Alder is the softest "hardwood". Hardwood being determined not by strength of the wood, but how the tree grows. If you liked the look of knotty alder, why not look at knotty oak? You can stain it to a color close to natural alder if that is what you liked. Oak is a much harder wood and may give you longer life and will certainly be more forgiving to any "abuse" which grandkids may offer.

Tom....I don't recall ever seeing examples of knotty oak cabinets before. I'm going to do some googling. That may be a nice option. Thanks!

From the look you describe, perhaps hickory would fill the bill? And it is TOUGH. But it is a look that is not to everyone's tastes.

I did wonder about hickory. Does it take stain OK. I checked out knotty oak and I think it reminds me too much of the knotty pine look that is a little too retro for my tastes....maybe I need to check out a few more examples.

I have been googling wood grain cabinet images.....just to see what catches my eye. I keep coming back to the alder cabs. Sigh, I hope I can get the look AND the durability with the right choice...or at the very least find a wood that can handle the wear in a character adding sort of way.

Here are a couple knotty alder finishes that I am drawn to....

I think this is interesting but maybe its too extreme

This was one of my original inspiration photos. This is the glass inset i am using but I'm not sure what kind of wood it is.

To stand up to rambunctious grandkids, I'd recommend rustic hickory. It will give you the knotty look of the alder that you loved, but it's hard and dent resistant. While it is most often used in a rustic grade (with prominent knots and mineral streaks) and unstained, it can also be done in a clear grade and/or stained.

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Thanks hollysprings.....I could live with several of those kitchens you shared. Is that hickory in all three examples shown in your first pic. They all look so different!

Hi Sidney,

If you want other than a clear finish I would stay away from Hickory. I cannot speak to using it for cabinets, but we used it on a floor--with the idea to stain it and make it look like Walnut, and the process was a nightmare. I learned that because Hickory is so hard and dense, it does not stain well. For the flooring, to make it come even close to a Walnut color, it required a specialist and a messy, inexact, and expensive two-step process to first dye, and then stain the Hickory.

Alder is soft, and you will see if you get a sample, very easily dents if you push hard with a fingernail. It makes beautiful cabinets, and has a nice looking grain that stains beautifully, but not sure I would use it in a kitchen due to the softness--though many people do.

You can find harder woods with nice grain for cabinets. Some companies offer "character" grades in cherry for example.

Here is a link to a wood hardness scale:

http://tinytimbers.com/pdf/chart_janka.pdf

They do not show Alder but some scales do, or you could google "Janka Scale" and "Alder" or whatever wood you want to see, and find out where they compare with other woods.

I am not that familiar with alder, but my neighbor has a light stained alder cabinet that looks like it has held up well. Just 2 of them, and doesn't get any kid-abuse. Also, a friend used hickory and they are very nice.

I am surprised that you are not using corbels in your 'craftsman' kitchen, however, as that is an element of craftsman. Check the Houzz website for some examples of Craftsman kitchens. You might be surprised to see the various uses of different woods in some of the kitchens there.

Here's a link to a Janka scale that does list alder. Scroll down; alder is near the bottom. For comparison, alder is 590 on the scale. Cherry comes in at 950 and Northern red oak at 1290.

IOW's, alder is very soft.

Here is a link that might be useful: Janka Scale

Most all woods can be obtained in select ( color matched) natural, and knotty. Hickory does take stain well, but as with all woods the sanding staining process may be different for different species.

what about a rustic knotty cherry or knotty walnut?

Hi! When we built our first home, we used alder cabinets. I absolutely LOVED them. After 9 years of heavy daily use, three kids and 2 pets, they looked as good the day we moved out as the day they were put in. They may have been made with a softer wood, but they held up to the demands of our busy family better than any of the cabinets we have had in our other two homes. They were a golden to medium stain and maybe the color is what kept them from showing so much wear. We are getting ready to build again (hopefully will be it till all of our children graduate school) and I am planning on using alder again. I've just not been as happy with any of the other woods we have used... including the oak. Hope this helps!

That is reassuring Herewegoagain. I think we will be using alder too. I checked out a friend's kitchen that was done 3 years ago in alder. It has held up beautifully as well. Also in a light to medium stain. I love the look too.

We bought last year and the 11 year old house came with Alder cabinets. Previous owners had 1/2 dozen kids and did lots of cooking. On the top edge of a few drawers that are used all the time the finish has worn away, otherwise the rest of the cabinets look fine after 11 years.

