Wood Species

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Sherwood makes every effort to produce an outstanding product for our customers. We search for suppliers who offer lumber from regions of the country that are capable of producing the quality wood our customers demand. We expect our material to meet certain criteria such as appropriate moisture content, color, and grade and constantly monitor our suppliers for these qualities. Because wood is a natural raw material and is not refined beyond drying, it can be expected to display varying characteristics that are not considered defects. These include color variations within the heartwood or sapwood, mineral streaks, gum pockets, whorls or burls and grain patterns such as curly figure or tiger stripe. We offer different grades of product, which can show varying amounts of each of these characteristics, depending on your requirements. We strongly encourage our customers to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of the individual woods and also with our wood grades.

Alder is a moderately soft, closed-grained wood that is light tan to reddish brown in color. This specie is known for it’s abundance of pin knots and light mineral streaks as well as embedded bark and open knots which make it a favorite for achieving a rustic look. Select alder may have scattered pin knots and slight, light colored mineral streaks. Stain grade may have more color variation and larger solid knots or whorls.

Rustic Alder will have open knots, embedded bark and voids. We will back fill any through voids to prevent “light leaks”.


Ash is an open-grained wood that has been compared to Oak but definitely has its own look. Moderately hard, ash is creamy white to light tan with streaks of medium brown in the heartwood. It may also have a slight greenish cast. Select will be sorted to give as consistent color as possible while stain grade will have more variation. Select and stain grade may have definite flecks or patterns that resemble “worm tunnels” These are characteristic of this specie.


Basswood Favored for carving and for its ability to take a dark stain, Basswood is a light, soft, closed-grained hardwood that is nearly white to cream in color with some lighter tones of brown as well. There are mineral streaks which will be minimized in select product but which may be present, especially if light in color. Stain grade allows more color variation and more streaking. This wood is not known for its durability, especially in hard use or high traffic areas.


Beech is a European hardwood that is very consistent in color and figure, It is moderately heavy and is closed grained. Light pinkish tan in color and void of strong figure, beech stains very well and also is popular for clear finishes. Select will have the most consistent color and may have limited pin knots and fleck patterns.


Birch White to pale yellow with a brown heartwood, Birch has been a staple in the cabinet industry for years. It is moderately heavy, closed-grained and suitable for staining or clear-coating. Select will be sorted for consistent white but there may be minimal, light colored mineral streaking. Stain will have more color variation and natural will not be sorted for color though we will minimize knots or other defects.


Cherry Referred to as the “queen” of American hardwoods. Cherry is moderately heavy, closed-grain and light tan to pink in color with white or cream colored sapwood. This wood displays a strong figure and turns a deep, rich reddish brown over time when clear-coated. Gum pockets, pin knots and mineral streaks are characteristic of this wood and are not considered defects. We will sort to minimize these character markings in select product and color match as close as practical with no sap on the face though there may be a minimal amount in profiled areas. Stain grade allows more character markings, a wider color variation and up to 15% sapwood on the face.

Natural Grade Cherry is not sorted for color and will have a wide color variation, including sapwood, and will have minimal defects such as knots or whorls. Guidelines for rustic are similar to alder.


Cypress A decay resistant softwood that is moderately light in both weight and color. It has a strong figure, similar to pine, and varies from a wheat color to medium reddish brown. Cypress is offered in stain grade which has some color variations and minimal defects. Rustic grade includes wide color variations with tight, open knots and spikes or whorls.
We cannot guarantee the presence of or even distribution of character markings in rustic product. Consider this wood in stain grade for your clear pine requirements.


Eucalyptus This South American import is closed-grained, dense and heavy. It is occasionally substituted for genuine mahogany though there are more differences than similarities. It is pink to medium red/brown in color. Select grade has the best color match with more variations permissible in stain grade product. Defects are minimal in this specie.


Hickory has a grain pattern and color variation all its own. The heaviest American hardwood, it varies in color from pale cream to dark red/brown. Because of the properties of this semi opened-grained wood, we only offer it in natural grade. You can expect varying tones of near white to dark brown with mineral streaks and no particular pattern and an uneven mixture within product. As with other natural grades, we will minimize knots and other defects but do not sort for color. As with other natural product, we cannot guarantee the presence of or even distribution of sap and heartwood in hickory.


