Guide to choosing the correct wood for furnishing

With the plethora of timber supplies pouring in from all directions, choosing the best timber for your furniture could be tough. The answer very much depends on the usage and expected budget.

Types of wood for furniture:

The timber supplies can be broadly categorised into two:

Hard Wood

This kind of wood is quite dense and expensive. An interesting fact about hardwoods is that they can’t float on water.

Hardwood is porous and comes from deciduous trees, which grow slowly, hence the high cost.

The most popular type of hardwood used in furniture can be categorized below

• Mahogany: It is one of the most popular tropical hardwood trees prized for its beauty, durability and colour.

Mostly it is used in high-end furniture, interior millwork and doors and windows.

• Walnut: black walnut wood is a preferable choice for many owing to its stability, shock resistance and high-strength properties.

This wood is most commonly used in high-end furniture and musical instruments.

• Ash Wood: This tree can be found in most parts of the world and is popular because of its durability, toughness and flexibility.

It is a favourite among carpenters because of its excellent screw-holding and glueing properties, and it is mainly used for flooring and millwork.

• Teak Wood: This tropical hardwood is native to India, Myanmar and Thailand and is the hardest and most durable natural wood.

It is quite resistant to rotting and very suitable for outdoor construction.

• Cherry wood: It is obtained from cherry trees and is very much in demand due to its fine colour. Also, it steams easily, making it ideal for curved designs.

It finds uses in cabinetry, furniture, flooring, panelling, and small speciality wood items.

Softwood

This wood is obtained from seed-bearing evergreen trees that tend to be less dense than deciduous trees. It is easier to cut them down in the form of long logs, and hence, it is cheaper when compared to hardwood.

Some popular choices of softwood for furnishings and decking are mentioned below.

• Parana Pine: it is also famously known as Brazilian pine and is free from raisin ducts and pitch streaks.

This wood is mainly used in interior woodwork, door stock and veneer.

• Eastern White Pine: it is mainly known for dimensional stability and shock resistance. Also, its rich colouration is one of the major reasons for its popularity.

It finds major uses in furniture mouldings, panelling, pattern making and carving.

• Pitch Pine: this is another wood quite popular among the masses because of its fire and decay resistance properties and finds use in heavy construction, shipbuilding, plywood and veneers.
• Red Cedar: one more popular variety of softwood known for resistance to decay and insects. It is commonly used in making birdhouses, pencils, outdoor furniture and chest linings.

Conclusion

It can be said that softwood timber supplies are cost-effective, stylish, durable and suitable for maximum applications. If you want solid, high-end, antique finishes, it is best to opt for expensive yet beautiful hardwood timber.