What wood for white shaker style cabinet doors?

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I would like to replace kitchen cabinet doors, what wood would you use for white shaker style door?

Thank you.

[Paul Girouard]

I would like to replace kitchen cabinet doors, what wood would you use for white shaker style door?

Thank you.

Poplar for the styles and rails , with a 1/4" MDF panel.

[Darcy Warner]

Poplar is just too soft for my likings for cabinets. Soft maple is just a bit more money and paints nicer.

[John TenEyck]

+1 Whatever maple you can buy cheapest, and MDF for the panels.


John

[Martin Wasner]

Poplar is just too soft for my likings for cabinets. Soft maple is just a bit more money and paints nicer.

I agree.

I have had problems with grain telegraphing through as well with finish that can't build very thick.

I use a veneered mdf cored material for the panels, but raw mdf works fine. Just a preference of mine.

[Jim Becker]

+1 Whatever maple you can buy cheapest, and MDF for the panels.

Unfortunately, I haven't had the best experience with using the MDF for the panels. Even after "good finishing", I've experienced moisture issues causing noticeable swelling in areas over the years with the doors that got the MDF panels in my kitchen. Those that were replaced with plywood panels didn't have that problem.
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OP, I tend to use poplar for this because I have a lot of it off my property, but I kinda agree with Darcy that soft maple may be a better choice.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

We use hard maple for all our cabinetry paint grade work, with an MDF core/maple face and back veneer. The veneered panel still looks like "wood" due to the small pores and some grain still being noticeable under the post catalyzed pigmented lacquer/catalyzed primer we use.

Never have had any issues with moisture. I have used some ply core for panels before but have had some develop surface checking over time. We have a crazy swing in %RH seasonally. With the veneered MDF I have not had any issues with face checking.

[Bill Adamsen]

Hard maple works great and the panels ... I use glued up wood panels but probably the rational thing is MDF.

[Patrick Walsh]

I'M about to build a pretty large kitchen of paint grade cabinets. I'm going with rift/quarter sawn hard maple for the stiles and rails, face frames, doors and drawer fronts.

The floating door pannles will be 1/4" baltic birch. Everything else will be paint grade 3/4 and 1/2 birch plywood.

[Andy Giddings]

Maple or ash for the frame, BB for the panel

[Darcy Warner]

SM is just easier on tooling and machines a bit better than HM.

I only use mdf panels on things like wainscoting with flat panels.

[Martin Wasner]

I'M about to build a pretty large kitchen of paint grade cabinets. I'm going with rift/quarter sawn hard maple for the stiles and rails, face frames, doors and drawer fronts.

The floating door pannles will be 1/4" baltic birch. Everything else will be paint grade 3/4 and 1/2 birch plywood.

You're going to regret using Baltic Birch for the panels.

[Patrick Walsh]

Why do you say that?

You're going to regret using Baltic Birch for the panels.

[Justin Ludwig]

Baltic birch panels like to twist. It can cause your doors to rack or twist.

I use soft maple paint grade and mdf panels for painted shaker. Hard maple isn't available in my area without special order. Leave poplar for substrate work. It's too soft.

[Martin Wasner]

Baltic birch panels like to twist. It can cause your doors to rack or twist.

I use soft maple paint grade and mdf panels for painted shaker. Hard maple isn't available in my area without special order. Leave poplar for substrate work. It's too soft.

Also the grain is very open on Baltic Birch. I've used it in a pinch a few times, and always regretted it.