Beech Kitchen Cabinets (Designs & Pros and Cons)
Beech wood has a reputation for being incredibly hard, durable, and attractive. However, it’s also extremely heavy, expensive, and not all that popular. It is simple to work with and receives staining and polishing quite well, making Beech kitchen cabinets an ideal choice.
To fully comprehend what beech wood is and find out why it’s a wonderful option for cabinets, let’s take a closer look at this wood species. We will go over the pros and cons of beech wood cabinets and their different varieties.
What Is Beech Wood?
Beech wood, which comes from beech trees often located on northern continents, is a pale, reddish-brown tint that is excellent for staining. The wood features microscopic pores, discernible rays, and a slightly gritty texture.
It is known for its high strength and is often used for construction. Both manual and electric cutting devices cut through it without leaving any visible signs of damage. Beech wood has a wide range of uses in and around the house since it is simple to stain. It is frequently used to make cabinets, chairs, stools, and hardwood floors.
Moreover, beechwood is a great option for furniture that requires endurance to continuous use because it is an extremely durable wood variety. This type of wood is appropriate for daily-used furniture as it has a considerable degree of stress resistance.
Due to its unique wood fibers, beechwood has a very high hardness value that results in more strength and durability. Regarding actual hardness ratings, the Janka hardness for beechwood is 1300, making it harder than other wood cabinet materials such as cherry, yellow birch, and red oak.
The wood’s high density and durability make it resistant to shock and useful for a variety of woodworking projects. Nevertheless, beechwood is prone to pests; henceforth, for maximum performance, a protective treatment must be applied.
Beech Cabinets Pros And Cons
Without further ado, here are the pros and cons of beechwood cabinets:
Pros:
After learning more about beechwood’s properties and applications, check out some of the pros of using it for your cabinets on the following:
• Incredible Shock Resistance: Indeed, beechwood is used commonly for hardwood flooring and other high-traffic purposes because it is a shock-absorbing material. Additionally, it has superb bending properties, henceforth making it a very good option for cabinets that encounter daily wear and tear.
• Excellent Durability and Longevity: In comparison to other wood species, beechwood is renowned for being rigid and robust. Therefore, it is an excellent option for any piece of furniture that is used frequently, particularly cabinets.
• Absorbs Stains Properly and Features a Beautiful Appearance: Beechwood is quite simple to stain and polish, making it simple to obtain a smooth, perfect finish that is tailored to your preferences.
Its grain provides a superb surface and maintains the polish and paint effectively. Beech possesses a straight grain and a delicate, consistent texture that, once finished, provides a stunning appearance.
• Exceptional Workability: This kind of wood is simple to cut and handle, which makes it the best option for creating high-quality cabinets. It firmly grips the nail and screws thanks to its medium density and hardness. Additionally, it has outstanding steam flexibility, making it very easy to shape-bend.
Cons:
Similar to other types of wood that are used to make cabinetry, beechwood also has its drawbacks when used to build storage units. Here are some of them:
• It Accumulates Moisture: Beechwood is not advised for usage outside because it has a reputation for accumulating a lot of water. Beechwood also inclines to absorb moisture, which makes it bend, split, and fracture on the surface.
It is also prone to shrinkage and should be dried properly. Hence, if your cabinetry is in constant contact with moisture, beechwood might not be a suitable option.
• Extremely Heavy: Beechwood storage units are often extremely heavy because the material is very dense by nature. This can make working with wood a little difficult for amateurs. Hence, for easier installation or handling, hiring an expert would be ideal.
• Can be Costly: In comparison to other common wood types of kitchen cabinet materials, beech wood is often much more pricey. However, on a positive note, beech wood is still less expensive than other common types of hardwood, such as maple and mahogany.
• Vulnerable to Infestations and Cracks: Both the longhorn beetle as well as the common household beetle can infiltrate this type of wood. Thus, the wood needs to be regularly sealed to stave off an infestation.
Additionally, due to its rapid moisture absorption, it tends to deform or crack. As it dries out again, it can leave numerous cracks and spaces in the wood’s joints. The most effective approach to stop moisture, on the other hand, is by applying paint and polish.
Is Beech Good As A Cabinet Material?
Generally speaking, yes. Earlier furniture builders admired beechwood for its strength, availability, and affordability. It is still more frequently used today to manufacture furniture pieces.
Hence, it is still considered a good material for making cabinetry. The straight grain adds durability to anything you make, from different types of tables and chairs to floors and storage units.
Furthermore, beechwood is renowned for its hardness and good reactivity with stains. Although it has a few weak points, it is still graded more thoroughly than many other wood species. As a result, the market is supplied with only the best beech wood products.
It has a hardness rating of 1300, which is in the medium range for wood hardness. This rating is used to determine a wood’s ability to stand up to scratches, dings, and dents.
Although it is unlikely that you would receive low-grade beechwood, it is vital to inspect the wood for straightness and ensure that it has had appropriate time curing in a kiln. This virtually guarantees that you have the finest lumber for building your beechwood storage units.
Unfinished Beech Cabinets
Unfinished cabinetry usually includes strong beechwood doors and a solid box design for long-term use. High-quality panel doors and appealing unfinished beechwood can make your kitchen look more professional. Truly, the surface of an unfinished cabinet is convenient to paint or stain to complement your current interiors.
Although unfinished beechwood can be sanded to a brilliant polish, it absorbs more stains and shows the grain of the wood, especially in darker finishes. If muting the grain is required, applying a sanding sealer to seal the pores can allow unfinished beechwood to attain a certain effect as well.