I so appreciate everyone's feedback. I have looked at so many cabinets on line but I love the alder .....I just couldn't let infatuation get in the way of good judgement. Herewegoagain, I also find your comments reassuring. I was ready to give up on alder but now I think it may be back in the running. Enduring, I did see some knotty cherry cabinets that were attractive. I am going to ask my cabinet maker about that option as well, but if there are other satisfied alder cabinet owners out there , I think I may go with what I am drawn to. I realize that some wood is more impervious to nicks and dings than others but maybe alder is able to " wear it better".

Did you choose knotty alder or knotty cherry? I am choosing kitchen cabinets and was told knotty cherry is a better quality but will darken/redden in time. I like the light color of knotty alder. Living in a Mountain location alder fits...still a bit apprehensive about giving up stability for the look. I hope to have grand kids some day and wonder if alder would be high maintenance.

Christine, we did go with knotty alder. The cabinets will be delivered tomorrow, I am really anxious to see how the finished product turns out. I'll share pictures once they're installed. It's taken a lot longer to get this project done than I had hoped. The construction business seems to be picking up around here so I've had to wait in line to get the work done.

The posts from alder cabinet owners helped me make the decision. I was still a little concerned about how they would hold up but then I realized that I don't fret this much about my furniture made from softer woods. I have pine pieces that have survived two generations of kids. I think the finish and the stain on a wood has a greater impact on how gracefully it ages.Some camouflage normal wear and tear better than others. I might look at it differently if we were talking about flooring, however.

I've loved the look of alder. Norcroft does a Rustic Alder that is mesmerizing. I think it's absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to see what you get!

When we were shopping for flooring, we found locust. Actually right now I can't remember if it was locust or sweet gum. Something weird. The grain was soooo beautiful. When we went back, we were told we were (insane) mistaken, because they didn't know of anyone who offered anything such as we were describing. So we supplied the company name, model numbers, color numbers, blah blah. They had nothing to say. But then, no one could find it again, either.

I really wanted that grain!

Sidney4 it's now been 3-4 years. How have your cabinets performed in terms of durability?

I m so glad to see you posted an update pic. Were in the process of building a house and I have also been attracted to knotty alder. Glad to hear that you are happy with them

Sidney4; I love your alser cabinets. I am where you were at 4 years ago. I love alder and was wondering what stain you used. That is the stain color i really like. Thank you, Judy

Hi Judy. Thanks so much for the kind words. Sorry for the slow reply but I had to ask our cabinet maker what kind of stain he used . He believes it was a pine cone stain from Kelica Products. My neighbor who used alder cabinets for her kitchen used a russet stain and it appears to be very similar in color.

At the time, I just took a photo of cabinets I liked to our cabinet maker and he made the stain selection. Perhaps you can do the same thing.

Good Luck. I hope you enjoy your alder cabinets as much as we do ours.

Hi Sidney! We are building a house now and deciding on cabinets. Are you still happy with the wear on your knotty alder?

It's been 5 years and I still couldn't be happier with them. They still look as good as the day they were installed. I have two friends who have since installed alder cabinets and they seem pretty happy with the choice as well. Good Luck.

Thanks so much! Do you have any dents or scratches in them? I saw that you can push your fingernail in them and make a mark (since it's soft wood). I'm not sure that matters if your careful with them though.

I put knotty alder in my kitchen in January 2017. It is a softer wood but very pretty. On the front of my corner lazy susan, i have dents whichwhich is cause by leaning against it with belts or studded jean pockets. Still love them though. My kitchen is a workhorse, not a display, so i dont care.

In my case, I can't see any evidence of nicks , dents or scratches. If there are any they've blended in well. The lower level doesn't get as much use as my main kitchen but my family does spend a lot of time down there.

I really can't see any nicks or dents. It could be that they just blend in well. They get a fair amount of use but not as much as my main kitchen .

Sorry for the double post.....

Any opinion or experience with doing a very dark stain on alder cabinets? I am considering doing so. Thanks

Alder blotches similarly to maple when stained. Neither wood is optimum for dark stains. Oak, cherry, and walnut are your better options for dark stains. SInce you won't see much grain because of the dark stain, choose the less expensive option.

Sydney4 we are plan into to use knotty alder for all trim and doors and are deciding on stain. Does alder tend to darken over time? Have you noticed that your cabinets have darkened over the last 5-6 years? Your cabinets are beautiful.

Thank you for the kind words. I honestly can’t see any change in the color in the six years since the cabinets have been installed. I suppose it is possible that there has been some very subtle change in color over time but nothing noticeable ..........even when compared to pictures taken after the installation. I still am very happy with the decision to go with alder.

Sydney4 thank you for your quick response. Very helpful to get feedback from those that have lived with their choices for several years!

Adding to the discussion - there are some houses in this area with cabinets and trim of alder. The houses were built before 1950.