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This is unstained - alder stains very nicely and is easy to work with.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg041142382693.html?4

Alder is much, much softer than walnut and cherry. Rusticity hides the dings to come, especially on an island with seating.

Clear stained alder is very pretty. I've never seen rustic alder in person so can't say how knotty it is. He should have plenty of samples to show you so there's no surprises. I'd also ask to see another client's alder cabinets, preferably ones a few years old.

So what is the size and specs of the quote? 15K over your budget says that your expectations are out of line for what fits in with your neighborhood. Or your designated budget is way too small. 5-10% of your home's value is about what should be spent on your kitchen's cabinets if you don't want to over or under spend.

I have an alder dresser and chest of drawers (not rustic, but smooth, clear grade) in a natural finish. It is really beautiful, but SO SOFT! It still looks nice, but after 20 years of very light use it has more dings than I would expect. I can't imagine it holding up well in a kitchen or bathroom.

Comparison of Rustic Alder and Cherry.

Apples and Oranges to me.

Depending on where you live, IKEA offers wood veneer doors at a very reasonable price.

I used Alderwood for my cabs because I wanted more brown than red in the wood~the stain takes differently with each. It's not rustic, no knots or 'holes', so check to see if that's available. I really like it! I've paired it with ivory glazed cabs on the interior , and the Alderwood on the perimeter cabs. I initially wanted all of them to be dark, but with dark hand scraped floors it would have been TOO dark, so I came up with the idea of a 'complimentary cabinet color'. I've had many comps!! Just a thought.