
  • Durability: Strong and sturdy wood that resists scratches, dents, dings, and cracks.
  • Appearance: Maple cabinets are available in a wide range of colors.
  • Price: Maple kitchen cabinets cost between $2,500 and $6,000.
  • Maintenance: Maple should stay out of direct sunlight or can you risk discoloration.
  • Porosity: Finishes may discolor or fade over time.
  • Installation: Maple cabinets should be installed by a professional contractor.

What is Birch?

Close up of birch wood

Birch is a hardwood that grows in forests in Canada and throughout the Northeastern United States. Birch is a pale wood with a slightly yellowish cast.

What is Maple?

Close up of maple wood

Maple is a North American hardwood that grows abundantly along the Eastern Seaboard. Maple is also receptive to a wider array of stains, including the dark and glossy finishes popular in cutting-edge contemporary design.

Qualities of Birch vs. Maple

Modern white kitchen with birch wood cabinets

Birch is typically a light brown color but can range from almost white to a light golden brown hue. This coloring looks excellent in a variety of kitchen types including a farmhouse, contemporary, or modern look.

Something to consider is that birch plywood can have a texture that is rough or papery to the touch. With this in mind, it's important to add a glossy finish to eliminate this problem.

Maple is naturally a reddish-brown color but can be stained to match a wide range of hues. This wood can be stained to match anything from a gray or darker red wood to ivory or honey brown.

Maple displays several distinct grain patterns, including knotty maple and the beautiful and rare bird's eye maple.

Pricing of Birch vs. Maple Cabinets

Modern kitchen with maple wood cabinets

The price of birch or maple depends on the size of your kitchen, detailing, availability, and labor to install the cabinets if you decide to hire a third party. In general, there is a significant price difference between the two cabinet types.

  • Birch cabinets are considered more affordable. A standard 10- by 12-foot kitchen equipped with basic top-and-bottom birch ready-to-assemble (RTA)cabinets can run from as low as $2,000 to as much as $4,000.
  • There is a price jump for maple cabinets because of the versatility and refinement associated with this type of wood. Maple kitchen cabinets are generally higher priced, with the same 10- by 12-foot kitchen running between $2,500 and $6,000. Buying kitchen cabinets online can significantly reduce costs.

Thankfully, the abundance of both maple and birch still makes them more affordable than many other types of wood.

Maintenance of Birch vs. Maple Cabinets

Person with a glove on cleaning wood kitchen cabinets

Birch and maple cabinets are both generally low maintenance because of their durability and resistance to scratches. However, as you bake and cook in your kitchen, grease and grime are inevitably going to build up on kitchen cabinets no matter which kind of wood you choose.

To clean kitchen cabinets, simply use a commercial wood cleaner that is safe on your specific wood type or make your own eco-friendly DIY cleaner. To create your own cabinet cleaner, combine half vinegar and half water into a spray bottle with a few drops of dish soap.

Apply your cleaner to a sponge or soft cloth and gently scrub until stains are removed. Rinse the cleaner off your cabinet with a second sponge and water. Finally, dry off your cabinets with a clean towel to have your cabinets looking as good as new.

Durability of Birch vs. Maple Cabinets

Close up of wood kitchen cabinets

Birch plywood is great for building furniture or cabinets because it has high durability making it hard to scratch or ruin the wood. Something to keep in mind is that birch wood is naturally very porous meaning it's easy for this wood to absorb stains from liquids.

Because of this, darker wood stains can lead to discoloration and uneven tones across your countertop. Instead, opt for a lighter wood stain to keep your cabinets looking smooth and uniform.

Maple is a versatile wood and makes great kitchen cabinets because of its even surface and high resistance to stains and damage. This type of wood is very sensitive to sun exposure and you should avoid having it in direct sunlight.

Constant sun exposure can lead to the wood's finishing color fading over time or reverting back to its original deeper color. If you enjoy a light, airy look and sun exposure is something you can't avoid in your kitchen, then choose a lighter finish to maintain your ideal design.

Environmental Impact of Birch vs. Maple Cabinets

Pile of logged timber in a forest

Using birch wood for your kitchen cabinets is a great option if you're concerned about your kitchen's environmental impact. Birch trees grow quickly and it causes minimal devastation to the biodiversity in their area when they are cut down.

Maple grows at a slower rate than birch trees, but is still extremely abundant throughout the North American seaboard. Soft maple trees grow more quickly than hard maple trees making them better to use from an environmental standpoint.

If having your wood be as eco-friendly as possible is your main goal then check to see if the wood you are purchasing is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council or Program for Endorsement of Forest Certification to avoid purchasing wood that came from illegal logging.

Birch Vs. Maple Cabinets FAQs

Deciding which type of wood is best for your kitchen cabinets can be a difficult task after weighing the pros and cons. To make sure you have all of the information you need to make your best decision, we've included a list of answers to the most common questions.

Is birch stronger than maple?

Both birch and maple are categorized as highly durable and strong types of wood. However, maple is still much stronger than birch. This is because birch has a medium density compared to solid maple wood.

Does birch make good kitchen cabinets?

Birch wood is one of the most popular choices in the US for kitchen cabinets because of its versatility and availability. Birch is less expensive than many other types of wood and it's easy to coordinate birch kitchen cabinets into almost any kitchen aesthetic. Another reason that birch makes for suitable kitchen cabinets is that its physical characteristics make it easy to avoid normal wear and tear.

What is the best wood to use for kitchen cabinets?

There are lots of great wood options to choose from for your kitchen cabinets depending on the look and price you're going for. Popular options include oak, hickory, maple, birch, mahogany, pine, or ash.

How can you tell the difference between birch and maple?

You can tell the difference between birch and maple through several factors. If you feel the surface of unfinished birch you will notice it has a papery texture compared to the more smooth natural finish of maple.

Another tell-tale sign between the two is that the natural coloring between birch and maple is very different. Birch is a light brown wood with a honey finish whereas maple is naturally much lighter. The differences are much harder to spot once they are coated with a wood finish because maple can be stained easily to mimic a variety of other woods and colors.

Birch and maple both have the potential to make amazing kitchen cabinets. To decide which is best for your dream kitchen, it's essential to consider which factors are most important to you.

Whether you care about durability, style, or price, Kitchen Cabinet Kings has the perfect solutions for your kitchen needs. Check out our other resources for more cabinet materials and suggestions for your next kitchen remodel.

Sources: HGTV | Beautiful Homes and Gardens | Theos Timber Limited | Impactful Ninja

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