Wood furniture knows no style boundaries. It can be found on ornate, traditional pieces to sleek, modern furniture. And you'll find it everywhere in the home—from the kitchen to the bedroom and every space in between.By identifying 13 of the most popular wood types used in furniture and the nine most common wood finishes, we help simplify the process of looking for that perfect furniture piece. Ash (white ash): With a pale wood color, ash is a tough hardwood. It is extremely flexible without losing its strength, so it is often found in bent and curved furniture. Birch (yellow birch): This is a common hardwood used in all types of furniture. Birch is light yellow-brown in color, and similar in color and grain to maple. Cedar: A softwood that is mostly used in closets, armoires, chests, and dressers, cedar is a light reddish color with lighter streaks and knots. Cedar has a distinctive scent and is effective in repelling insects, especially moths. Cherry: Often used in fine furniture, cherry is an expensive hardwood.
It takes stains and finishes easily and ages beautifully. Mahogany: As one of the most treasured woods, mahogany is a main-stay in fine furniture. This expensive wood has a reddish-brown to deep red coloring. Maple: Maple is a dense, attractive hardwood that's often used in furniture and is the most common wood used in butcher blocks. Maple is a light brown color with a reddish cast. Oak: Commonly used in furniture, oak has two main variations: red and white. White oak is gray-brown in color, while red oak has a reddish cast with a gray-brown color. Because of its strength and beautiful grain, oak is often used in solid wood furniture and veneers. Pecan: Used often in dining furniture, pecan is a strong hardwood. It is also commonly found in veneers. Pecan has a pronounced grain, and the color ranges from pale brown to reddish brown. Pine: The primary wood used in unfinished furniture, the light color of pine takes stains well, and therefore can take on many colors when stained or painted.
Pine often has knots and clearly marked ring growths creating a recognizable grain. Teak: Weather-resistant teak is commonly used for outdoor furniture like chaises and patio dining sets, as well as in shower accents like mats and stools. The color of teak varies from a golden brown to a dark brown. It is an expensive wood. Walnut: Traditionally used in fine furniture (like cabinets), expensive walnut is also often used in veneers. Walnut is chocolate brown with dark or purplish streaks. Wenge: This expensive, cappuccino-colored hardwood is often used in modern décor. Wenge is dark brown to black with black graining. Plywood, MDF, and particle board/chipboard are manufactured wood products. Do not disregard these products, as they can often be high quality. When covered with a top-quality veneer, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a composite wood piece and a solid wood piece of furniture. Here are the three most common composite woods: MDF: Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) is made from broken down hardwood and softwood fibers that have been bonded together with resin, glue, and/or wax.
The fibers are then compressed at high temperatures to form sheets, resulting in a product that is stronger and denser than all other wood materials. MDF is very heavy, but it cuts, sands, and finishes well. It is often used for cabinets, cupboards, and shelving.Plywood: Made of multiple, thin layers of wood that are glued and pressed together, plywood is strong, flexible, and resistant to cracking, warping, shrinking, and swelling. To increase the strength of the furniture, the direction of the grains alternate between an odd number of layers.Particle Board: Made of glue, sawdust, and wood chips that have been mixed together and pressure treated, particle board is inexpensive. The process is similar to how MDF is made, but it is made with actual wood chips. Particle board is a common component of inexpensive furniture that has a veneered or laminate facade, including budget-friendly flooring and kitchen furniture. Inlays: As a popular decorative technique, inlaying involves inserting contrasting materials into depressions in a base object to create a design with a flush, flat surface.
Common on accent tables and jewelry boxes, inlayed wood pieces are often expensive as the inlay process is not easy. Materials often for contrast detail work are other woods, metal, or ivory.Lacquer: This is a protective finish applied in many thin coats. Lacquer can have many sheen levels from matte to high gloss.Liming, Pickling, and Whitewashing: All three create a white effect on wood giving it a rustic, weathered appearance. This look is achieved by applying a lime mixture, bleach, or white stain/paint to the wood.Paint: Often found on country, cottage, or coastal-style furniture—wood can be painted any color. Resin: Unlike other surface finishes, resin soaks in and hardens the wood's individual fibers. Resin-treated wood often has a natural, almost unfinished look and is able to withstand heavy wear. Resin can be clear or colored.Stain: Stains can change the color of wood to any color under the rainbow from a darker brown to blue.Shellac: Derived from an insect resin found in southeast Asia, shellac is non-toxic sealer for furniture that can be found in many colors.
