What Is Rift Cut White Oak?
Updated December 3, 2024
Learn what makes Rift Cut White Oak cabinet doors a top choice for high-end kitchens. Explore its benefits, grain patterns, and pricing.
If you’re a contractor, cabinet maker, designer, or architect just starting in the industry, you probably feel overwhelmed by the number of wood options. With so many types to choose from, each with unique qualities, it is tough to know where to begin. That’s why you’re here – to learn about Rift Cut White Oak. What exactly is it? Why is it in such high demand? And what do you need to know about it?
At Cutting Edge Doors & Woodworking, we’ve made cabinet doors for over 20 years. Just last year, we produced around 3,500 Rift Cut White Oak doors. To put that in perspective, that’s enough for about 70 kitchens, assuming each has roughly 50 doors. Over the past few years, Rift White Oak has seen a surge in popularity, with more people wanting it featured in their kitchens.
But you can’t afford to offer a wood type you don’t fully understand. So, keep reading to learn:
Rift Cut White Oak Is A Type Of White Oak
All Rift White Oak begins as part of a White Oak tree. White Oak is a hardwood similar to Red Oak, the main difference being (as far as the lumber is concerned) the general colour of the lumber. White Oak varies in colour from very light to medium brown, whereas Red Oak has pinkish-reddish undertones.
So how does White Oak become rift cut? The key is the lumber manufacturing process.
All trees have growth rings – those are the circles you see when you look at a tree stump. Lumber mills take the White Oak logs and cut straight across those growth rings. This milling method, called rift-sawing, produces wood with linear grain patterns.
As you can imagine, you can only get so much rift-sawn material out of a log. The rest must either become flat-cut or quarter-sawn lumber. Because of this limitation, rift-cut lumber is rarer and more expensive than other lumber milling methods.
Characteristics of Rift Cut White Oak
In this section, you will find the characteristics of true Rift Cut White Oak.
True Rift White Oak has linear (or straight) grain patterns with little variation. The colour is fairly consistent, ranging from light to medium brown. Although the Rift Cut lumber may contain knots, these are typically sorted out into lower grades by the mill or cut out as defects by cabinet door manufacturers.
Not All Rift White Oak Is So Consistent
Due to the rapid popularity and demand increase over the last few years, the overall quality of Rift Cut White Oak lumber has decreased. The lower quality requirements allow lumber mills to ‘meet’ the demand.
What does this mean for you?
When you order Rift Cut White Oak, you probably expect true Rift White Oak. However, lumber mills now include:
- Quarter-sawn grain patterns, including the flecking or medullary rays that cut diagonally across the wood grain
- Colour variation, including the pinkish-reddish undertones that used to be limited to Red Oak
- More sapwood, which has yellowish undertones and stands out as lighter than most Rift Cut White Oak
This change to quality expectations has unfortunately passed on down the line. So, if you or your customers expect true Rift White Oak, you must take the time to discuss your expectations with your supplier to ensure you get the quality you need.
Rift Cut White Oak Works Well With Many Kitchen Styles
As a cabinet maker, contractor, designer or architect, your main question may be:
Which kitchen styles does Rift White Oak work with?
Honestly, Rift White Oak fits in with most kitchen designs. Thanks to the linear grain pattern, it makes a consistent and simple base for many finishes. However, here are four kitchen styles that you could use to feature Rift White Oak.
Remember, Rift Cut White Oak is a rare and expensive wood type. It is a luxury option that you should offer as an upgrade for high-end, upscale kitchens. The price tag, especially for true Rift White Oak, puts it out of reach for lower-budget projects.
- Scandinavian – the light tones of natural or whitewashed Rift White Oak cabinet doors are made for Scandinavian designs.
- Minimalist – the clean, linear grain pattern of Rift White Oak lets it fit in well with minimalist kitchens, which avoid distractions and clutter.
- Modern/Contemporary – Rift White Oak works beautifully as a feature item in modern kitchen designs. Its clean lines don’t distract from the overall sleek appearance.
- Transitional – the clean lines and warm tones of Rift White Oak can balance out or provide a bridge between the detailed and modern features of a transitional design.
Comparison Between Rift White Oak and Other Popular Woods
Now that you understand Rift Cut White Oak, you should know how it compares to other popular wood types – Maple, Walnut, and Red Oak.
| Wood Type | Square Foot Price for Shaker Style Cabinet Doors | Colour | Grain Patterns | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | $23.90 | Light to medium brown with pinkish-reddish undertones | Elaborate; can range from linear to wavy and wild. | 61 |
| Maple | $24.18 | Light cream to cream, sometimes with reddish or goldish undertones | Elaborate; can range from linear to wavy and wild. | 337 |
| Walnut | $34.22 | Rich browns, from light to dark brown | Elaborate; can range from linear to wavy and wild. | 26 |
| True Rift Cut White Oak | $55.67 | Light to medium brown | Consistently linear, will appear similar from door to door | 70 |
The four categories we compared across are:
1. Square Foot Price for Shaker Style Cabinet Doors
Shaker style cabinet doors are one of the most popular door styles right now. You can purchase door styles that are more or less expensive, but as a general rule, the price difference between wood species will remain similar. This price is per square foot – learn how pricing works at Cutting Edge for more information about using square foot prices.
True Rift White Oak is the most expensive of these four wood types.
2. Colour
This category provides the general colour tones for each wood. You can stain light woods to make them appear darker, but you can’t make dark woods lighter.
3. Grain Patterns
What grain patterns can you and your customers expect? Will their cabinet doors have consistent grain, or could the pattern change from door to door?
True Rift White Oak has the most consistent grain patterns of these four wood types.
4. Popularity
The numbers in this column are the approximate quantity of customers who chose that wood species for their kitchen last year, based on an average of 50 cabinet doors per kitchen. Higher numbers mean the wood species is more popular (more customers chose that wood type), while lower numbers mean the wood species is less popular. This number is an approximate figure based only on 5-piece cabinet doors. However, this pattern will hold across most door styles.
Price plays into this category; you can see that the two more expensive wood species (Rift White Oak and Walnut) are less popular than Maple. This is because those wood species are out of budget for many people.
Next: Pros and Cons of Rift White Oak Cabinet Doors
As you work to become a trusted installer, you can’t risk harming your reputation by offering a wood species you don’t understand. If you don’t know what to expect, your customers won’t either. This lack of clarity could affect your profit if you have to purchase replacement cabinet doors – or even replace an entire kitchen because your customers aren’t happy with the appearance.
Now that Cutting Edge has protected your profits and reputation by helping you to understand the basics of Rift White Oak, your next step is to learn about the pros and cons of Rift Cut White Oak for cabinet doors.
