The Best wood for Furniture

When you buy a piece of furniture, it is easy to get carried away by the aesthetics that attracts us or simply by the price. But, if you are looking for quality furniture, you should also be interested in aspects such as finishing, fittings and especially, the type of wood.

The furniture can be made of multiple materials, but usually, it is made of wood or wood by-products (panels of chips or pressed wood fibers). Furniture made of wood also has different qualities depending on two aspects: 1. the type of wood used 2. Whether the wood is solid or not.

The Origin of Wood

Depending on the geographical area from which it originates, wood is divided into European woods (in general, those of the Northern Hemisphere) and exotic wood. The first ones (which are classified according to their hardness) are used for different carpentry and construction works.

Exotic or tropical wood (teak, ebony, and mahogany) are highly prized because they are rare, and for their ability to withstand the external elements, which is why they are used for furniture and garden pieces.

Best Hardwood to Make Furniture

Among those of European origin, wood is classified as hardwood or softwood. Hardwood comes from slow-growing trees. It is very appreciated, and as it is usually very resistant, it is the most used wood for manufacturing furniture. Some examples of hardwood are oak, walnut, cherry, chestnut, beech, and olive.

Softwood comes from conifers and other fast-growing trees and is so named because of the ease with which it can be worked. It is less resistant, and its value is lower when coming from more abundant trees. Softwoods are pine, cypress, spruce, poplar, and birch.

Most Appreciated Woods

Resistance, as we have seen, is a great value in the price of wood, but so is its rarity, color, the brightness of its fibers, density, the difficulty of working it, etc. Following is the best hardwood for furniture:

1. Walnut

It is one of the noblest woods. Of uniform appearance, it is used in luxury furniture and paneling, as well as in the elaboration of turned elements. ( click here to see more about the Walnut )

2. Cherry

It has a beautiful orange tone, so it is very appreciated to build furniture. However, it is also delicate and prone to blackout and woodworm.

3. Olive

The artistic and decorative works in the olive tree are very appreciated for the striking that the fibers of the wood of this tree have, especially those that approach the root.

4. Oak

It is one of the most resistant and durable, so it is used to make quality furniture and parquet.

Click to see more about the European oak lumber

5. Cedar

Of tone similar to the mahogany, it is lighter and of a thicker texture. It is used to line furniture.

6. Elm

It is very appreciated in joinery and marquetry ( the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures )

7. Pine

One of the best quality wood for furniture. Mainly because of its quality and the attractive price. It is used a lot in carpentry, plywood, formwork or joinery.

8. Ash

It is used in joinery and carpentry, and in the elaboration of curved elements.

9. Mahogany

It comes from the Amazon, is reddish in color and is very hard, although easy to work with. It is used mainly in cabinetmaking for luxury furniture and other quality coatings.

10. Beech

A very popular wood for furniture mainly in Europe, where it is found and common. It has a reddish yellow color that turns brown after evaporation.

Click to see more about the European beech lumber