Today we will introduce the types of wood commonly used in furniture: oak, rubber wood, beech, walnut, teak, pine, veneer furniture (wood core board/Dense board)
oak
Oak is a high-quality wood. Because of its hardness, density and durability, it is widely used in flooring, large furniture and structural materials. It is also used to make whiskey oak barrels.
- Hardness: hard texture, high density
- Durability: High
- Chemical content: None
- Features: not easy to absorb water, corrosion-resistant and strong
*In the picture above, the light wood is oak and the dark wood is walnut
What is the difference between oak and rubber wood?
First of all, you should know that rubberwood is not oak.
Rubberwood has recently become a popular wood material, becoming a popular choice among furniture manufacturers due to its affordability. While oak takes decades or even centuries to grow, rubberwood only takes five to ten years, making it relatively affordable.
Rubberwood has a sour smell and contains a high amount of sugar. Therefore, rubberwood furniture is prone to rot and mold, requiring preservative treatment, which can result in chemical residue. Rubberwood is also soft and prone to warping, making it less durable and prone to breaking.
- Hardness: soft texture
- Durability: Low, easily broken
- Chemical content: medium to low
- Characteristics: Perishable
*The picture above is rubber wood, and the board surface often has traces of multiple joints.
Beech
Beech's bright, soft colors and near-knot-free texture complement the Nordic style, creating a lovely and eye-catching light-colored look. Its hardness and impact resistance are twice as strong and dense as pine, making it highly durable. It also tolerates moisture and is resistant to mold, even without paint.
- Hardness: hard texture
- Durability: High
- Chemical content: None
- Features: Bright and soft colors, cute raindrop-like wood grain
*The wood in the picture above is beech.
Walnut
Walnut trees, typically 50-100 years old, are known for their dense, hard wood, excellent stability, and resistance to decay and insect pests. They are a premium material for furniture, musical instruments, car veneer panels, and gun stocks, creating a unique, rich, and artistic finish.
- Hardness: hard texture
- Durability: High
- Chemical content: None
- Features: unique color
*The dark wood in the picture above is walnut and the light wood is beech.
Teak
Teak has a classic and calm color, high hardness, low shrinkage and expansion rate, and is not easy to deform. It is the preferred material for manufacturing high-end furniture, flooring, and interior and exterior decoration. It is also used in many fields such as shipbuilding, bridges, and construction. It is known as the "King of Wood" and is one of the most valuable hardwoods in the world.
- Hardness: hard texture
- Durability: Very high
- Chemical content: None
- Features: King of Wood
*The picture above shows teak, which has a more classic and elegant color.
pine
Pine is soft and easily dented or deformed by impact. Ikea, a popular furniture brand, is mostly made of pine. It has an even distribution of oils, resulting in a softer appearance. However, it contains a high amount of natural oils, which may seep out over time, causing yellowing spots on the surface.
- Hardness: soft texture
- Durability: Medium
- Chemical content: None
- Features: Evenly distributed grease
*The picture above is pine wood, the oil distribution is even and soft.
Veneer furniture (wood core board/MDF)
Unlike the above wood materials which are all solid wood, veneer furniture is divided into wood core board and dense board.
Wood core board:
The center is made of solid wood strips, with thin wood veneers on the top and bottom. Because the production process of wood core board requires gluing, and the adhesive usually contains chemicals such as formaldehyde to prevent the internal wood from rotting, so when choosing wood core board, you need to pay special attention to the formaldehyde content.
Dense board:
Made from finely pulverized wood powder, resin, and adhesive, pressed at high temperatures, it's inexpensive. Like coreboard, its adhesive contains formaldehyde, so make sure it meets low-formaldehyde standards before choosing.
- Hardness: soft texture, easy to break
- Durability: Low
- Chemical content: Medium
- Features: Made of upper and lower veneer plywood, divided into wood core board and dense board
*The above picture is wood core board
Wood species grade table
- Top quality wood: teak
- High-grade wood: oak, walnut
- Medium and high-grade wood: beech
- CP value wood: rubber wood pine
Photo credit: Eguchi Kentaro
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