Mahogany Nothing comes close to the color, grain pattern and workability of genuine mahogany. It is a semi open-grained tropical hardwood that is moderately heavy and has color tones that range from golden brown to medium red/brown. It can be streaked with dark brown and the grain can vary from simple figure to complex swirls and whorls. Select product will be matched for color as close as practical with minimal pin knots and streaking. Large figure variations may be present. Stain grade allows more color variation along with larger pin knots and streaks.


Hard Maple A dense, heavy, closed-grain hardwood that has many uses. It varies in color from almost white to creamy tan. Medium brown areas along with darker mineral streaks are also present. It typically has a subtle grain pattern but can display some vivid characteristics such as tiger stripe, quilted or bird’s eye figure. Select product will be sorted for as consistent color match as practical and will have minimal defects. Lighter colored small streaks along with small flecks or bird’s eye figure and limited tiger stripe figure may be present on the face. Stain grade will have more color variation with mineral streaking up to 5? long and 1/8? wide and stronger figure allowed. Select hard maple is suggested for light stains or clear finishes.


Pacific Coast Maple is a moderately heavy closed-grain wood that is similar in appearance and graining to alder but with a stronger figure. The light tan to reddish brown wood is susceptible to fuzzing during machining and requires careful sanding. We will make every effort to eliminate fuzz but some touch-up by the customer may be required. Select grade has the closest color match while stain allows for more variation.


Soft Maple is a close cousin to hard maple but differs in weight, color variations and the ability to accept darker stains. It varies from near white to cream to dark grey and brown. Select product is sorted for best near white color and like hard maple, it may display subtle tiger stripe and minimal light color streaks and flecking. Darker streaking or mineral deposits may be present in machined or profiled areas. Stain grade allows more color variation within product along with possibly stronger stripe figure and mineral streaks up to 5" in length and 1/8" wide. Sticker stain is not allowed on face of select grade product.

Soft Maple Paint Grade No color matching is done for paint grade product. Sound, tight or filled knots are permitted. This runs a close second to MDF as the best choice for gloss paint grade product.


Red Oak Hard and heavy describes this open-grained classic. It varies from a wheat color to light reddish tan and can display mineral streaks as well as pin knots and whorls. Select grade is recommended for light or natural finishes. It is sorted for best color match but may have limited small pin knots. Stain grade will have more color variation and mineral streaks up to 5? in length and 1/8? wide are permissible.


White Oak This wood is similar to red oak except it is grayish white to light tan. Best known for its quartersawn ray figure, it is slightly heavier but less stable than its red cousin and changes dimension more easily with humidity fluctuations. It’s the wood of choice for whiskey barrels and arts and craft style furnishings. Due to the color variation it is offered in stain grade only with characteristics similar to those for red oak.


Knotty Pine This furniture grade eastern white pine is a light softwood that is white to cream colored streaked with reddish brown highlights and tight red knots. It generally comes to mind first when considering rustic cabinetry. Due to the nature of the wood, it is only offered in rustic grade. Product will have a white or cream colored background with possible streaking and variable sized knots. No blue stain is allowed.


Poplar is a moderately light closed-grain hardwood that has the most different color variations of any domestic commercial hardwood. It generally is cream or yellowish beige in color but changes to green at the heart and can have purple, brown and even black streaking in a random pattern. Consequently, it is only offered in a natural grade. We will sort dark purple and black out of the mix but otherwise there is no color match. Pin knots and mineral streaks are permissible. Sometimes used for paint grade, it can be made to resemble many other dark woods if NGR type stains are used. Some opaque finishes will show glue lines when applied over poplar because of its susceptibility to shrinkage due to changes in humidity. As with other natural species, there will be a random color variation.