Modern Beech Kitchen Cabinets
Modern cabinetry is popular in contemporary interiors because it is straight-grained and has a smooth, uniform texture. When distinctive characteristics exist in the wood used, the cabinetry with a raw finish can be exceptionally lovely.
Furthermore, modern cupboards are typically pale cream, sometimes looking pastel pink or light brown. Beechwood has a natural sheen and a fairly straight grain, making it excellent for minimalist modern decor.
Transitional, soft modern, and modern traditional styles are great options for integrating beech wood cabinets into the kitchen design. Beech and and oak wood can also be utilized to create other looks, such as a California casual style.
Rustic Beech Hardwood Cabinets
Rustic beech cabinetry has a more distinct, vivid appearance and a fractionally darker color than typical modern beech cabinetry. A rustic cupboard is often made of genuine beechwood that has been weathered or distressed to seem old. However, rustic culinary cabinetry is great for spaces with farmhouse-style decors.
Beech Doors for Cabinets
Beechwood may be a good alternative if you are searching for an ideal solid wooden door option. It complements every culinary storage unit door style.
It is simple to machine and deal with and responds well to steam bending. This type of lumber is a tough, substantial material that works well for cabinetry doors.
Beechwood is available in various colors, from light brown to beige, and even darker shades with a rustic feel. This straight-grained lumber is ideal for harmonizing your storage units with the remainder of your kitchen. Beechwood cabinet doors are easy to paint and long-lasting, making them suitable for modern designs.
Shaker Beech Wood Cabinets
The classical shaker style in beechwood looks great in any kitchen. Shaker cabinetry exudes elegance with complementing appliances and countertops.
Shaker beechwood culinary cabinetry is distinguished by its square edges or box-like design. Shaker-style storage units look like a four-cornered cabinet frame that features an inset panel. These culinary storage units typically have straight grains and delicate curves.
Shaker style cabinet doors made of beechwood are constructed in a somewhat different way than standard culinary cabinetry, and they are normally made out of five pieces, such as two stiles, two rails, and a central panel.
The good thing about Shaker beechwood culinary cabinetry, and why it is so popular, is its ageless design, which blends in with any accompanying furniture.
Shaker beechwood culinary cabinetry is recognized as timeless in the idea that, because of its exceptional quality and styles, it will take considerable time before you need to think about another redesign. Additionally, the Shaker beechwood culinary cabinetry’s exquisite and timeless appearance is both simple and interesting.
Shaker beechwood culinary storage units often feature curved edges, a shaker-style cabinet door, and drawers that can be embedded, partial overlay, or complete overlay. They are typically supplemented with natural and mild stain finishes suitable for modern or farmhouse designs.
Staining Beech
Staining your culinary cabinetry will help to safeguard the lumber from filth, keep it from absorbing moisture, bring out the underlying charm of the timber, and enrich it with vibrancy. However, here are some tips and instructions for staining beechwood culinary storage units.
Steps on Staining Beechwood Storage Units:
• Use the highest-quality sandpaper. A grit of 180 to 220 is generally sufficient. Over-sanding wastes time and money and might cause the stain to not adhere properly.
• Smooth all edges; stains and finishes do not adhere effectively to a square edge.
• Make sure the sanding is even, with no excessive or under-sanding.
• Begin by applying your preferred dye. Dyes are combined with a glazing method to create more vivid colors.
• Using a sealer, cover the dye. In the final step, ensure the sealer is compatible with your desired topcoat.
• Water-based dye stains work best for staining storage units since the effect is more uniform and does not appear blotchy or rough. Distribute the stain according to only what you need, reducing waste and saving expenses even further.
• Add your protective top coat finish, then rub off and wax it to achieve the desired gloss and smoothness.
Kitchen Color Ideas to Use for Beech Wood Cabinets
• Gray: Gray is a paint color that will be relaxing in any kitchen. In an area with beech storage units, it will undoubtedly tone them down and act as a neutralizer.
• Gray and Beige Combo: Greige, a color trend that combines gray and beige, is still popular. It is indeed a great way to soften the look of rustic wood storage units.
• Sage Green: Sage green is another cool color that will complement your beechwood storage units. This is a widely known hue right now because it is natural and relaxing.
• Navy Blue: This color will calm the beechwood cabinet while adding flair and intensity. See more kitchen color ideas with brown cabinets here.
Beech Vs Oak Cabinets
Differences and Similarities of Oak and Beech Culinary Kitchen Units:
• On flatsawn surfaces, beechwood does have a straight grain and a fine, minimal texture, whereas quartersawn surfaces have a silvery fleck pattern. It features visible rays and small pores. It is often yellowish. The grain of oak is straight, with a gritty, irregular texture. Ray fleck patterns are also seen on quartersawn surfaces. It is often light brown.
• Beechwood is durable but not pest-resistant. Oak, on the other hand, is more durable and rot-resistant. They are both vulnerable to insect attacks, though.
• Oak has a moderate crush resistance, but beechwood has superior bending qualities and is excellent for steam bending.
• Both beechwood and oak are simple to work with, with hand and power tools. They adhere well to nails, adhesives, stains, and polishes.
• Oak and beech are both widely accessible.
• For cabinet-making, beechwood is typically more expensive than red oak cabinets. White oak cabinets, on the other hand, is much more expensive than beechwood and red oak.
• Beechwood dries quickly, although red and white oak both dry gradually. Both beechwood and oak tend to crack and split.
See more related content in our article about alder wood cabinets on this page.
