Different Types of Wood for Furniture

Are you in the midst of choosing new solid wood furniture for your home? Confused at the myriad types of wood for furniture available? Wood types can vary significantly in color, grain pattern, strength, durability and cost. Oak is a classic choice, along with brown maple, for long-lasting and beautiful furniture. Walnut and cherry are prized for exquisite, high-end furniture pieces. However, there are multiple options of wood species out there, and the choices can be bewildering.

What types of wood are best for furniture?
Hardwoods are the best type of wood for furniture. These solid wood species possess a beauty and superior durability that is unmatched by any softwood or engineered wood. Although softwoods can also boast natural beauty, they are not as strong and hardwearing. It goes without saying that plywood, particle board, veneers, MDF or engineered woods can offer only inferior features when compared to solid hardwood furniture. (They also pollute indoor air with high levels of a human carcinogen). If you are looking for beautiful, heirloom quality furniture that will last for years to come, hardwood is the only material that is worth considering.

Aspen
Aspen boasts a beautiful look and unique character, and is a favorite wood for rustic furniture. It accepts stains well, and is popularly finished with a clear coat to showcase its natural beauty. Although it doesn’t split easily, it is a relatively lighter hardwood with a Janka hardness rating of 380. Therefore, although durable enough for furniture, aspen should not be used for columns or walls where stability is essential.

Brown Maple
Brown maple wood features dramatic shifts in color, ranging from dark brown and tan to cream and white. When brown maple furniture is stained, this variation is beautifully emphasized. Brown maple is a relatively soft hardwood, compared to other hardwoods like oak. With a Janka rating of 950, the strength of brown maple is similar to cherry. It also can be stained to look like cherry, and thus is a popular alternative to the more expensive cherry wood. Brown maple is popular for furniture due to its low cost, beautiful color variation and ability to take stains, paint or distressed finishes well.

Rustic Brown Maple
As indicated by its name, rustic brown maple is simply the rustic version of regular brown maple. Its color is more variated, with more dramatic contrasts in tone and hue. The shifts between dark brown, light brown and cream give rustic brown maple character and natural beauty. To further accentuate the ruggedness of this wood, rustic brown maple can be finished with a rough sawn texture.

Wormy Maple
Wormy maple (or otherwise known as ambrosia maple) features beautiful and unique patterns in the wood. These wormy patterns are the result of impregnated Ambrosia beetles that deposit their larvae in maple trees. The color of wormy maple wood is brown, with grey stripes and small worm holes. The wood pattern creates a unique aesthetic for furniture, and does not adversely affect the wood’s performance. Ambrosia maple lumber is hand-selected by our artisans for the best and most unique patterns. With a Janka score of 950, wormy maple belongs to the “soft maple” family.

Cedar
Although a softwood, cedar is still a popular choice for indoor (but mostly outdoor) furniture. Cedar is strong and stable, with a Janka hardness score of 900. Also called aromatic cedar, it is celebrated for its lasting scent and exceptional natural resistance to moisture and decay. The color of cedar includes beautiful red-pink hues for the heartwood and pale yellow sapwood. Cedar has a straight grain, and a medium texture with some knots. Due to its fresh aroma from natural oils, which is pleasing to humans but repellent to insects, cedar is a popular choice for blanket boxes and hope chests and closet interior linings. The knots in cedar lend it a rustic look, making it a common wood choice for rustic log furniture.

Cherry
This highly prized hardwood boasts a deep red color that darkens over time. When stained, the stunning natural red color of cherry wood is brought to the fore. It has a beautiful uniform grain and smooth texture. Small amounts of mineral streaking or knots are sometimes found in cherry lumber. With a medium hardness, cherry wood rates 950 on the Janka scale. However, it is worth noting that extra caution should be taken with cherry wood furniture. As a softer hardwood, it can be liable to scratches or dents if improperly handled.

Rustic Cherry
Rustic cherry is derived from the same tree as cherry, but simply features more imperfections. Furniture made from rustic cherry will include knots, grain pattern variation, mineral streaks, burls and small areas of sapwood. Like cherry, the wood has a beautiful deep red hue that darkens over time. With a Janka rating of 950, rustic cherry is a relatively “soft” hardwood, and ideal for distressed finishes. Rustic cherry furniture is very popular for farmhouse or country décor. Since more of the lumber can be used, rustic cherry costs less than rustic cherry. However, it is still more expensive than sap cherry, maple and oak.

Sap Cherry
The color of sap cherry is a combination of light yellow or pink sapwood mixed with deep reddish brown heartwood. The name “sap” cherry is due to containing higher amounts of the lighter sapwood. Sap cherry furniture is therefore best when stained with a darker color, to hide the variation in color. Like cherry wood, the colour of sap cherry darkens over time, and has a Janka rating of 950. It has a smooth texture, an even grain pattern, and may contain pith flecks or small gum pockets. With beautiful red hues and durability, sap cherry wood is loved as an affordable alternative to cherry.

