When deciding between ash cabinets and oak cabinets for your kitchen, it can feel like a close call. Both species offer a natural, warm aesthetic and are known for their strength and durability.
In this post, we’ll discuss the subtle differences between ash and oak cabinets, because understanding these nuances will help you choose the right kitchen cabinet material for your home.
About Ash Cabinets
Ash is a light wood with an open-pored grain structure. White ash is quite light and is desirable for kitchen cabinets due to its strength and beauty. Ash is a hardwood, so it’s a great choice for cabinetry to resist everyday wear and tear. It can be stained a variety of colors, much like other common hardwoods used in cabinetry. Ash is a great choice for base cabinets, wall cabinets, and has even been used outside the kitchen for guitars, baseball bats, flooring, and furniture.
The closest comparable wood to ash is oak wood, another popular choice for traditional and modern cabinets.
Image from swingingcafedoors.com
Ash Cabinets vs. Oak Wood Cabinets
Oak and ash are both open-pored woods, meaning you can actually see tiny holes in the grain where stain or glaze tends to settle a bit more. This gives them a distinctive texture and character. To contrast, wood like maple and cherry have a tighter grain, so stains and glazes go on more evenly, creating a smoother look.
Ash Cabinets, Image from alhabibpaneldoors.com
Traditional Ash and Oak
Oak and Ash can look very similar when stained in warm hues. If you love the swirling open grain of oak, you may also appreciate ash cabinets as they also have an open grain pattern.
This stained red oak island (base cabinets) is paired with black hardware and a bright white countertop.
White Oak and White Ash
Rift sawn white oak is a very popular material right now in contemporary kitchen design. Both white oak and white ash are preferred choices for kitchen cabinets for their lightness and grain pattern. Oak and ash often showcase more pronounced grain patterns, like pinstripe lines in quarter-sawn pieces or deep V shapes in flat-sawn cuts.
Contemporary white oak kitchens are a popular design trend.
Pros and Cons of Ash Cabinets
Here are the pros and cons of ash cabinets (when compared to oak) for you to consider:
- Ash is slightly stronger (harder) than oak
- Cost depends on availability: ash cabinets can be similar in price or cheaper
- The appearance of ash and oak are similar
- Ash is not as moisture resistant as oak
- It is harder to get an ultra smooth finish with Ash wood
Which is better? Ash cabinets or oak?
Ash cabinets are very comparable to oak cabinets, one is not better than the other. Decor Cabinets chooses to offer both traditional oak and rift cut white oak cabinets over ash, for their appearance, popularity, smooth finish, and moisture resistant quality.
