When it comes to furniture, hardwood is the best type of wood material. It has a combination of beauty and durability that cannot be matched by any softwood or engineered wood. While softwoods can be beautiful, they are not as durable as hardwoods. There are different types of wood for furniture (both hard and soft wood) available on the market, each with its own set of characteristics in terms of color, density, grain and finish.
Choosing the right wood for your furniture is critical, as it helps you determine the exact price of your unit and will also be a decisive factor when you want to restore, resell or dispose of furniture. In botanical terms, hardwood comes from flowering trees, while softwood comes from conifers. Hardwood is derived from angiosperms such as maple, oak and walnut, which lose their leaves every year (deciduous or broad-leaved trees). As they grow slowly, hardwood has denser wood fibers (tracheal fibers and libriform fibers). An interesting fact about hardwood is that some types of hardwood cannot float in water - for example, black iron wood is perhaps the hardest and heaviest wood that sinks in water. Softwood comes from gymnosperms, which are evergreen trees that contain seeds, such as pine, fir, cedar, juniper, redwood and yew.
Because most evergreen trees tend to be less dense than deciduous trees, they are easier to cut down and also grow tall and straight, making it easy to cut long, straight wooden boards. Softwood usually consists of tracheids and wooden stripes but lacks vessels - since there are no containers, softwood is also referred to as non-porous wood. The lack of containers allows softwoods to absorb adhesives quickly, resulting in a better finish. Softwood is commonly used in building materials such as structural frames, exterior and interior wall cladding, accessories, floor coverings, formwork and scaffolding among others. It is also used in the paper and cardboard industry and comes with loose grain, higher sap content and a lighter color.
However, it has poor fire resistance. Its thin and light structure makes it the best wood for furniture. Hardwood is more expensive than softwood and is often used in the manufacture of high-end furniture. Mahogany is one of the most popular tropical hardwood trees - prized for its beauty, durability and color. Walnut (black walnut) is one of the most popular woods for furniture in the U.
S., due to its dimensional stability, shock resistance, strength properties and rich coloration. Oak is native to the Northern Hemisphere with about 600 species of oak both deciduous and perennial. Oak wood is extremely strong, heavy and durable - it is also resistant to fungal attacks. Ash trees are medium to large trees that grow in most parts of the world - ashwood feels soft to the touch and is durable, tough and flexible with excellent nailing, screw fastening and gluing properties. Birch trees are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere - birch plywood is probably the most commonly used as it is hard, stable, affordable and easily available. Maple trees are mostly native to Asia but are also found in Europe, North Africa and North America - maple wood is sturdy, break-resistant and durable with a low sap content and good fire resistance. Cherry wood comes from cherry trees - cherry wood has an intense color, a soft grain and flexibility making it a popular choice for furniture makers.
Beech trees are deciduous and native to temperate zones in Europe, Asia and North America - beech wood is very durable and resistant to abrasion and shocks with a distinctive but moderately unpleasant odor while working on it. Teak trees are tropical hardwood trees native to India, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand - teak wood is one of the hardest and most durable natural woods with excellent resistance to rot, sunlight....
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