Red Alder Kitchen Cabinets—How 

Does Application of Commercial 

Stains Influence Customer Choice?

David Nicholls and Joseph Roos 1

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture

Forest Service

Pacific Northwest 

Research Station

Research Note

PNW-RN-556

December 2006

Abstract

A better understanding of consumer reaction and preferences for red alder (Alnus 

rubra Bong.) secondary products will help Alaska producers in entering new 

markets. In this study, red alder kitchen cabinets were commercially stained to six 

different levels and displayed at home shows in Portland, Oregon, and Anchorage, 

Alaska. The stains simulated the appearance of six commercial species. Respondents indicated their preferred cabinet doors, under the assumption of remodeling 

their kitchen. Brighter shades of stain were generally more popular than the three 

darkest shades. There were no statistically significant differences in preferences 

between male and female respondents. The influence of market location was found 

to be highly significant for unstained and for maple stained cabinets. These results 

indicate a strong potential for red alder to be commercially stained to a wide range 

of appearances, targeting different demographic groups.

Keywords: Red alder, cabinets, commercial stain, consumer preference, Alaska 

forest products.

Introduction

Over the past several decades, red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) has increasingly been 

used for a variety of secondary wood products. The species has become one of 

increasing commercial importance and is the most commonly used hardwood in the 

Pacific Northwest. Once considered a weed species, red alder is now widely used 

for furniture, architectural millwork, and other secondary manufactured products. 

Standing timber inventories of red alder have surpassed 9 billion board feet in 

1 David Nicholls is a forest products technologist, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Alaska Wood Utilization Research and Development Center, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835; and Joseph Roos is a research associate, 

Center for International Trade of Forest Products, University of Washington, Box 352100, 

Seattle, WA 98195-2100.
research Note PNW-Rn-556

western Oregon, with more than one-third of the trees being 18 inches diameter 

or larger (Gedney 1990). In Washington state, the average volume of red alder 

harvested annually between 1992 and 2002 was 212 million board feet (Larsen and 

Nguyen 2004). As early as 1990, 75 percent of the red alder harvested in Washington was being manufactured into lumber products (Ekstrom 1992). This consumer 

preference study evaluates the popularity of red alder kitchen cabinets in two 

Pacific Northwest locations.

Although red alder’s natural range extends to southeast Alaska, an industry 

has yet to develop there. Red alder in southeast Alaska is often found in abundance 

along roadbeds, in areas that have experienced soil disturbance, and in areas 

harvested during the region’s pulp mill era (lasting from about 1955 to 1995). Many 

of these easily accessible stands are now reaching commercial sawtimber size. 

Although the total forested area of red alder in southeast Alaska is relatively small, 

the estimated growing stock of about 25 million cubic feet (net volume) within 

two inventory units of the Tongass National Forest (van Hees 2001a, 2001b) could 

support a red alder industry.

Red alder log prices have continued to increase, recently approaching $600 

per thousand board feet, and for the first time (in 2000) surpassing Douglas-fir 

(Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirbel) Franco) in price (Mason 2003). Similar price 

trends for red alder lumber were recorded over a recent 4-year period in which 

wholesale lumber prices increased by a substantial 40 percent (Ekstrom 1992). 

With higher prices come continued opportunities for red alder, potentially including 

smaller diameter stands from southeast Alaska. Increased utilization of red alder 

could lead to a range of new opportunities for Alaska wood products firms, including export of logs, kiln-dried lumber, and secondary manufactured products such as 

furniture and kitchen cabinets. 

Successful product marketing will be a key element in developing a red alder 

industry in southeast Alaska. Red alder cabinets have been shown to compete 

well in consumer marketing trials versus commercial hardwoods such as red oak 

(Quercus rubra L.), hickory (Carya spp.), maple (Acer spp.), and cherry (Prunus 

spp.) (Nicholls et al. 2003, 2004). A better understanding of consumer recognition 

of red alder in relation to established commercial species will assist secondary 

manufacturers in Alaska best decide how to enter new markets. One possible marketing approach is to “mimic” established species through application of commercial stains, as described in this report. An alternative method for altering the color 

of red alder is to allow fresh-sawn lumber to oxidize, creating a natural dark color. 

Once inside the dry kiln, lumber can experience further color changes through 

various dry-kiln schedules. Thus, lumber manufacturers have several means for 
Red Alder Kitchen Cabinets—How Does Application of Commercial Stains Influence Customer Choice?



changing the appearance of red alder before it reaches consumers. The objective of 

this study was to evaluate the popularity of red alder cabinets, stained to six different levels with commercial stains, considering selected demographic factors.

Methods

In this consumer preferences study, more than 600 home show attendees evaluated cabinets at two Pacific Northwest events in 2005 (Portland, Oregon, and 

Anchorage, Alaska). All respondents were at least 18 years old (and received either 

a chocolate bar or a key chain for their efforts). Data collection was conducted in 

cooperation with University of Alaska.

