Wood is as individual as you are - and has its own unique style. At Holiday Kitchens, we offer a wide range of wood species each with their own distinguishing characteristics. It allows our customers to match their personality and lifestyle with the look and feel of our unique woods - truly making each handcrafted kitchen cabinet distinct. Ask your Holiday dealer for hands-on samples as well.

Birdpeck - Minute, pitted areas in wood.

Burl - A knot in wood that gives the wood fibers a beautiful peacock-tail pattern.

End Grain - The surface of wood exposed after cutting across the fibers. In general, cuts made across the grain will expose the end of the grain. This end grain will generally absorb finish more than the rest of the wood, sometimes resulting in a slightly darker color and sometimes making the top coat look slightly duller.

Finish - A varied color or transparent coating applied to wood. Rich grain patterns may be obscured by an opaque finish.  For that reason, Holiday uses transparent stains that enhance the natural beauty of grain patterns. 

Grain - The general direction of the fibers in wood that gives wood its unique pattern and artistry. Depending on the species of tree and the unique growing conditions, a tree can produce wood with grains that are straight, spiral, interlocking, wavy, or even curly.  The perception of the wood color is largely determined by the way in which light plays off each grain.

How the wood is cut relative to the grain also affects how the wood finishes. Sawing and planing can be done across the grain, with the grain, or against the grain - each having a different effect on how the wood accepts stain.  

Hardwood - Wood from broad-leaved, mostly deciduous trees.

Heartwood - The mature wood that forms the spine of the tree; usually darker than sapwood.

Open Knot Sound, closed knot Pin knots

Knots - Knots naturally occur wherever a branch has grown and are found in all species of woods, being more common in some woods than others.  Knots are categorized into several different types.

Medullary Ray - A pattern of light that runs across the grain, causing "ray-fleck" or "splash figures."

Mineral Streak - A dark brown-to-black coloration in the wood where minerals have been absorbed into the tree. Many species of trees show mineral streaks running with the grain of the wood. Mineral streaks are not as common as knots. Mineral streaks will be more prominent in lighter woods, such as maple.  Darker stains can mask mineral streaks.

Movement - The shrinkage and expansion of wood as it gives off and absorbs moisture.

Natural Color - Natural color is influenced by the genetics of the tree, growing conditions, and the environment in which the tree grows.  Additionally, color naturally varies between individual trees - even those of the same species that are grown in the same location and harvested at the same time. In general, darker stains tend to reduce the appearance of color variation, and lighter stains allow that natural variation to show more clearly.

Natural color is also affected by the interior environment. Some changes are inevitable, such as the darkening of cherry and the lightening of alder over time. Other changes in color, however, are caused by the interior conditions, such as exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light, cleaning chemicals, or smoke.

Pitchpocket - An opening in the wood fiber that has held the resinous material, "pitch."

Sapwood - The new wood of the tree that helps carry sap and stores food for tree growth.

Wood Moisture - Wood is composed of fibers that, when the tree was alive, "breathe" the surrounding air, either absorbing or giving off moisture. Wood cabinets will continue to swell as they absorb moisture and shrink as they give off moisture. For this reason, it is important that interior relative humidity and temperature be maintained in order to prevent expansion and shrinkage that make for ill-fitting doors or panels.