{"id":15471,"date":"2017-06-09T11:40:26","date_gmt":"2017-06-09T10:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/?p=15471"},"modified":"2024-04-04T11:26:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T10:26:59","slug":"hardwood-furniture-materials-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/general\/hardwood-furniture-materials-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Hardwood furniture materials explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re passionate about hardwood furniture here at Oak Furnitureland, obviously. We even put it in our name!<\/p>\n

But what\u2019s so special about hardwood furniture? Why have we created a whole business around it? Other than its striking naturally good looks, its strength and durability, simplicity to care for, versatility, and the fact that it\u2019s an interior design staple, we also think that hardwood furniture is truly the best investment for your home.<\/p>\n

What is hardwood?<\/h3>\n

When someone says hardwood or softwood, they\u2019re not actually talking about how the wood feels, it\u2019s actually about how the tree itself grows, which gives hardwood it\u2019s special properties. Hardwood comes from trees whose seeds have some sort of covering – like a nut, or berry – where softwood trees have seeds which are open to the elements, like pinecones.<\/p>\n

The ultimate result is that the wood fibres from hardwood trees are more durable, less susceptible to dents, scratches and warping. This doesn\u2019t always translate to literal hardness – balsa wood is a soft hardwood, and spruce is a hard softwood, for example – but the dense fibres of hardwood make it a far superior material for furniture construction.<\/p>\n

What materials do you use?<\/h3>\n

We use oak and mango hardwood in our products, all prized for their unique looks and properties. These particular varieties all stand out because they are both resilient enough to take knocks and stand up to life\u2019s everyday bumps, and also resistant enough to moisture so that expansion and contraction that occurs in different weather conditions is minimised. This is something inferior woods are prone to, we\u2019ve all experienced a door that sticks in the summer or that drawer you need to wiggle to open. We have specially chosen these materials so you don\u2019t have to deal with that – as long as it\u2019s not kept outdoors, in conservatories, or other adverse environments that will damage all wood types.<\/p>\n

The hardwood is close-grained, creating a smooth surface perfect for staining and painting like in our St. Ives<\/a> ranges. Mango is another popular choice. It has a prominent grain pattern and characteristic dark areas that create an exotic feeling. It\u2019s an exciting material to use for furniture-making. Mango trees only produce fruit for 15-20 years. Plantation owners clear older trees to make room for more fruit trees, and this mature wood is recycled to make new furniture, an incredibly sustainable practice!<\/p>\n

Why is oak so special?<\/h3>\n

Oak has been prized throughout history as a superior wood, and we can\u2019t disagree. It perfectly balances hardness, density, and workability, putting it in a place that carpenters like to call the \u2018Goldilocks Zone\u201d; it\u2019s just right for furniture making. Oak\u2019s close grain is easy to finish and care for, it experiences minimal shrinkage and expansion – no sticking drawers in our furniture! It can also vary widely in appearance with many oak types available, meaning there is always the perfect oak style for any home.<\/p>\n

We use oak everywhere in our products because we really believe it makes them a better investment for your home. Back, bases, drawer runners, bed slats, they\u2019re all made from 100% hardwood; we never compromise on the quality of the materials used in our products, bringing you the best quality at the best value.<\/p>\n

Why is hardwood furniture such a smart investment?<\/h3>\n

Too often, people invest in flat-pack, veneer, or laminate furniture as it\u2019s seen as a \u2018quick fix\u2019, a budget friendly option. But in truth, the cost of inferior furniture can be much greater, especially when you consider the cost replacement pieces, the lack of quality, and the sacrificed style.<\/p>\n

Laminate is made with layers of synthetic materials or thinly sliced wood glued together. This makes it incredibly low cost, but it is prone to damage in a very short amount of time. Chipping is a big problem, and cannot be repaired. The layers also tend to bow or split, damaging the piece. Veneers are also very common in furniture making, and this refers to thin panels of wood glued to cheaper interior wood panels like chipboard and MDF. Like laminate furniture, once the veneer is damaged or chipped, it looks terrible and cannot be repaired. There are also lots of manufacturing issues; veneers can come off, too much or too little glue used can create splitting or bowing, and more.<\/p>\n

A lot of times we hear that people don\u2019t want to put \u201cthe nice furniture\u201d in their children\u2019s rooms. They\u2019ll only ruin it, they\u2019re so hard on things. The truth is, a hardwood chest of drawers, for example, will stand up to much more wear than a cheaper piece. With the same basic maintenance that you would apply to your living room furniture, it will look great. It’s far more resilient towards knocks from toy trains, teenage drawer slams, and more than laminate or veneers.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re worried about your own style or tastes changing, think of hardwood as a timeless investment piece. It\u2019s the classic 3-piece suit, trench coat, or little black dress of your home. Oak will never go out of style. You only have to look at its impressive history to know you\u2019re making a smart choice!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re passionate about hardwood furniture here at Oak Furnitureland, obviously. We even put it in our name! But what\u2019s so special about hardwood furniture? Why have we created a whole…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"coauthors":[303],"class_list":{"0":"post-15471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-general"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15471"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15471\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27022,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15471\/revisions\/27022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15471"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}