Respondents were asked to assume they would be remodeling their current 

kitchen and indicate their preferences for levels of stain by selecting their first, 

second, and third favorite cabinet doors of the seven presented. Demographic 

information regarding age, gender, household income, and home ownership was 

also obtained. 

Cabinet Staining and Construction

To create the study samples, six cabinet doors were each stained with one of six 

commercial stains purchased from a stain and coating manufacturer. After staining, 

doors received an application of clear-coat finish. One unstained red alder cabinet 

was also included, bringing the total to seven doors. Although each door was 

treated with a different stain, the doors appeared to be grouped into three classes: 

light, medium, and dark. All doors were rectangular and of raised-panel style 

construction, and only clear (defect-free) red alder was used (fig. 1). Cabinet door 

dimensions were selected to be similar to those in common use (outside dimensions 

of about 11.5 inches wide by 17 inches high). 

Cabinet Door Labeling

Previous research has shown that name-based evaluations of wood can often differ 

from appearance-based evaluations, indicating the importance of product labeling 

(Bumgardner and Bowe 2002). Other studies have shown that overall popularity 

and consumer willingness to pay for secondary wood products can be directly 

related to presence (versus absence) of information such as species name (Nicholls 

et al. 2004, Roos et al. 2005). 

Our current study considered three methods of product labeling. In labeling 

method 1, alder cabinets were identified with the word “alder” plus the species 

being simulated through staining (e.g., “alder stained as maple” and “alder stained 

as oak”). In labeling method 2, no information was provided. In labeling method 3, 
research Note PNW-Rn-556



the simulated species was mentioned, but not the word “alder” (e.g., “maple stain” 

and “oak stain”). In this paper we consider the aggregate demographic results of all 

three labeling methods (comparisons between labeling methods will be considered 

separately).

Sample Demographics

Respondents were predominantly female (two-thirds). Almost 37 percent of 

respondents were between 51 and 60 years of age, and about 26 percent were 41 

to 50 years old.

Respondents, by age

 

Years Percentage of total

18-30 7.00

31-40 14.00

41-50 26.17

51-60 36.83

61-70 12.83

>70 3.17

Figure 1—Cabinet door having light stain (“alder stained as oak”), medium stain (“alder stained as pine”), 

or dark stain (“alder stained as walnut”).
Red Alder Kitchen Cabinets—How Does Application of Commercial Stains Influence Customer Choice?

Household income ranged from $76,000 to $100,000 per year for 29 percent of 

respondents and from $51,000 to $75,000 for about 26 percent of respondents. 

Respondents, by household income

 

Dollars per year 1 Percentage of total

<25,000 2.2

26,000–50,000 16.7

51,000–75,000 26.1

76,000–100,000 28.8

101,000–125,000 12.8

126,000–150,000 5.7

>150,000 7.7

Results

Overall Popularity

One clear trend was that the brighter shades of stain were considerably more popular than darker shades (table 1). For example, walnut, chestnut, and mahogany stains 

(the three darkest) were the three least popular cabinets by a wide margin. Pine, 

unstained, oak, and maple (the four brightest) were the most popular.

Gender

Several differences in male versus female preferences are worth noting. Women 

preferred oak-stained cabinets by a considerable margin compared to men, whereas 

more men than women preferred pine-stained and maple-stained cabinets (table 

1). The oak-stained cabinet was the only one that clearly had a brighter appearance than the unstained cabinet, whereas the pine-stained cabinet had a somewhat 

darker appearance (i.e., a more reddish hue) than the unstained cabinet. Despite 

these trends, there were no statistically significant differences in cabinet preferences 

based on gender (table 1).

Age

There were few clear trends for staining preferences based on age class (table 2). 

Unstained cabinets and pine-stained cabinets had broad appeal for most ages. 

Mahogany-stained and walnut-stained cabinets, although relatively unpopular 

overall, had greater preference among younger respondents than older (table 2).

1 Rounded to the nearest $1,000.
research Note PNW-Rn-556

Income

Unstained cabinets were most often selected as favorite among respondents having 

an annual household income of $75,000 or less (table 3). Among higher income 

respondents (those earning more than $75,000 per year—55 percent of respondents), 

oak- and pine-stained cabinets were generally preferred, as were unstained cabinets. 

There were statistically significant differences between income class groups for 

mahogany stained cabinets (table 3).

Location

Regional differences were evaluated for both home show locations (table 4). Only 

two cabinets showed statistically significant differences between Portland, Oregon, 

and Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage respondents showed a greater preference for 

unstained cabinets than did Portland respondents. Portland respondents showed 

a greater preference for maple-stained cabinets than did Anchorage respondents. 

Chestnut-stained cabinets showed borderline statistical significance (being preferred in Portland).

