Which wood is best for furniture, mahogany, maple, beech, pine or oak?
93Available in a variety of colors, grains, and hardnesses, solid wood has always been a preferred material for fine furniture. Shock-resistant and durable, it's also a sound investment, increasing in value over generations. Different parts of the world produce different types of woods, each with its own set of characteristics. And because each tree yields lumber with its own grain patterns and markings, each piece of genuine wood has its own unique personality.
Hardwood vs. Softwood
Solid woods can be classified as hard or soft. A hardwood is derived from a broad-leefed tree (without needles), such as maple, cherry, oak, ash, walnut, or mahogany. Hardwoods usually offer greater strength and stability. Softwoods come from needle-bearing evergreen trees, such as pine, spruce, redwood, or cedar, and are preferred for intricately carved pieces. Softwoods are more susceptible to marks and dings, but this can often result in an appealing weathered quality.
Mahogany > Oak > Maple > Beech > Pine
Below are some distinguishing traits of 5 types of wood most commonly used to construct fine furniture, sorted by their quality for furniture (from best to worst, in term of strength, stability, shock-resistant, and durability etc.). I don't include some less popular types of wood, such as cherry and walnut, both of which are regarded as material for luxury furniture.
1. Mahogany
Mahogany is a tropical medium-to-hard wood indigenous to S. America, Central America, and Africa. Mahogany's strength makes it an excellent carving wood. It has a uniform pore structure, a medium grain, and less defined annual rings. Mahogany ranges from tan to reddish-brown in color. It is a durable species, and maintains its shape against swelling and shrinkage. Its stability and resistance to decay makes the wood ideal for high-quality cabinetry and furniture.
As the girth of the tree is broad furniture makers were able to use a single cut of wood for a table top. Furniture made from mahogany became very popular in Britain from mid 18 th Century, followed by the rest of Europe.
2. Oak
Oak is the wood most commonly used for finer, more durable furniture. It is a very hard, heavy, open-grained wood that grows from deciduous and evergreen trees in the States, Canada, and Europe. It's found in both red and white varieties. Red oak (a.k.a. black oak) has a pinkish cast and is the more popular of the two. White oak has a slightly greenish cast. Prominent rings and large pores give oak a coarse texture and prominent grain. It stains well in any color.
3. Maple
Maple is a very light-colored medium-to-hard wood, abundant in the E. America. Known for its shock resistance, maple has diffused, evenly-sized pores that give the wood a fine texture and an even grain. Maple is highly durable and take any stain well. It can be finished to resemble walnut, cherry, or other more expensive hardwoods.
4. Beech
Beech
Found primarily in northeast America and Canada, beech is a heavy, pale-colored, medium-to-hard wood used widely for chairs and stools. It has a fine, tight grain and large medullar rays, similar in appearance to maple or birch woods. Beech wood has a high shock resistance and takes stains well. It is a hard, strong material, but it does not endure like some hardwoods do. Beech polishes well. It is used in general purpose fabrications as well as in furniture, toys, and floors.
5. Pine
Pine is a softwood that grows in many varieties in various parts of the world. In the States, Eastern White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and Sugar Pine are some of the types used to make furniture. Pine's "knotty" characteristics provide warmth and individuality to each crafted piece. Usually light-yellow in color, the wood has a broadly spaced striation pattern. It is ideal for children's rooms, family rooms, beach cottages and anywhere you'd like an airier, lighter feel. Its natural grain and shades ensure that no piece is exactly alike. Excellent for staining.
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teak is the best
Thanks! This website helped a lot =)
thanx this site is very helpfull
this site is very helpful for interior syudent.
Thank you for the great info! This website was very interestingly.
No statement description for teak wood? Obviously, teak wood the best'est'.Why veener? Go for teak ply which is much more better than solid pine!
teak furniture is the best choice for furniture
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Your suggestion is really nice but teak furniture is really good for nature looks.
Mahogany wood is also very good options for wooden furniture.
for me narra is the best. its furnitures could last more than 100 years.if you like to have antique type of furnitures..(hardest wood i know)
I prefer pine and the look of pine. Pine is a fairly easy wood to work, but plan on removing the resin buildup on your cutting tools. A pine table top is not as durable as maple, oak or cherry. Depending on demand and availability some lumber can be 5 or 6 times the cost of another wood. Currently I can get walnut at a fraction of the cost of cherry. The finish selected can affect durability too. Pick the wood for how the item is used. For example, use redwood, white oak, cedar, teak or cypress for outdoor furniture. If you use pine for an outdoor wood, expect it to rot in a few years.
Is durian wood furniture good?
I'd put beech wood over pine due to the smell.
pine smells swell :)
pine is tha bestt
Are pine wood beds durable for long-term?
