Using wood to manufacture your furniture remains a popular idea to date. Different types of wood used in furniture, hardwood or softwood, are available to make any furniture. However, differentiating between different types of wood can become tricky but a critical decision for you. Different types come with different sets of properties varying from color to finish. When it comes to making an informed decision about the wood, you must know all the characteristics it has to offer. The guide below will help you choose a quality piece of wood for your furniture.
Different types of wood and their uses:
Hardwood vs Softwood
Hardwood: hardwood is found in oak, cherry, maple, mahogany, and walnut. It is much denser with wood fibers. High-quality solid wood mostly comes from trees, which lose their leaves yearly, also known as deciduous trees. Visit Global Event Supply and see your options for yourself. Furthermore, various versions of hardwood give you options to choose from, for e.g
| Type of hardwood | Properties |
| Oak | Durable and variety of colors like white, red, and black. This offers options to customers to design their sturdy oak dining table chairs. Dark oak wood adds a vintage touch to the flooring too. |
| Cherry | Scratch-resistant, non-toxic, and darkens with time, adding a beautiful touch to cherry wood furniture or flooring. |
| Maple | Highly durable and non-toxic. Natural white contrast with the reddish-brown color of the wood, and the curly pattern reveals an appeal on the furniture. Perhaps best wood for dining tables and coffee tablesType of hardwood. |
| Mahogany | Lightweight yet strong, offering different color tones of brown. Furniture built with mahogany bears a noble look. |
| Walnut | Used for high-end furniture, shock resistant, and rich coloration. It gives a unique and chic look to your furniture. |
Softwood: softwood is found in the form of pine or cedar. It comes from evergreen trees that tend to be less dense than deciduous trees. They grow straight, making it easier to cut down the wood in straight planks.
| Types of softwood | Properties |
| Cedar | Most suitable for making outdoor furniture as it is weather-resistant. It also fights off the bugs making it suitable for closets too. It may be the best wood for outdoor furniture or for the folding table you use for your garden |
| Spruce | Typically used as a construction wood. The trees do not grow very tall hence making it ideal for making smaller furniture. Best suitable for your kids, smaller furniture is available on our website. |
| Pine | Relatively cheaper option with dark knots. One question that may arise is whether pine wood is good for furniture or not. A simple answer to it is yes, it is a lot different than oak wood but its own set of characteristics makes it unique. It depends on your purpose. Like it may not be durable comparatively but is a strong, shock-resistant piece of wood. Survey shows people choose pine typically for flooring |
Identifying the types of wood used in the furniture is highly important. Above we distinguished between hardwood and softwood. So, hardwood comes from deciduous trees, having a rough wood touch and great density. It creates expensive, fine furniture, and not all types of hardwood can be suitable to produce furniture. Whereas softwood comes from evergreen trees, having a fine wooden touch with less density. However, it is ideal for all kinds of furniture and a much cheaper option. An interesting fact about softwood is that studies show that 80% of timber is extracted from softwood.
Another category worth mentioning is manufactured or engineered wood:
| Plywood | Rough in appearance but made of various sheets of thin wood, making it adhesive and durable. So avail yourself the opportunity now and get your hands on our plywood tables |
| Particleboard | Relatively less durable and cheaper as it is made up of tiny fibers from a wood chipper |
| Veneer | Acts as cover to the surface of plywood and particleboard to make them look more solid |
Which Is the Best Wood For Furniture?
Different factors must be considered when choosing the best wood for furniture. The ability to assess and identify different types of wood used in furniture should be there. Now as explained above, the difference between hardwood and softwood is established. The key takeaway from it can be hardwood may be more expensive but lasts longer. You need the kind of quality wood that will stand up to regular. This is where hardwood guarantees longer durability.
Then if we dig into more specifics, an important question stands, where and when which furniture will be used e.g. ideal lumber for indoor furniture such as dining tables or folding tables and chairs will be oak and cherry. Although, only hardwood does not need to be the best option.
In some cases, softwood is also preferred. Like if pine and poplar are readily available with proper finishing methods. Also, cedar wood is weather resistant, which could be the ideal or best wood for outdoor furniture.
What is the best wood to use for outdoor furniture?
Till now, we know the types of wood used in furniture. We have also established the difference between hardwood and softwood and what kind of properties they offer. Despite this clarity, choosing the best wood for outdoor furniture can still be critical. The most important factor that needed to be kept in mind was the weather resistance of the wood. Let’s look into our options one by one:
- Teak (hardwood): it is durable, straight-grained, waterproof, stable, and keeps off the dirt. What teak offers is almost perfect but pricey.
- Alaskan Yellow Cedar (softwood): highly stable, durable, and resistant to corrosion and decay. One catch is the price has increased and may be out of your budget range.
Oak (hardwood): It is one thing to be hard-wearing but oak is absolutely beautiful to look at too. Although it requires coverings when not in use, to prevent moisture from getting in. - Iroko: A gorgeous yellow-golden timber that darkens with age. It has to offer scratch resistance and the natural ability to withstand moisture and insect attack.
After clarity, now you have readily available options too. Global Events Supply has to offer a chic outdoor wood collection for all your outdoor activities
From establishing hardwood and softwood differences, we found several options for types of wood used in furniture. We saw how each option possesses its own set of unique characteristics. We also saw which one is ideal for which exact situation. Like oak and cherry wood are the best wood for dining tables. On the other hand, cedarwood may be ideal for outdoor folding tables and chairs. From pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of each type we now know the answers to questions. Like “is pine wood good for furniture?” or “what is the best wood to use for outdoor furniture?.” The types of wood used in furniture vary from choice to purpose of usage. To tailor the perfect product that suits your needs you can determine for yourself now.