Table 1—Gender preferences for commercially stained red alder cabinet doors

	 	 Cabinet door	 	 Overall	 Male Female t-value Significance

 

 Percentage of time chosen as favorite 

Unstained 21.4 20.9 21.6 0.242  0.809

Lighter Oak stain 18.8 15.3 20.6 1.588  .113

Maple stain 18.6 20.9 17.0 1.098  .273

Pine stain 22.1 24.5 21.1 .876  .381

Chestnut stain 6.5 6.6 6.4 .103  .918

Mahogany stain 10.2 9.7 10.7 .400  .689

Darker Walnut stain 2.4 2.1 2.6 .390  .696

 Total 100 100 100
Red Alder Kitchen Cabinets—How Does Application of Commercial Stains Influence Customer Choice?



Table 3—Analysis of variance for favorite commercially stained red alder cabinet doors, by income class

 Household income in 1,000 dollars per year 

	 Cabinet door	 <25 26-50 51-75 76-100 101-125 126-150 >150 F-value Significance

 Percentage of time chosen as favorite 

Unstained  25.0 26.4 23.2  21.711.4 22.6 26.2 1.033 0.403

Lighter Oak stain  16.7 18.7 19.0  17.225.7 9.7 11.9.913 .485

Maple stain  8.3 16.5 16.9  18.5  20.0 16.1 19.1  .215 .972

Pine stain  25.0 17.6  16.9  23.6  15.7 22.6 31.0 1.093 .365

Chestnut stain  0 4.4 9.2 7.6  5.7 12.9 0 1.362 .228

Mahogany stain  16.7 13.2  7.0 7.6  20.0 12.9 9.4 1.875a .083

Darker Walnut stain  8.3 2.2  3.5  1.3  0 3.2 2.4 .932 .472

Unspecified stain 0 1.0  4.3  2.5  1.5 0 0

Total 100 100  100  100  100  100 100

a Significant at 0.10 level by using ANOVA analysis.

Table 2—Analysis of variance for favorite commercially stained red alder cabinet doors, by age of 

respondents

 Age in years 

 Cabinet door 18-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 >70 F-valueSignificance

 Percentage of time chosen as favorite 

Unstained 28.6 20.5 19.1 21.3  17.1 36.81.3380.230

Lighter Oak stain 14.3 13.3 17.8 21.3  19.7 15.8 .542 .803

Maple stain  11.9 22.9 17.8 16.7  23.7 15.8 .667 .700

Pine stain  21.3 18.1 22.9 19.9  23.7  31.6 .909 .499

Chestnut stain  2.4 9.6 6.4 6.8  5.3 0  .607 .750

Mahogany stain 16.7 14.5 12.7 8.1  4.0 0  1.651 .119

Darker Walnut stain  4.8 0 1.9 3.2  2.6 0.625 .736

Unspecified stain 0 1.1 1.4 2.7  3.9 0

Total 100  100 100 100  100 100
research Note PNW-Rn-556



Considerations

Wood products manufacturers have a great deal of control over their product’s 

appearance features (and resulting customer preferences) simply by choice of commercial stain. Because product styles and species preferences can change from year 

to year, it is particularly important to stay abreast of current trends. Because of its 

versatility and ease of staining, red alder is well suited to simulate the appearance 

of species that are most in demand. However, any number of species (not just red 

alder) could potentially be stained to a desired appearance by using the commercial 

stains considered in this report. This study found that lighter shades of stain are 

preferred by wide margins versus the darkest shades, and indicates the importance 

of market location on consumer preferences for red alder cabinets.

Metric Equivalents

When you know: Multiply by: To find:

Board feet, log scale 0.0045 Cubic meters, logs

Cubic feet 0.0283 Cubic meters

Inches 2.54 Centimeters

Table 4—Regional differences for favorite commercially stained red alder cabinet doors

 Portland, Anchorage, 

 Oregon Alaska

	 Cabinet door	 (299 responses)	 (310 responses)	 Total	 t-value	 Significance

 Percentage of time chosen as favorite 

Unstained  14.4 27.4 21.4 3.993a 0.000

Lighter Oak stain  16.1 20.7 18.8 1.462 .144

Maple stain  26.1 10.7 18.6 5.028a .000

Pine stain  22.4 21.0 22.1 .431 .667

Chestnut stain 8.4  4.5 6.5 1.940b .053

Mahogany stain  9.7 10.3 10.2 .256 .798

Darker Walnut stain  2.0  2.6 2.4 .472 .637

Otherc .9  2.8

Total 100  100

a Significant at 0.05 level by using ANOVA analysis.

b Significant at 0.10 level by using ANOVA analysis.

c Some respondents did not indicate a favorite cabinet door but provided other survey results.
Red Alder Kitchen Cabinets—How Does Application of Commercial Stains Influence Customer Choice?



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Roos, J.; Donovan, G.; Nicholls, D. 2005. How does species name affect consumer 

choice? An analysis and implications for cabinet door marketers. Forest Products 

Journal. 55(5): 21–26. 

van Hees, W.W.S. 2001a. Summary estimates of forest resources on unreserved 

lands of the Ketchikan Inventory Unit, Tongass National Forest, southeast 

Alaska, 1998. Resour. Bull. PNW-RB-233. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 8 p.

van Hees, W.W.S. 2001b. Summary estimates of forest resources on unreserved 

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