Wood furniture: Choosing the best of the best for your home

Wood is a classic choice for interior design, a material that manages to look both traditional and modern at the same time and which is highly resilient, looking good even after many years. Wood is the preferred choice of homeowners looking to create a minimalistic style in their household, as well as for those who simply want something sturdy and resilient that lasts for a long time. This way, there’s no need to worry about the additional costs that come with frequent remodelling projects.

Yet, choosing wood furniture isn’t as simple as it could seem at first. In fact, there are many things you should keep in mind, as well as ways to ensure your furniture lasts a long time and remains in the best condition possible for a long time.

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Best types

There are many types of wood out there that are used for furnishings. Your choice should depend on your specific needs and requirements, and it’s highly likely that different rooms in your home will require different types. Mahogany, known as an elegant choice due to its reddish-brown colour, is the perfect choice for decorative furniture pieces. It is lightweight but strong and can last for many years with proper care. You can get interior wood protector as well, a surface treatment that enriches the wood, giving it a beautiful finish and longer lifespan.

Mahogany is highly receptive to oils and polishes, so if you enjoy high shine, it is the perfect choice for you. Cedar is resistant to decay, making it the ideal choice for outdoor construction projects such as decking or posts. It is widely used to make beehives, so if you’ve been considering this pastime activity, you should be aware of the importance of cedar for the industry. The smell of cedar wood can also repel pests such as bed bugs, termites and roaches.

Teak wood is also incredibly resistant, able to withstand rot, water damage and pests. However, it is also more expensive due to the regulations on teak forests that lead to its scarcity on the market. However, its durability more than makes up for it. Some believe that teak gets more beautiful when it is exposed to sunlight, making it a prime candidate for outdoor features.

The most popular

Despite these facts, these types of woods are not actually the most popular on the market. Maple is at the top of the list for many customers due to its resilience and ability to stain well, making it highly versatile. Wardrobes, tables and dressers are frequently made out of maple, as they see a lot of wear over time. The colours range from anywhere between cream to reddish-brown, so you have plenty of alternatives to choose from.

You can go to rubiomonocoat.co.uk to discover the best coat for your furniture that will protect it and keep it looking brand-new longer. More than forty colours are readily available, and they can be easily applied in three steps without overlapping. It typically takes no more than twenty-four hours for the surface to dry completely, and the colour tends to be long-lasting due to the molecular bonding technology.

Oak wood is also a popular choice for homeowners due to its dense nature. The close grain provides the furniture with a smooth, elegant look, and the high tannin content makes it resistant to mould and insect infestations. Apart from furniture, it can also be used for panelling and veneers. The living room and bedroom are not the only places where it is the preferred choice, as it can be incorporated into the kitchen and looks great as part of both traditional and modern ensembles.

Pine is considered softwood, meaning it is relatively easy to cut and more malleable. Yet, it still manages to offer durability, and since the trees grow so quickly, it is also inexpensive compared to the alternatives. Its light colour also makes it very versatile. Beech is solid and heavy and has good mechanical properties. It is resistant to compression yet vulnerable to bending due to its short fibres. It is frequently used for chairs or other seating furniture, mainly because of its shock-absorbing properties.

Flooring

When it comes to flooring, wood is the preferred option for many since it is highly versatile but also very aesthetically pleasing. There are several types that can be used here as well. The first and most important thing is to choose between solid and engineered hardwood. The former is the more traditional option, essentially a solid plank that has been cut to a certain thickness. The latter alternative is newer and made of several layers that have been glued together.

The two are pretty much identical when it comes to durability, and the engineered variant is also more resistant to moisture. However, it can only be sanded and re-stained only once or twice during its lifetime, compared to hardwood. If you want to customise the colour of your flooring to match the existing ones in your home, you should purchase unfinished hardwood. The finished option comes stained and sanded from the manufacturing facility, cutting down on the work you must do at home.

Oak is the most popular choice for wood flooring due to its durability, resistance to scratches and timeless look. However, it becomes yellow if exposed to too much sunlight, so be careful about maintenance. Hickory is ideal for high-traffic areas, as well as homes with children or pets. It has a charming, rustic look but can be challenging to install due to its general hardness. Cherry has a warm tone, but it tends to become darker with time, and its softness makes it suitable solely for low-traffic parts of your home.

Ash is similar to oak when it comes to its look. It is also very durable. It isn’t widely available, however, making it far more expensive. Walnut is similar in that it is one of the priciest hardwood options, but it is incredibly durable. And although bamboo is technically a type of grass, it can be just as resilient as wood. It is resistant to moisture, but you’ll probably have to do more research before choosing a supplier because the quality can vary significantly between different manufacturers.

When choosing furniture for your home, you will never go wrong with wood.