How To Buy Wood Furniture For Your Home

Even though hardwoods are more expensive than soft woods, they are definitely more durable. You can choose between various colors, get specific stains, or even bleached hardwoods to make it unique.

The most popular in the quality department are cherry, mahogany, maple, oak, teak, or walnut styles. Just keep in mind that the cherry and maple versions are more difficult to craft.

Your choice will depend on the style of the furniture, your financial situation, and appearance. Hopefully the hardwoods we've listed below can give you a good indication of what you want out of your furniture.

Birch- This is a color that is almost white, but gives off a tan appeal. If you use birch you can rest assured that it will fight off shrinking, swelling, and warping. Most of the time you will see this stained in mahogany, walnut, or cherry.

Cherry- This type also has a good resistance to shrinking, swelling, and warping. It's a reddish-brown color that can be dyed and is easy to detail with unique carvings.

Oak- This is more of a lighter cherry with its pinkish-brown tone. It's great for carving, but most importantly it takes stains well.

Ebony- You will notice that ebony is in between brown and black. If you purchase this style then you'll be able to see the grain patterns more predominantly.

Mahogany- More of a reddish color with a hint of brown, Mahogany has a great resistance against shrinking and warping. This is considered a softer hardwood, but will take richer, darker stains.

Maple- While maple is considered a beautiful light beige to tan color, you have to remember it's hard to detail. Occasionally it is dyed.

Poplar- If you come across Poplar for the first time, it's got a light tan with a touch of pink in it. The most notable part is the green-tinted streaks. However, it is consider one of the weaker hardwoods out there today. Then again, it is easy to work with, and is best used for interior furniture parts.

Rosewood- The resistance in Rosewood is far superior to most hardwoods. It's extremely easy to work with and the deep red tone with black graining is absolutely gorgeous.

Teak- This is used for indoor and outdoor furniture. However, it is geared to keep from rotting, so most people who own Teak, and have it outside.

Walnut- This dark gray with a trace of brown style is usually stained darker. It's definitely easy to carve and can stain easy, but doesn't have a good resistance to shrinking. So make sure you keep your pieces in the appropriate area.

A Helpful Hint- If you're looking for mahogany, don't purchase the vintage style. It's not as durable and it will shrink. If you need an alternative and want to save money, then try birch.

If you're looking for a cheaper route, then you might want to try the softer woods. Obviously you want to choose the right type of wood, and if you choose this version you'll have to give it extra care.

Cedar- Here you'll be able to choose between brown and white. You will usually find this in dresser drawers and for decorative panels. Then of course it's mostly used for outdoor furniture.

Pine- White pine is extremely easy to work with and is used for several types of pieces. Unfortunately its resistance to shrinking, swelling, and warping is horrible. Most of the time people paint their pine pieces.

Another Pine- Yellow pine has this tan, orange, and yellow appeal to it. It's grainy, and when you use a finish, it doesn't turn out so well. We wouldn't recommend using this if the wood is going to be exposed.

If you're not sure what these are, composites are simply manufactured wood products. We can't give you an exact price since they vary, nor can we tell you how each one performs. It's mostly used for shelving purposes for the back of furniture and modern day styles.

Plywood- You will usually see plywood in either a white or tan flavor. These are just a bunch of layers glued together. They're resistant to just about everything, and are mostly used for support. However, you will find that some furniture is manufactured from plywood, which could be shaped into permanent contours.

Particleboard- Made of sawdust, particleboards has a light to medium brown coloration. You will usually see this type of component used for inexpensive furniture. It's also covered with laminates or veneers.

You will notice that they split easily and the other versions will pop loose because of swelling. If you need something similar we recommend hardboard instead.

One thing most people don't understand about veneers is they are commonly used on high-quality furniture. Just keep in mind that it is very thin, and usually applied to wood or plywood bases.

You will notice that wood like tabletops can either warp or split over time. If it's made of cheap wood, the boards are usually joined all the edge, then covered with veneer.

The cool part about veneers is it makes the grain-lines in the actual wood. They can be matched to look like a solid piece, or arranged in a various patterns.

Quality Checking- when you are out looking for specific veneers, make sure you ask about the base and face of it. Even though it is used for many things, veneer isn't always the answer. Just look underneath the tables, check drawers, or shelving and anything else that isn't covered by veneer.

Unfortunately you'll find that your material can still warp and split if you're using particleboard. A good way to check this is by running your fingernail along the edge. This will let you know how tight it is to the base. If you notice gaps, it will eventually pop loose.

Laminates

These also cover the base material. However, they are glued to a fiberboard or even particleboard. Then again, there are cases where things in the kitchen are applied to wood in order to make it stronger and last longer. It's a great thing to take advantage of if you're trying to mimic table legs, chairs, and other exposed surfaces.

Helpful Hint- Make sure you check the laminate and wood match. It will also be a good idea to look at the core wood for good composition.

Most laminates are used in casual furniture. You can also find it used for children's furniture, but due to the particleboard it may breakdown over time. We recommend looking into fiberboard since it is more stable, and will give you a higher quality for your investment.

Leon Tuberman has been in the home decor and home furniture business for decades. His Los Angeles furniture store offers the best in American Made bedroom, home office and solid wood dining furniture. They carry the largest selection of Mission style and Arts & Crafts furniture on the Internet. So whether you're looking for a solid oak bedroom set or an Amish made wood dining chair they have the perfect peice for your home.