November 11, 2022

What wood species is best for custom wine cellar design? What about a stain and finish?

By Founder · 1 minute read

What wood species is best for custom wine cellar racking design? What about a stain and finish?

When designing a custom wine cellar, one of the final, personal, and most important choices is deciding on a wood species and/or a stain and finish for the custom racking material. This presumes of course that the material you’ve chosen for the custom racking design is in fact wood! If you’re undecided on which material (wood, metal, acrylic, mixed materials) to use for your racking project, you can read more about that decision here.

But, we digress…

Of course, there is no “best” wood species or stain and finish as every custom project is distinct by nature and subject to the personal preferences of each client. The two main considerations when choosing a wood type and/or stain and finish are: first, looks, and second…price, of course!

With respect to looks, each wood species has its own distinct color and tone. You may find that one of these particular types (in its natural state) meets your desired look. Examples of our wood types are shown below, all treated with a clear coat lacquer (for durability and richness) but with no stain and finish. The examples are listed from lowest to highest cost wood.

Now, for example, walnut has the highest price point and is aesthetically beautiful…however, will it fit in your budget? If not, you may still be able to achieve a similar look or shade of color by using a less costly wood (i.e. pine, alder, mahogany) and applying a stain and finish. This is where the option to stain can help you value-engineer the look you want while still achieving a beautiful end result.

The stain and finish is an extra product/service and so it doesn’t come with an additional price but may save you money vs a premium wood species.

Here’s an example using alder wood. Adler is cost-effective hardwood species that take a stain and finish very well. Below you can see a variety of stain options that achieve darker tones. This is a great way to save money vs a premium-priced wood like sapele or mahogany.

Imagine, these are just a few of the stain options for alder and any other wood species! There are dozens of permutations you can explore with various wood types and stains/finishes.

This important decision should be made in consultation with the custom wine cellar design experts at California Custom Cellars. Regardless of the “look”, you want to achieve or the budget you are considering we will give you professional design guidance to ensure your vision becomes a reality!