Elm
Elm is a very popular wood for furniture. With a smooth texture, beautiful grain pattern and strength, it is ideal for a variety of furniture types. Elm wood also has good resistance against splitting and cracking, so your elm furniture can be trusted to last for decades. The color of elm wood ranges from reddish brown to light brown. With its dramatic grain pattern, it creates a stunning aesthetic for interior furniture. However, one of the cons of elm is its high cost. This is due to the rarity of the wood.

Hard Maple
Hard maple (also known as sugar maple or rock maple) belongs to the maple species Acer saccharum. With a Janka rating of 1450, hard maple is approximately double the hardness of soft brown maple wood. Although soft maple is sufficient for most furniture, hard maple is useful for flooring, butcher blocks, worktops, and other surfaces where hardness and strength is vital. Hard maple is a lighter, more even color than soft maple, with closer growth rings. It is also a more expensive wood lumber, compared to other types of wood for furniture like oak and brown maple. This is largely due to hard maple’s lower availability, because of its slower rate of growth.

Hickory
In comparison to other types of wood for furniture, hickory is especially celebrated for its strength and density. Stronger than white oak or even hard maple with a whopping Janka rating of 1820, hickory is an ideal wood for hard-wearing, ultra durable furniture or hardwood flooring. The color of hickory heartwood ranges from light to medium brown, with a reddish hue. The sapwood is pale brown. Hickory wood can take a significantly long time to fully grow (sometimes as long as 200 years!) With a mid-range price point, it is more expensive than oak or brown maple, but less than walnut. However, considering its high durability factor, hickory is considered a cost effective option for furniture that is designed to last.

Rustic Hickory
Although hickory wood is rustic by its very nature, rustic hickory steps it up a notch. Rustic hickory lumber will include more imperfections, such as knots, burls, color streaks and variations in grain pattern. This lends rustic hickory unique natural beauty and charm. Rustic hickory also shares the superior strength of hickory, but at a lower cost. Thus, for those looking for form and function at an affordable price, rustic hickory provides the perfect combination of aesthetics and durability.

Pine
Although pine is a softwood, its stiffness makes it a durable option for furniture nevertheless. Being a soft wood with a Janka rating of only 420, pine will get dented or scratched more easily than other hardwoods (although, notably, there are various types of pine wood). However, pine actually holds an advantage over hardwoods, which tend to warp over time when placed in humid environments. In contrast, pine wood will not noticeably shrink or expand. Pine wood is a white or pale yellow color. It also boasts a refreshingly distinct, dense scent. Whilst pine will not last as long as woods like oak, it is still a good choice for furniture that will function and look good for a long time.

Rustic Pine
Rustic pine wood is a popular choice for both indoor and outdoor log furniture. It features a naturally pale color with a beautiful rustic wood grain, knots and other imperfections that give it unique character. With its warm, inviting aesthetic, rustic pine furniture is a great choice for farmhouse style homes or quaint log cabin retreats.

Rustic Alder
Also known as knotty alder, rustic alder is a relatively softer hardwood. It has a light brown color with yellow or reddish undertones, and a dramatic grain pattern. This rustic wood often contains pinholes, knots, small cracks, mineral streaks and worm holes that lend it character and charm. Due to the rapid growth of alder trees, alder tress are abundantly available throughout America. Its economical cost, combined with its reddish color, makes alder a popular affordable alternative to cherry wood. It is worth noting that with a Janka rating of 590, alder wood can be dented easily. It is therefore less suited to furniture that will endure heavy use.

Tiger Maple
Tiger maple has many names, including flame maple, curly maple, ripple maple, tiger stripe or fiddleback. This exotic wood occurs when the branches of a maple tree form a “Y” shape in a restricted space, compressing the rings of the branches. This occurrence gives tiger maple wood a beautifully unique pattern, and makes it a popular wood for high-end, decorative furniture pieces. Like maple, tiger maple has a Janka score of 950, and its sapwood is creamy to red-brown colored, while its heartwood ranges from light to dark-red brown.

Walnut
Walnut wood is celebrated for its rich, dark color and attractive grain pattern. A dense, strong wood with a Janka score of 1010, walnut is a highly desirable wood for expensive, high-end furniture. Indeed, of all the different types of wood for furniture, walnut is the the most expensive non-exotic wood available. Walnut is also highly suited for intricate carvings, lending the furniture a luxurious look. Walnut is popularly finished with a clear stain, which beautifully accentuates its natural color.

Rustic Walnut
Rustic grade walnut lumber contains more natural rustic characteristics, including knots, gum pockets, pits and mineral streaks. It is straight grained, with a uniform but coarse texture. The color of the wood is rich, warm and variated. Rustic walnut furniture boasts a unique beauty, and is ideal for those looking to capture the “rustic elegance” aesthetic.