Designing the new kitchen of your dreams can be an enjoyable yet complex experience. With such a wide array of materials and styles available, and pros and cons to each, it’s understandable that many homeowners don’t quite know where to start.

We supply many different designs at Kitchen Warehouse, but today we’re here to talk about a classic style: solid wood kitchens. When renovating a kitchen, solid wood is a safe investment – even complete kitchen units are more affordable than you might think.

Should you be on a tight budget, it’s possible to redecorate your kitchen without ripping out and replacing everything. Instead, you can achieve the appearance of a traditional wooden kitchen simply by installing replacement solid wood kitchen doors.

There are plenty of advantages to solid wood kitchen units and doors, from aesthetic value to durability. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the benefits of wooden kitchens, which designs you can choose from, and how to maintain your new solid wood kitchen.

 

Benefits of solid wood kitchens

Most people associate wooden kitchens with old-fashioned or rustic interior design, but solid wood kitchen units can be contemporary, too – it’s all in the finish and how you style the room.

Natural wood is a timeless material that never really goes out of fashion. Woodgrain patterns have a unique beauty, yet the neutral tones are more than capable of complementing most other textures and colours. If you still need convincing, here are six benefits of solid wood kitchens.

1) Versatile designs

Be it light oak kitchen doors or painted wood kitchen doors in bright or dark colours, there’s more to this material than traditionalism. You can go for farmhouse-style kitchen doors with a bevelled centre profile, or modern Shaker-style kitchen doors for a contemporary twist on a classic design.

Some people may find the look of natural wood too simple and prefer a stronger effect – in which case, our painted solid wood kitchens are the perfect solution. Whites, including shades like ivory and porcelain, are just as classic; dark greys are a trendy option, while blues and greens are bolder.

2) Practical construction

We make our oak kitchen doors and drawers using a five-piece method, usually featuring an outside frame and a raised or recessed centre panel. The 20mm thick doors can be affixed to oak cabinets using soft-closing hinges (which come with complete units, but not with separate doors).

You’ll receive our solid wood cabinet doors completely undrilled, allowing you to position them exactly how you want them by drilling your own hinge holes and handle holes. Alternatively, you could order specifically handleless wood kitchen doors, which have integrated J-pull handles.

3) Long-term durability

As you probably know, solid wood is a very strong material. Cabinets and doors made with resilient real wood will last for many years, much longer than cheaper alternatives like wood-effect vinyl. It’s highly resistant to chipping, especially when strengthened with lacquer like ours.

Solid wood kitchens save you money in the long run because you won’t have to replace your units every five years or so. If you do fancy a change, you can always paint them or order replacement doors for your sturdy units. It’s easy to refinish solid wood panels, and repair scratches if needed.

4) Sophistication and warmth

Whether you want your solid wood kitchen to look like it belongs in a countryside cottage or an elegant Victorian manor, it’s sure to appear high-quality and full of personality. Solid wood has associations of fine craftmanship, so it automatically gives the kitchen a level of sophistication.

Natural wood also provides a sense of comfort, as it has a warmth to it that’s often lacking in modern synthetic kitchens. Wooden kitchens tend to feel more welcoming than contemporary alternatives with polyurethane coatings, which is preferable for such a family-oriented room.

5) Eco-friendly sustainability

With climate change at the forefront of social concerns in recent years, a large percentage of the population are making an effort to lead more environmentally friendly lives. One way of reducing your contribution to global warming is to invest in sustainable materials like solid wood kitchens.

Natural wood is a renewable resource; the oak and ash we use in our solid wood kitchens comes from sustainable forests in Europe. This means that for every tree felled, a new one is planted in its place, reducing our environmental impact. Wood is also easy to recycle and reuse in various ways.

6) Strong selling point

Of course, the primary purpose of investing in a solid wood kitchen is for your own enjoyment and practical use. However, this investment will also pay off if you plan to sell your home at some point in the future. As long as you maintain your wooden cabinets, they will retain their value over time.

The high-end yet neutral qualities of a wooden kitchen offer a broad appeal that should impress the majority of potential buyers. Some designs can date a property, and ultra-modern kitchen finishes don’t appeal to everyone – but solid wood can be both traditional and trendy, making it truly timeless.

