Wood is among the most commonly used materials and almost any type of it can be used for the making of wooden furniture. It is everlasting, timeless, resilient and it requires very little maintenance. Moreover, manufacturers combine its beauty and practicality to create pieces that can meet the needs of any home style. Adding a piece of wooden furniture can instantly level up the look and ambience of any room.
Wood is more valuable than any other material used in the manufacturing of furniture. And although it is usually more expensive, the different types of wood come at different prices. So, depending on your budget, you can choose furniture made of softwoods or hardwoods. When it comes to solid wood furniture, timber is the most popular option. Each type of timber has its own unique features, which can add different degrees of emphasis, warmth, and beauty to the room’s overall decor.
Oak for solid furniture pieces
Oak is one of the most expensive types of timber furniture you can buy as it can support a lot of weight. This is why it is mostly used for the making of cabinets and occasionally for chair legs and tables. This beautiful wood comes in two colours – white and red. Red oak is a bit stronger than white, but they are both beautiful in their own way. The open grain texture of this wood gives the furniture pieces amazing, distinct patterns making the furniture unique and appealing.
Pine for texture and light colour
What makes pine furniture a popular choice is its texture and light colour which make it easy to stain, paint or alter in other ways. It’s a soft type of wood that can easily be shaped and that makes it perfect for producing covered and ornate-looking furniture pieces. However, being a softwood means that it can easily be damaged. Especially if you don’t treat it right. If we take this factor aside, if a distinct curved grain with knots is what are you looking for in a piece of furniture, you should consider pine. It is beautiful and a bit cheaper than oak.
Ash for hard wooden furniture
Ash hardwood timber furniture is even more popular than oak because it is harder and more responsive to painting and finishes. Oak allows you to enjoy only its natural colours while with ash, you can enjoy distinctive pale-looking furniture with the finish you like. Another advantage of ash over oak is that this type of wood is resistant to decay. Also, most of the modern timber furniture pieces on the market are made of ash since it’s more available than oak.
Mahogany for high-quality furniture
This wood has a distinctive, dark red-brown hue that makes it perfect for any piece of furniture, including drawers and cabinets. Also, it’s one of the most expensive ones which makes it a number one choice for the making of fine, high-quality furniture. Furthermore, it is soft, which means it is easy to work with and even easier to be shaped into ornate trims and fittings. Some types of mahogany trees have grey and orange hues which can be mostly found in Honduras and the Philippines.
Walnut for natural, dark colours
Australian timber furniture made of walnut is one of the most expensive options on the market. Just like mahogany wood, walnut can also be used for making a wide range of furniture pieces. Although considered a hardwood, it is still not the hardest one so it’s relatively easy to work with. It has one of the darkest natural colours that range from dark brown to almost black, resulting in luxurious and elegant furniture pieces. It is commonly used for the making of occasional tables and cabinets.
Although timber is very beautiful by itself, you can still add more drama and shine to your furniture pieces by applying some kind of finish. Lacquer is used for high sheen, natural oils for rich polish, shellac for golden amber look and wax for fine polish. These are applied to the wood not just to make it look better but to also protect it from scuff marks, scratches and stains. When applied properly, they do their job pretty well, but what about when your furniture needs restoration, repairing or refinishing? How to remove varnish from timber furniture? There are a few different ways and products to do that, so make sure you get well informed about how to do it properly and not damage your furniture.
Another procedure that comes with owning timber furniture is polishing. Whether you own a beautiful oak desk, a TV stand, a bed or any other wooden piece of furniture, you should keep it looking its best. So, how to polish timber furniture? You can do it by using specially made products for the purpose but to make things easier and simpler, you can use a homemade timber polish.
Last, but not least, regularly cleaning your timber home furniture will allow you to enjoy the beauty of the pieces for years to come. There is no denying that timber can be found in some of the most appealing home decors but it also requires regular dusting, cleaning, refinishing and more. You might be wondering how to clean timber furniture and think that it’s going to be a hassle, but that shouldn’t necessarily be the case. As long as you stick to the regular maintenance and cleaning routine, keep your furniture protected from water and scratches, it will look good as new for a long time.
