If you want a lighter colored board go with Maple, and if you want a darker board go with Walnut. Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages.
Maple is a significantly stronger hardwood product than walnut. In fact, maple is one of the strongest and most durable natural wood options available. It holds up well resisting significant dents or dings.
The Color. Oak is a light colored wood providing a range of light to medium brown tones. Walnut is a darker wood with shades that range from pale browns to dark browns.
Walnut wood can change color depending on the way it's dried or its age. The heartwood usually is a dark brown color and the sapwood is a light yellow color. When the wood is left out in the elements, such as the sun, the lighter wood will turn darker and the darker wood will turn lighter.
Appearance: Walnut boasts dark, rich tones and a unique grain pattern, while Maple wood showcases a light, creamy color with a more uniform texture. Durability and Strength: Walnut wood is highly acclaimed for its formidable strength and sturdiness, making it ideal for crowded areas.
Good pairings
As we've said, there are no truly hard and fast rules, but we do have some solid recommendations. Here's a short list of wood species that tend to play well together in designs: walnut and maple.
Standard maple wood has a fine texture and a light and even grain. The sapwood is white to cream and the heartwood has a reddish hue. Figured maple wood can have a distinctive pattern of grain with dark brown or black markings.
Jacobean is very similar to Dark Walnut but a bit darker. Jacobean gives off a more rustic vibe than dark walnut. Additionally, Jacobean has a subtle hint of redness to the dried product. However, tints and undertones are also impacted by the type of wood used, which will vary with every application.
Oak has a light to middle brown colour with some reddish hues, complimented by a straight and tight grain pattern. Walnut can range anywhere from a light brown to a deep, dark chocolate hue. Though its grain is very open and more coarse than maple, walnut still has a beautiful, uniform surface.
The kernel of a young, only torn walnut has a light color, after lying for several days, the kernel it darkens a little. This is a natural and normal process. After drying, the kernel takes on its permanent color.
Walnut wood offers rich, brown colors that range from light to dark brown. The sapwood (outer part of the tree log) is pale yellow to white and the heartwood (center of the tree log) has brown shades that vary from light brown to dark chocolate brown with some dark brown streaks.
Minwax Jacobean (also available here!) is a rich, dark brown color. It's similar to Dark Walnut, but a bit darker and the golden grain hues are more subtle and bit more light brown toned.
Walnut brown is a dark brown color; a representation of the color made from walnut hulls. At a hue of 30, it is classified as an orange-brown.
If you want a lighter colored board go with Maple, and if you want a darker board go with Walnut. Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages.
Maple has a lighter and creamier complexion than oak. It has light graining patterns with wavy, curly and straight lines. The non-porous property of maple doesn't hold stain well. Dark stains may look blotchy on maple hardwood.
Reminiscent of dark cocoa and coffee beans, Dark Walnut embraces the shadowy hues of black and brown. Woodgrain appears etched with charcoal, creating a sultry dance where light and dark meet.
Cherry is a hardwood that is pinkish-red in color with a smooth finish. It is prized for its beauty and durability. Walnut, on the other hand, is a softwood that is light brown and has a more rustic finish. It is not as durable as cherry, but it is stronger than pine.
It is a strong wood, easy to work with and has a light brown color.. Walnut is a soft wood, has a straight grain, a beautiful finish and a beautiful dark color. Rosewood is a hardwood with a fine grain. The wood is heavy and has a beautiful, deep brown-red color.
You might pair Cordovan Brown with Blank Canvas—a soft, warm white—which Behr chose as its 2023 Color of the Year for interiors. The paint firm PPG also chose a deep brown stain as its 2023 Stain Color of the Year: Chestnut Brown. The rich brown tones may be part of the resurgence of 1970s design styles.
Both beautiful woods, walnut and brown maple make stunning wood furniture. Walnut has some darker colors, but still looks beautiful au natural with an oiled finish.
Walnut is a fantastic choice for a lot of reasons… first, it's gorgeous but because it has a slight purple undertone to it — walnut can work best with both warm or cool undertones.
With deep salmon-toned hues in the heartwood that darken with age, unfinished Red Oak flooring offers a rich color palette that brings warmth to any room. Maple floorboards offer a cleaner and lighter complexion. Its hues range from creamy blonde to amber and brown in the heartwood.
Light-colored wood, such as maple, will naturally darken due to exposure to UV light and oxygen.
Natural maple is a versatile wood with warm finishes ranging from creamy off-white to light reddish-brown tones. The chosen cabinet finish becomes a dominant color in the room and in combination with the floor color, the wall color and the appliance colors is key in the basic color scheme of the space.