 

Which solid wood kitchen units should I choose?

We offer a variety of solid wood kitchen units and solid wood replacement kitchen doors here at Kitchen Warehouse. Due to our sustainable sourcing of Grade A+ wood and strong manufacturing processes, you can be confident in your purchase when you order our kitchen cabinets and doors.

If you’re interested in our durable solid wood kitchens, but aren’t sure which style would suit your home best, we’ll explain everything you need to know about our solid wood kitchen collections.

Jefferson kitchens

For those looking for a traditional-leaning kitchen with a slightly darker woodgrain, our Jefferson kitchen units could be the perfect fit. These affordable oak-effect kitchen cabinets are actually made from 18mm thick MFC (melamine-faced chipboard), with an oak-effect laminate finish.

Jefferson Kitchen CabinetsThe five-piece Jefferson kitchen doors, which can also be purchased separately, are made from a solid oak Shaker-style frame with a raised oak veneer centre panel. The decorative moulding around the centre panel adds more detail than you would typically see in a traditionally modest Shaker kitchen.

This makes Jefferson solid wood kitchens suitable for creating a cosy farmhouse kitchen or refined vintage kitchen in equal measure. The clear lacquered finish gives these doors an extra classy touch, so your kitchen can feel both warm and luxurious. Despite the richer oak, these units are still light enough to contrast with dark worktops, and look great with white or cream walls.

Madison kitchens

Should you prefer a more traditional Shaker-style kitchen, with doors featuring a four-piece frame around a recessed centre panel, our Madison kitchen units combine this simple design with the visual charm of natural oak. This may be a modest style, but it still offers an adaptable aesthetic.

Madison kitchen unitsJust like the Jefferson kitchen range, the units themselves are manufactured from MFC (18mm thick chipboard with a melamine face made from a matching wood-effect laminate). It’s the Madison kitchen doors, which we also sell alone as replacement kitchen doors, that are made of solid wood.

These natural oak kitchen doors meet in the middle of classic and contemporary, working well in combination with antique marble or modern steel worktops. The light and neutral tone of the solid oak will look beautiful in a bright and airy kitchen or a sumptuously dark colour scheme, and it’s easy to modernise them with the brushed steel handles that come with complete units.

Wakefield kitchens

For a truly versatile kitchen that brings the old-fashioned classic Shaker style into the modern day, consider our Wakefield kitchen units. The carcass construction uses 18mm MFC (melamine-faced chipboard) with oak-effect lamination, while the solid wood doors are made of 20mm thick oak.

Indiana kitchen cabinetsThis lighter tone of white oak makes these kitchen cabinets easy on the eyes, making the room feel brighter and more open. The near-invisible seams between the four-piece frame, which is an overlay on top of the fifth panel, create a cleaner look that’s compatible with modern minimalist kitchens.

The Wakefield kitchen doors feature slight ornamentation in the form of narrow inside beading around the inner edge of the overlay, giving a nod to traditional wooden kitchens whilst stepping strongly into the world of contemporary interior design. Also available to order on their own, without the units, these kitchen doors look especially lovely paired with whites or greys.

Aldana kitchens

If you want the durability of solid wood kitchen doors but don’t want to miss out on the fun and flair of a modern painted kitchen, you won’t be disappointed by our wide range of painted solid wood kitchens. These are available in the three designs above, but using ash rather than oak.

London kitchens 3An additional solid wood kitchen range that’s only available in the painted wood selection is our Aldana kitchen units. The colourful Aldana kitchen doors, also sold as replacement kitchen doors, are crafted using solid ash and matched with an MFC cabinet (melamine-faced chipboard) in a suitable matt shade. We pair less conventional colours with dust grey units.

We paint the back of the door with the same colour and finish as the face, as are the edges, so we don’t limit the enticing colour to just the frontage. You’ll be able to enjoy the calming neutral shades or rich jewel tones of your sophisticated yet refreshing Aldana painted wood kitchen every time you open each cupboard.

 

Why choose solid oak kitchen doors?

Do you need more reasons to decide on solid oak kitchen doors for your kitchen makeover? Sold separately, our replacement solid wood doors have all the benefits of the complete kitchen units, but with the additional advantage of being much more affordable.