Varnish: As one of the toughest finishes, varnish is resistant to impact, heat, abrasion, water, and alcohol. Varnish gives the wood a clear finish, but can sometimes darken the wood. It's available in many sheen levels from high gloss to matte.Veneers: Veneers are created by bonding a thin layer of fine, decorative wood to the face of furniture made of less expensive materials. Furniture with a veneered finish is usually more affordable than furniture made of solid fine wood. Veneers can be applied in patterns to add visual interest to a piece. Wood joinery is a characteristic of durable, high-quality furniture. As a traditional technique, this type of construction features unique, puzzle-shape cuts of wood that tightly lock together without any use of glue, clips, or fasteners. Common wood joinery techniques are French dovetail, mortise and tenon, as well as tongue and grove. These structurally sound techniques have a distinct look and level of quality.The Best Wood for Your Dining Room Table
The dining room table has historically been one of the most central places in our homes. This is where we gather with family and friends to celebrate holidays or special occasions. On a daily basis it is an informal place for work and other projects or for relaxing conversation with friends. For all of these important moments, a solid wood dining table is perhaps the most comfortable, functional, and beautiful choice you can make. But there are so many wood options out there...what should you choose? Our builders work with a selection of only the responsibly harvested North-American hardwood species including Red Oak, Quarter Sawn White Oak, Brown Maple, Hard Maple, Hickory, Elm and Cherry. Each type has unique qualities and characteristics like weight, density, grain pattern, and price. So here is a quick run down of our most popular woods. For a better explanation, and to see the woods in person, come visit our Evanston showroom. Oak is dense and hard with a deep natural grain that has texture you can see and feel.
Oak is very practical and functional because it is resistant to dings and dents. A solid oak dining table is best for everyday use especially for families with young children. Red Oak is only grown in North America and is readily available making it the most economical of all hard woods. Many of us live in homes and apartments with doors, floors & wall trims made of Red Oak. Regular Oak Quarter Sawn Quarter Sawn White Oak was used even more in the past. The name refers to how the logs are divided up and sawn into building stock. The unique preparation process gives Quartersawn Oak a unique appearance. The grain looks more even than regular oak but it has some very interesting swirls going across the grain. This effect is often called ray flake, and it is actually the vascular tissue of the tree being revealed in cross-section. Quartersawn white oak was often used in craftsman and bungalow homes and it makes a wonderful choice for Mission and Arts and Crafts styled furniture.
QSWO is sturdy, stylish and has more visual interest than red oak. Any stain color brings out its rich wavy grains that have tight even swirls. The craftsmanship inherently makes it in a bit higher price range than regular oak. Oak is very practical and functional and with our two step finishing it is resistant to dings and scratches. Maple (above) is a hard wood that is smooth to the touch with a tighter grain than Oak. The advantage of Maple is that it has a silky look that is very smooth and in the case of Brown Maple, is in the more economical price range of hard woods. Brown Maple is somewhat light in weight and absorbs colored stains well. Its smoorth grain works well in contemporary and modern pieces yet it has a soothing and welcoming presence. It fits any dining style use from every day to more formal. Hard Maple on the other hand has the same smooth look but is much denser, heavier and harder. It is also a bit higher priced. It is so dense that some stains take to it poorly.
When used for a dining room it makes a statement that is bold and elegant. Hard maple dining rooms make a distinctive, durable addition to any home. Walnut (below) has bold flowing grains that make a big style statement. Walnut graciously shows dark to light patterns that give a dining room a sophisticated look. Walnut is crafted in furniture to look slim and sleek with clean lines and a straight cut design. It is always popular but has recently gained popularity in more urban types of décor. Walnut is a bit harder that brown maple, but not as hard as oak; it tends to be the one of the most expensive woods. Elm (below) has beautiful dark and light lines with small flakes in between. A dining room filled with an Elm hutch, table and chairs, reflects unique taste. When looked at closely it resembles Quail feathers that give it a feeling of being one-of- a-kind design. Elm is a very strong wood with particularly impressive tensile strength and ability to be bent and shaped.
Cherry has smooth even patterns with tiny pits. Cherry has soft lines of light curves with dark outlines and a rich, smooth grain. It also has small darks spots and flecks throughout....these are pits and mineral deposits in the wood. The inherent nature of cherry causes it to darken with exposure to light, especially when given a natural (no-stain) finish. Cherry is softer and lighter than some other hardwoods making it more prone to dings and dents than harder woods like oak. Cherry wood dining furniture gives warmth and elegance to any room. Rustic Cherry wood has the same beautiful grain pattern as regular cherry, but it has significantly more pits and mineral deposits in it, even including cracks and knots. Choosing rustic cherry is a nice way to save cost while going with the beautiful look of cherry. Other woods, like Quartersawn Oak and Hickory are also available in "rustic" versions for a somewhat lower price. All woods are beautiful in style and appearance.