Real wood is the top of the refacing range and the only material that can be stained rather than simply coloured. Veneer sliced from one log also lets the grain run continuously across a bank of doors, which solid boards cannot reliably do.
Hardwood veneer is real wood, usually a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch thick, bonded to a stable plywood or MDF core. It reads as wood because it is wood. What it does not do is move with the seasons the way a wide solid panel does, which matters on a door that has to stay square.
The advantage people notice afterwards is grain. Veneer sheets are sliced in sequence from a single log, so the figure can run continuously across a bank of doors. Matching that with solid boards means hand-picking lumber and accepting that some doors will not agree.
Solid hardwood still has its place, usually in the door frames themselves with a veneered centre panel. That combination is what most quality shaker doors actually are. See how refacing works and where wood sits on the cost page.
Recent work
How it works
How a Hardwood Reface Is Sequenced
Species and sample
Species, stain and sheen are chosen together on a real sample, not a printed swatch. The sample stays with you for a few days, because kitchen lighting changes wood tone more than people expect.
Veneer sequenced
Where a run of doors will be seen together, the veneer is ordered in sequence from one log so the grain carries across. This is decided at order time and cannot be corrected later.
Built and finished
Doors are made to your openings and your overlay, then stained and finished in several light coats. Allow three to five weeks between signing and the first morning on site.
Install and adjust
Frames, end panels and toe kicks take matching veneer, then doors go on with concealed hinges. Wood moves slightly as it settles into the room, so a return visit re-aligns the doors.
Colour and finish
How Stain Behaves on Real Wood
Stain sinks into wood rather than sitting on it, which is why a stained kitchen has depth that a coloured one does not. It also means the species decides the result as much as the stain does: oak takes colour into its open grain, maple resists it and can blotch, and cherry keeps darkening for years after installation.
Because veneer is thin, finish is built up in several light coats rather than flooded on. Oil and solvent based products are the safe choice; water based stains can work but are always tested on a sample first, because water raises grain and a veneer face gives you no margin to sand it back.
Veneer against solid, how stain lands, and what real wood is worth.
Yes. Hardwood veneer is a thin layer of genuine wood, typically a sixteenth to an eighth of an inch, bonded to a stable core. It is not a printed surface. It stains and finishes like solid wood because it is the same material.
Stability and grain. A wide solid panel expands and contracts with humidity, while a veneered panel stays flat. Veneer also allows sequence matching across a run of doors, which solid boards cannot reliably deliver.
Properly applied and finished, fifteen to twenty years is a reasonable expectation with normal kitchen care. What shortens it is standing water, so the panel beside a dishwasher and the run under a sink are the places to watch.
Close, rarely exact. Existing wood has aged and darkened with light exposure, and new wood has not. Where an exact match matters we usually recommend refacing everything visible from one spot rather than trying to blend old and new.
Oak takes colour readily through its open grain. Maple is tighter and can blotch without a conditioner, so it often suits a painted or lightly toned finish better. Cherry starts light and keeps darkening for years, which some people love and others do not expect.
It depends on what you want from the kitchen. Wood is the only material that can be stained, refinished later and repaired invisibly. If you want a flat colour and the lowest price, thermofoil or laminate gets you there for less.
Yes, which is one of its real advantages. Small damage can be filled and touched in, and a whole door can be sanded and refinished rather than replaced. Thermofoil and laminate cannot be repaired once the surface is broken.
The grain runs straight across the four doors above the range and you can see it was planned. I did not know that was something you could ask for until they raised it.
Elaine V.
Edmonton
★★★★★
They left the stain sample with us for a week. Under our kitchen lights it looked completely different from the showroom, which is exactly why they insisted.
Martin K.
st. Albert
★★★★★
Maple was going to blotch with the colour I picked, and they said so instead of taking the order. We changed species and the finish is even everywhere.
Sunita R.
Sherwood Park
★★★★
Real wood cost more than I planned for and the lead time was five weeks. Both were explained up front, so no complaint, just be ready for it.
Doug H.
Edmonton
From the blog
Edmonton cabinet guides
How wood, veneer, laminate and thermofoil behave once they are living in a kitchen.
We bring species and stain samples to the consultation and leave them with you, because wood tone changes under your own lighting. Measured and quoted by the linear foot.