They’re no less sturdy or long-lasting, and just as aesthetically pleasing, but the fact that you don’t have to buy an entire kitchen unit makes the replacement door much cheaper. Therefore, achieving the look of a solid wood kitchen is within reach even for limited budgets.

If you already have well-made kitchen units, especially solid wood cabinets, there may be no need to replace them all for the sake of a new look. Buying just the doors is dramatically less expensive, allowing you to spend that money on other kitchen upgrades, such as flooring or splashbacks.

Fabricated using the highest standard of oak (Grade A+), then lacquered to enhance the natural woodgrain and protect the surface, our solid oak replacement kitchen doors are both practical and full of character. They’ll stay beautiful for years while enduring everyday wear and tear.

If you’re worried that natural wood is too basic to be fashionable, or you prefer to be surrounded by colour, our painted solid wood kitchen doors are the answer. You could have a trendy white or grey kitchen and a solid wood kitchen at the same time, or even try a unique kitchen colour.

Our solid wood painted kitchens don’t just range from porcelain to graphite – they’re available in a selection of striking blues and greens, too, and even a pretty pink. You have a choice of stunning hues like sage green, teal, viridian, marine, Airforce blue, slate blue, and pantry blue.

 

How to maintain solid oak kitchen doors

With high gloss kitchens boasting such easily wipeable surfaces, you might wonder whether solid wood kitchens are too high maintenance. This is a common but incorrect perception, because it’s almost as easy to clean solid oak kitchen doors and maintain the natural wood.

We advise using a solution of warm water and a gentle liquid soap to wash off wooden cabinet doors with the help of a damp microfibre cloth. Then, use a dry cloth to wipe away any soapy residue and polish the surface back to a spotless lacquered shine.

You should do this at least once a week, and be sure to follow the grain. To avoid potential stains or permanent damage, never use bleach or harsh cleaning chemicals, and clean any spillages up right away. This simple, regular cleaning routine should keep the wood looking fresh.

The main difference with solid wood kitchen doors is that they require polishing every now and then. Gently applying a wood polish to the doors, following the direction of the natural grain, will help to build up a nice shine and bring out the rich colours in the timber.

Using a protective polish can also help to prevent sunlight from bleaching the wood through the kitchen windows, so it stays looking as good as new. Wood polish can also make your oak kitchen doors smell brand new, too! You only need to polish them once every 3-4 months.

How to maintain painted wood doors

When it comes to painted oak kitchen doors, the same gentle cleaning routine applies, but you should be extra careful not to scrub them and potentially damage the paint. Only use clear soaps or sprays and soft cloths to avoid causing patches of discolouration or scratches.

You shouldn’t need to polish painted wood kitchen doors, but you can if you want to give them a glossy finish. However, you must be certain that the type of polish or wax treatment is suitable for use on this type of painted wood, or you’ll risk ruining the existing finish.

 

Order solid wood kitchen cabinets online today

Though we offer a vast assortment of kitchen products at Kitchen Warehouse, we find that solid wood kitchens are consistently one of the most popular choices amongst our valued customers.

Each piece of solid wood furniture offers the benefits mentioned above, with our solid wood units creating a warm and homely kitchen, while our replacement solid wood kitchen doors are a cost-effective and good-looking alternative to the mess, expense, and stress of a full kitchen renovation.

To add to the practicality of our solid wood kitchen cabinets and doors, our base units come with adjustable legs and our wall units come with mounting plates and hanging brackets, so you can install them precisely where you want them to sit. When you order a complete kitchen unit, it comes with Hettich soft-closing hinges and brushed steel handles to make things even easier.

Even if you order separate solid wood doors, you can still purchase kitchen accessories to style them however you like, including soft-close mechanisms and a variety of kitchen handle designs.

Got a question about our solid wood kitchens? Need some guidance on which type of wooden kitchen to buy? Then get in touch with the staff at Kitchen Warehouse today for expert advice.

You can call the team on 01765 640 000, fill out our online contact form, or send an email directly to contact@kitchenwarehouseltd.com with your enquiries. We’ll answer as swiftly as possible.