Maple wood kitchen cabinets are incredibly versatile! And far from outdated. They're one of the most durable woods used in kitchen cabinets, and with the right finishes, they can fit in perfectly with any look, whether it's a traditional, modern, rustic, or contemporary kitchen.
2023 Wood Stain Trends for Cabinets
Amber toned wood in pine, oak and maple are the new trend for stained kitchen cabinets. The MIX of wood tones and solid colors is the most important kitchen design trend in 2023.
Maple Cabinetry
More specifically, maple cabinets are the go-to natural wood in 2023. It's a wood that's just warm enough but also light enough to keep your kitchen looking updated and bright. Maple has a great tone that works with almost any paint color, from white to the trending bold colors of 2023.
The rich look of solid Maple, Cherry, Oak, and Pine furniture adds beauty and elegance to any home. Woodcraft takes pride in crafting fine wood furniture of a variety of woods, but Canadian Maple wood is one of our most popular choices.
Are maple cabinets outdated? Since maple wood kitchen cabinets are incredibly versatile, they're far from outdated. They're highly durable and with the right finishes, they can fit in perfectly with any aesthetic whether it's a traditional or modern kitchen.
When it comes to strength and durability, maple and oak are some of the best kitchen cabinet materials you can have. After all, they're both hardwoods. That being said, maple is a slightly stronger hardwood product than oak. Maple is one of the strongest and most durable natural wood options available.
Curved Sofas, Chairs, and Tables
When asked about the future of furniture in 2023, every interior design expert we spoke to agreed that curved pieces are dominating.
Maple wood is not only incredibly strong, it looks nice and stains beautifully. Woodworkers gravitate towards maple for its durability, smooth grain pattern, and light, creamy color.
Oak is still a strong and durable hardwood choice for kitchen cabinets. But, if you were to put maple and oak to the test to see which one would resist denting and scratching, hard maple would perform slightly better. Ultimately, you're really splitting hairs when it comes to durability.
When it comes to durability, there is a bit of a tradeoff between painted and stained finishes. Painted cabinets are more resistant to damage because the paint layer adds some protection from dings and scratches. However, stained cabinets are better at concealing the damage done to them than painted cabinets.
White is still the most popular kitchen cabinet color in 2023 and beyond. However, we are seeing a shift towards warmer and more natural tones. We cover the best colors for cabinets from Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams like Simply White, Dove White, and Chantilly Lace.
A well-loved, class option, Shaker-style cabinets will remain a top kitchen design trend in 2023. Shaker-style cabinet doors are known for their recessed center panel and clean lines. These doors are so versatile they work with various design styles, from traditional to modern.
Here, designers, decorators, and color experts reveal why beige is replacing gray for 2023, and how to decorate with beige for a beautiful scheme every time.
Oak is generally slightly more expensive than Maple, the cost of the floored depends on the width and length of the floorboards, the grade of the lumber and several other factors.
Like cherry, maple will darken over time, though far less dramatically. Maple starts off very light and bright, with a few pink and grey tones. Over time, it will age to a warm golden honey color.
Pros: Maple is affordable and ultra-durable. It can take a beating and look great for years. Because it takes dark stains well, maple is often stained to mimic a pricier wood, like cherry or mahogany (which is a controversial pick itself because of deforestation in the regions where it's harvested).
Warm and Calming Neutrals
“In the living room, we are seeing warm, calming blues, peach-pinks, and sophisticated neutrals like sable, mushroom, and ecru—these are really catching my eye for 2023,” she says.
Darker Wood Tones
This may be a surprise to many, but we are expecting more dark wood tones to pop up in homes in 2023! Last year we saw a lot of DIY bleached furniture and light wood floors. This year, as dark and moody interiors are rising in popularity, we believe darker wood tones will also become more admired.
Cottagecore is the blooming hot fashion that is becoming more popular. The beautiful farmhouse interiors, which may be on the wane, are being replaced by this style—despite being somewhat similar.
Cons – Because of its ability to mimic pricier woods, it puts maple trees at risk from deforestation. Maple does not have much grain variation so some people think it is not a very interesting wood. Pros – It's a strong and stable wood that allows for intricate and complex carvings. The color and shading is beautiful.
Maple surfaces owe their light natural color to their clear oil finish, but this finish gradually breaks down as time passes and returns to its original oily yellow color.
On the Janka hardness scale (pounds-force or lbf), hard maple has a higher hardness rating of 1,450 lbf while 950 lbf for soft maple. Overall, it's more durable than most wood types like red oak, with a hardness rating of 1290 lbf. Because of its superior hardness, maple wood furniture doesn't dent easily.