Kitchen Cabinets with Acacia Floors

[Jacob Lundmark]

Hello!

Has anyone built any kitchen cabinets in a room with natural acacia floors? If so what kind of wood did you use and what color (if any) did you stain it? We are remodeling our upstairs and finally picked our floor. Now need to pick the cabinets (that I will build). Just want to see if anyone has done this before. Pictures would be very helpful.

Thank you in advance.
-Jacob

[Jamie Buxton]

Unfortunately, "acacia" is not a very specific term. I know the marketing world uses it like it means something specific, but they're dumbing down the name. Acacia is a family of trees with many hundreds of species within it. Various members grow all over the world.

[Jacob Lundmark]

Unfortunately, "acacia" is not a very specific term. I know the marketing world uses it like it means something specific, but they're dumbing down the name. Acacia is a family of trees with many hundreds of species within it. Various members grow all over the world.

Good point. Acacia Confusa specifically.

Here is a link to the flooring. I have heard people recommend painted cabinets, but I don't have the heart to paint cabinets.

http://www.uniquewoodfloor.com/floor...l-hand-scraped

[David Hawxhurst]

here is our acacia flooring, we went with natural maple cabinets at the time. would have loved to have done natural cherry but the funds just weren't there at the time we built the house.

[Jacob Lundmark]

Thank you for the picture. Looks really nice.

[Jamie Buxton]

Arrgh. Flooring people are particularly confusing in the names they choose. Why in the world would they call an acacia "Asian Walnut"??!!!

I know, I know, I'm not helping you with your cabinet question. I'm just fulminating.

[Gene Davis]

Paint them white. Look at all the gorgeous white kitchens on Houzz, the ones with the wood floors. If you don't want white, do a pastel color.

Go with what the designers do, not with what woodworkers choose.

[Dave Richards]

Considering the example in your link, Jacob, I would use something light with little grain variation. Perhaps maple or sycamore.

[Jacob Lundmark]

Considering the example in your link, Jacob, I would use something light with little grain variation. Perhaps maple or sycamore.

That might look nice. What do you think of Alder as a choice? Stained a medium-dark brown?

[Dave Richards]

Alder could be nice but I think I would keep it light. Maybe, if you can find the right medium-dark brown it would work but with the browns and reds in the floor, if you get the stain on the cabinets wrong, I think they'll look awful.

Birch might be another good choice if it's higher grade without the brown streaks.

[Jamie Buxton]

That might look nice. What do you think of Alder as a choice? Stained a medium-dark brown?

Stained alder is completely anonymous. I make cabinets for a contractor who I can't talk out of that. I love stuff made from beautiful wood -- gorgeous wood with lots of grain and color variations. Y'know, all the beauty that Mom Nature puts into wood. Alder is a rather quiet wood with little color or grain, and putting stain on it further suppresses any character it might have. It comes out as characterless as paint.

Now, you might want anonymous/painted cabinets. Some people do. Me, not at all.

[Jacob Lundmark]

Stained alder is completely anonymous. I make cabinets for a contractor who I can't talk out of that. I love stuff made from beautiful wood -- gorgeous wood with lots of grain and color variations. Y'know, all the beauty that Mom Nature puts into wood. Alder is a rather quiet wood with little color or grain, and putting stain on it further suppresses any character it might have. It comes out as characterless as paint.

Now, you might want anonymous/painted cabinets. Some people do. Me, not at all.

I also like the look of wood grain. The floor will have lots and when the kitchen is done I will be making a new dining table with some highly figured wood. I passed a previous poster's idea about painting the cabinets to the wife. She threw-up a little in her mouth. So that was good. I don't like the paint idea. I know it can look beautiful, but our windows are all an almond vinyl (previous owner). So white is hard.

So the options are:
-Oak - what they currently are, grain pattern may compete with floors
-Cherry - like it but am concerned with color change due to sky light
-Maple - could be beatiful if done right.
-Birch - haven't worked with this much and will investigate
-Alder - haven't seen much around to even buy
-Red Grandis - local guy has this imported and not much more than maple It is a tight grain pattern and he said works and stains like cherry.
-Hickory - Need to sharpen everything first.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Arrgh. Flooring people are particularly confusing in the names they choose. Why in the world would they call an acacia "Asian Walnut"??!!!

Same crowd of marketing whizzes that brought you Chilean Sea Bass, as the marketing alternative to Patagonian Toothfish.

Acacia almost sounds like something from the poem Evangeline, or something having to do with those critters making noise at night.

[Jacob Lundmark]

Same crowd of marketing whizzes that brought you Chilean Sea Bass, as the marketing alternative to Patagonian Toothfish.

Acacia almost sounds like something from the poem Evangeline, or something having to do with those critters making noise at night.

They are confusing.

[Bob Elliott]

My wife wants acacia flooring and cherry cabinets. Anyone use those woods together?