When it comes to selecting the right type of wood for your furniture, the decision isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. The choice depends on various factors, including intended usage, budget, and even the manufacturing process.
Types of Hardwood for Furniture
- Oak: Oak is a classic choice known for its strength and durability. It’s available in both white and red varieties.
- Hickory: Hickory is exceptionally tough and resilient, making it ideal for furniture subjected to wear and tear.
- Teak: Teak is highly resistant to moisture and pests, making it a popular choice for outdoor furniture.
- Maple: Maple wood is prized for its unique grain patterns and versatility in furniture design.
- Beech: Beech wood is known for its fine, even grain and is often used for chairs and cabinets.
- Walnut: Walnut boasts a rich, dark color and is favored for creating elegant, intricate furniture pieces.
- Mahogany: Mahogany wood has a reddish-brown hue that darkens beautifully with age, making it a choice of material for fine furniture.
Types of Softwood for Furniture
- Spruce: Spruce wood is valued for its lightness and ease of use, making it suitable for crafting smaller furniture items like chairs and tables.
- Pine: Pine wood is an economical choice and is often used for furniture pieces like dressers and flooring.
- Fir: Fir wood is relatively inexpensive and is commonly used for ceiling paneling.
- Redwood: Redwood is a preferred choice for flooring and furniture due to its cost-effectiveness.
- Cedar: Cedarwood is known for its natural resistance to pests and is often used for decks and moldings.
Types of Solid Wood
- Rosewood: Rosewood is a timeless choice for hand-carved furniture. Rosewood trees are native to Brazil, Jamaica, Africa, and India and have a Janka hardness scale score of 2200 lbs.
- Mango Wood: Mango trees are not very common in the US and are found in tropical areas like southern Asia, the Pacific, and Brazil.
- Acacia Wood: Acacia wood is a versatile material and is often chosen to build coffee tables, benches, dining tables, nightstands, dressers, desks, and outdoor furniture.
- Mindi Wood: Mindi wood comes from the fast-growing Mindi tree.
- Cherry Wood: Cherrywood is commonly found in the midwest and eastern America.
- Birch Wood: Birchwood is a cost-effective hardwood. It is commonly found in northern America, and the tree grows up to 70 feet in height.
- Bamboo Wood: Perhaps one of the most common trees globally, bamboo wood is an outstanding material due to its sustainability.
Types of Softwood
- Redwood: Redwood is often used as a preferred choice for flooring and furniture. It is quite cost-effective.
- Cedar Wood: Cedarwood is often preferred over durable domestic wood.
- Pine Wood: Pine wood is not very expensive and is widely used as cheap timber.
- Firwood: Firwood is a relatively inexpensive wood and is commonly used for ceiling paneling.