Walnut This is considered by many to be the king of domestic cabinet woods. It is a semi closed-grain, heavy hardwood that is renowned for its deep, rich natural reddish brown color. In actuality, the natural color of walnut runs from a creamy white in the sapwood to the expected “walnut” color but tinged with every conceivable shade in between including gold, black and even purple. Because of this wide variation, we only offer it in stain or natural grade. Stain grade may have up to 15% sap on the face and will have varying hues along with small pin knots, limited mineral streaks and whorls. Natural grade is not color selected and may consist of up to 30% sap.

MDF Composite board from reconstituted wood fiber and resins. Compressed under heat, consistent in thickness, density, color and texture. Rated at 35 lbs / cubic foot to ensure machined areas finish well. Used for all MDF/RTF as well as for raised and flat panels in paint grade. 5-piece doors upon request. Doors produced with this product are heavier than most hardwoods, but deliver the most consistent results from your paint room. MDF raised panels in hardwood frames will eliminate the sunken glue lines that sometimes plague gloss opaque finishes. Can be finished with RTF.

Wood Grades

Select Grade: This is our premium grade and should be chosen if you plan to apply a natural finish or light color stain on species where more consistent color is required. Select product will have the least amount of color and grain variation but may display small pin knots or limited gum pockets and light curly figure in affected species. Within some species, however, there will be some slight color variations, pin knots, gum and mineral stain that are unavoidable. Sticker or blue stain or excessively dark mineral streaks are not permitted on the face of Select products. No splits, knots larger than pin, or whorls. Panel staves are random width (not less than 1-1/2” nor greater than 3-1/2” within the raised area). Sherwood recommends Select for a natural to light finish, as well as pickling with some species. Slight color variations may be evident when finished natural. Some variations may appear in machined areas such as panel and edge profiles. Color changes, sapwood and sound defects are permissible on the back of product. Not all species are available as select.


Stain (regular) Grade: This is Sherwood’s standard grade. Stain grade products will have more color and grain variations which should blend easily when using medium to dark stains. Materials will be matched to produce a pleasing blend of color on the face of the products. Some species may have greater variations than others. Likewise, there may be some limited and well-scattered pin knots, fleck, vine mark, curly figure, seasoning checks, gum or pitch pockets and mineral stains. Some sap is permissible on the face of affected species such as cherry and walnut. Larger pin knots are allowed on the face and in machined areas. No splits, knots larger than pin, whorls, sticker or blue stain or excessively dark or large mineral streaks are permitted on the face. Sound defects, sapwood and strong grain variations are permissible on the back. Panel staves are random (not less than 1-1/2” nor greater than 3-1/2” within the raised area). Sherwood recommends Stain grade for a medium to dark finish.

Paint Grade: This will display the largest variation of color and grain. No attempt is made to match or coordinate the components. The product will be solid with no voids, rotten or punk wood or splits and is best suited for opaque finishes. Paint grade is produced using Soft Maple. Open grain woods are not recommended for painting unless a specific appearance is desired. Paint grade may contain a limitless amount of natural characteristics and color variations; however, there will not be any unsound knots, pitch pockets, etc. Panel staves will not be less that 3/4” in width within the raised area. Sherwood recommends paint finishing only in this grade, and suggests ordering MDF panels to avoid panel glue lines. Doors ordered in Poplar for Paint Grade may display raised or sunken joints.

Natural Grade: This grade is similar to stain or regular grade except that species such as hickory, birch and poplar may have strong color variations on the face and back. More sap may also be included.

Knotty (Rustic) Grade: This is similar to paint grade with the addition of knots. Some species, such as Alder, may also have splits, voids and included bark. We will fill “through voids and splits” from the backside on affected species to eliminate light leaks and stabilize splits and knots. We will make every attempt to include character in most every piece of an order but cannot guarantee an even mix or spacing. No open voids or splits on extreme outside edges. Color will vary. Not all species are available as knotty.

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If you don't see what you're looking for here, be sure to contact an HGH Sales Representative on (800) 277-8888 to discuss your specific needs. As a manufacturer of fine custom doors and accessories, Sherwood will work from your specifications and requirements. This includes production of Wainscoting, Wall Panels, Bar Backs, End Panels and other custom products.

 

Sherwood Cabinet Doors are offered exclusively by HGH Hardware Supply, Inc.