Best Wood Types for Domestic Furniture

Sarah Home

Buying wood furniture has become a very popular choice, as it gives your house a very rustic and homely feel. Designing your interiors with unique wood pieces and pairing them with the right kind of drapes and artifacts can transform the aesthetic of your house. This kind of decor would do particularly well in homes built in colder locations.

A word of caution when buying wood furniture for your home: it requires very careful maintenance. Wood furniture can be prone to pests like termites and beetles, which can cause serious damage to the furniture. Having beautiful, exquisite furniture in your home only for it to be damaged by unwanted pests can be very frustrating. However, this is no reason to deter you from buying the furniture; you just have to make sure to regularly clean the furniture and remove pest from your home at the earliest sign of trouble. There are a range of wood types to make your furniture with, and each has its own unique characteristics. Read on to find out more about each.

Acacia Wood does not just offer a nice colouration that goes from lighter to darker with its finishes, but is extra sturdy as well. Walnut Wood is perfect for making intricate, decorative pieces of furniture due to its ability to retain its form over the years without warping, discoloring, or succumbing to other common problems of hardwood furniture. These natural characteristics of the wood are becoming increasingly sought-after, as red maple lends aorganic look to the furniture.

Maple wood is highly regarded for its stability and appealing grain, often making it a preferred choice for furniture-making. Its density and durability are comparable to more expensive hardwoods, and its widespread availability makes it an economical alternative to woods like oak and alder. Considering these advantages, using maple wood for your furniture and even outdoor structures can be a smart choice. To bring your maple wood ideas to life, you can search online with terms like “carpentry services near me” to find skilled carpenters who can create custom wooden pieces tailored to your preferences. This way, you can enjoy the beauty and resilience of maple wood in furniture and structures that suit your unique style.

Some of the other popular furniture hardwoods are maple, walnut, cherry, and oak, though there are plenty of exotic options out there if you are looking to make a statement. Many types of wood like Walnut, Cherry, and Hickory are hardy and can be used for making custom furniture like a jupe table or dining room chairs. Few from an enormous selection of woods provide the toughness and beauty that is appropriate for cabinetry and fine furnishings, and only a relatively small number are generally used for furniture. In general, though, if you are starting out woodworking and you anticipate being wrong, you are generally best off choosing some of the less costly woods, such as soft maple, poplar, pine, and fir.

Some examples of popular hardwoods used for furniture include black cherry, black walnut, maple and oak. Hardwood species are available in many shades and colors, ranging from extremely pale (white oak, ash, maple) to deep, nearly black (American walnut, also known as black walnut). Oak trees, whether red or white varieties, are common trees found throughout the U.S., producing the two most popular varieties of hardwoods. The black walnut tree grows up to 120 feet high and produces an exquisitely rich, chocolaty wood sought by woodworking enthusiasts.

Poplar trees are found throughout the Eastern U.S., where they produce the Poplar Wood Itself. Poplar wood comes from various species of poplar trees, some of which can attain a height up to 160 feet. Grown as both a deciduous or evergreen tree across the United States, Canada, and Europe, oak wood may show off one of a number of different shades of red or white, and is generally used in solid, high-quality furniture. Oak Wood is strong and durable, because oak trees take time to slowly grow in order to produce a material with a higher density.

Teak stands out as a significant wood variety in furniture production. Known for its sturdy nature, teak is a hardwood inherently impervious to decay and insect harm, rendering it a prime selection for crafting outdoor furnishings. That’s why reputed furniture manufacturers frequently opt for teak in curating their outdoor assortments due to its robustness and resilience, allowing it to survive even the harshest weather conditions. For a comprehensive analysis, you can explore this detailed comparison of popular outdoor furniture brands often favoring the use of teak.

Common Alder, another popular furniture choice, is a member of the Birch family, but alder’s fine, uniform grain makes it resemble Cherry. Alder Wood Alder is a less costly alternative to oak, and is the second most widely used wood to create furniture.

Unless spruce is treated specifically, the wood is not particularly resistant to the elements and will easily expand, making it better for interior projects rather than exterior ones. Birchwood has a nice appearance; its thin grain and light colour lends an elegant appearance to clean-lined furniture designs. Western Red Cedar is relatively soft (1 on the 1 – 4 scale), has straighter grain, and has slightly fragrant scent.

In fact, up to 90% of all hardwood lumber is used for furniture, cabinets, flooring, and architectural detailing. Whether you are making a coffee table, dining table, dresser, closet, table, chair, bed frame, desk, top, or anything in between, knowing what is the best kind of wood to use for your furniture is a must-know skill for any budding DIY furniture maker.