Paint-grade
Painted Maple and Poplar
For anything painted: shaker doors, built-ins, trim, pantry shelving. The wood you never see decides how the paint looks in five years.
Most of the white and gray cabinetry on this site is painted, and what is under the paint matters. Maple is the premium paint-grade hardwood: tight, smooth, no grain telegraphing through the finish, and hard enough for doors and drawer fronts that get slammed. Poplar is the working paint-grade wood for face frames, trim, shelving and anything that does not get handled all day. MDF is dead flat and stable for door panels and paneled walls, and wrong for anything that might get wet or hit on an edge.
The built-in entertainment wall, the mudroom cubbies and the pantry shelving are poplar and plywood, shown before paint. The white shaker kitchen is a factory box with painted maple fronts, installed and trimmed on site.
Colorado’s dry air makes painted wood show hairline cracks at joints, especially in the first winter. Luke uses a flexible caulk at inside corners, primes end grain, and warns clients that one touch-up after the first heating season is normal.
If you want a painted look that never cracks at the joints, the honest answer is a one-piece MDF door. If you want doors that last thirty years, maple, and accept a touch-up.
Care
Wipe with a damp cloth, not a degreaser, on painted finishes. Keep a small jar of the paint for touch-ups. Expect one round of caulk touch-up after the first winter.