On Jul 16, 1:36*pm, Arpil wrote:
I live on a tight budget. *The kitchen cabinets are old, rotten and
I'm about to have a set of cabinet built by my amateur brother. *He
said he can do it.

I like the cabinet to be stained, perhaps in cherry color (don't know
yet). *The box will be 3/4 plywood. *The front will be poplar or birch
or pine. *Can I stain that type of wood? *What steps do I need to do
so the color doesn't look too tacky?

My co-worker's husband told me, I need to buy the "more expensive"
type of wood such as Maple, Cherry, Oak.... but they are too expensive
for me.

If it comes to the worst, I can just paint it. *But I would like to
have a stained cabinet if it's possible.

If you would please kindly give me your advices, opinions, that'd be
so helpful.

April

I'm about to have a set of cabinet built by my amateur brother.
He said he can do it.

Have you seen any of his work before? I know he's your brother, but I
would think that you wouldn't want him to build a whole set of
cabinets only to find out that you hate them, or they don't fit, or
there's some other issue. Ask him to start small and see how he does.

...poplar or birch or pine. Can I stain that type of wood?

Yes, you can stain all of those types, but the same stain will look
different on each because of the color and density of each type.

Pine is the softest, then poplar, then birch, so pine will dent easier
than either of the other 2. I'd opt for poplar or birch depending on
how much you want to spend.

Go to whatever lumber yard your brother will be buying the wood from
and get some samples of each type. Take them home and stain them -
don't trust the little chips above the stain display at the home
center. Your technique and your wood will make a big difference in the
final outcome.

Read up on proper staining techniques. The prep work is very
important because you're not going to hide anything like you would
with paint.