Having the right kind of cabinet stock when the time comes requires a bit of woodworking knowledge. Different items require different types of grain patterns. For example, the stiles and rails of doors and cabinets should be vertical grain for the best look and the optimum stability. So, having at least part of your cabinet stock in vertical grain is really a must. Then, the panels in doors and the sides of cabinets are traditionally wide plainsawn material. So, having wide planks definitely creates a better look for those areas. Additionally, it is important to recognize how to glue up materials to make those wider items that you cannot get planks as wide as is required. For example, stair treads would be a good example of a potential problem. It is often not possible to get all of your stair treads in 12″ widths. So, the best solution would be to glue up vertical grain material to produce the width required. Vertical grain material has very straight, linear grain, so it does not show glue joints so boldly as other grain patterns where the grain is plainsawn or mixed grain.