Man mdf is garbage. It is medium density FIBER board. It's the saw dust from the mill all glued together. It's good for car audio speaker boxes because of it's acoustic absorbance(doesn't resonate) but that is about the only good use for it. It is weak and unless you veneer or paint it it will just look like sawdust glued together. Screws don't hold well in it either so don't count on moving furniture made out of mdf. Plain and simple it's trash. If your gonna build something out of wood go for hard woods if you want it to last. Allmost all hard woods are good for furniture and woods like teak cypress are extremely suitable for outdoor furniture due to their high natural oil content. If you want it to last hard woods are your best choice followed by soft woods like pine and cedar. MDF is never a choice for fine furniture. If you have ?'s jeremythetrader@yahoo.com
I want to get someone to make a tv stand what wood is recommend for that? oak or is natural a wood or a finish?Please help
what about walnut?
Great thanks!
imagine my contractor tried to tell me Beech is better than Oak for cabinets.
I see the truth now
Thanks for site!
I want a set of walnut sofa, where can I find the best quality?
Where would walnut be ranked?? I just spent $4000 on a walnut sectional sofa
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Have just bought a lovely bed in a teak finish - How will pine sit along with it?
to be honest, I always go for pine. It might not be the best; but considering the influences of places like Ikea pine has just become really trendy in the last years. Also, if are into decorating your home often, expensive woods would be a lot harder to get rid off in my opinion. Great hub.
how does rubberwood and popular hold up?
i think i choose rubber wood :)
Is Saligna a good wood for bedroom furniture
We are concidering purchasing a beautiful kitchen table made of pine...with two small kids at home...would this be a wise buy?
Is there a way to tell if a piece of wood is a hardwood or a softwood by just looking and feeling it? And what if it has been stained? Great Article! BTW
Cherry or oak is very common place albet a little expensive, if one is making their own furniture, pacfic dogwood or pear is the absolute finest to work with.
@ Superiorinteriors "Surprised there is no mention of MDF woods" - MDF isn't a wood per se, it's a composite material. Oak, pine, mahogany etc are all natural timber.
Oak wood is usually what we use when building things--book shelves, pie safe, etc. We can get it at Lowes' for a pretty good price.
I went to furniture shop today and was told that mahogany is the best wood for furniture. Nevertheless i am not sure how to differentiate between original mahogany and the fake one especially after i look at the pictures from your hub. Any tips for this.
Mahogany tops it for me, just love furniture made from it. Oak's probably my #2
Hardwood vs. Softwood, second sentence: "A hardwood is derived from a broad-leefed tree...." Did you mean broad-leafed?
What kind of quality bedroom furniture do you get from rubber wood?
Pine is fine to use for furniture but be careful what lumber you buy. Quarter sawn won't "cup" if it is properly dried.
Good luck, it is a fine wood to start with and easily worked with hand held tools.
How about rubber tree wood vs pine? I suppose that pine is better?
Definitely cherry, but only for selective furniture like bookcases. The color and reddish glow is unbeatable and it gets better with age, like a nice wine.
Think mahogani is the best wood for furniture.
I loved furniture made from pine wood, it always smelled so nice. One of those memories that has remained with me from my childhood. Hard woods do last better though.
i have learned a lot from this article.
Thank u very much
This is what I know. Pine is a very soft wood. That means, any bump will mark it. Especially if you have small children, before you know it, the whole piece of furniture will have nicks on it. If your toddler stabs it with a fork, it will look like a swiss cheese in no time. :/
Mahogany and oak are probably the most expensive from your list and the hardest. They don't nick as easily. Mahogany is redder in shade, oak is browner.
A Mahogany or oak dresser has a lot more class than a pine one.
Nice post. I´m really confused now as to which wood is best though. Also, could you please let me know where you got those beautiful pictures from? I am really struggling to get pictures for my own sites.
They are making me do a prodject on trees. your hub was helpful!
Luv, Hott Girl
Oak furniture is the best seller in the uk furniture market at the moment.
Nice summary--a great hub.
Thank you for this great information, my readers will also thank you I am sure.
I fancy a rich mahogany
tnks 4 the help
I have always been partial to oak and pine. Great info here by the way!
Can anybody help us please?
Im looking for a pine that doesnt 'cup' when made into furniture?
Could Canadian Yellow Pine be the answer?
We await someones reply.
Thank You
Surprised there is no mention of MDF woods. People usually say you should stay away from the stuff but apparently there is a canadian company making some decent quality mdf furniture at really good prices. maybe that wouldbe a good topic for your next hub. I decorate my home using mostly mahogany with the occasional teak piece and love their deep colors.
Great Information on a topic I know nothing about. Thank you.
It depends! Pine is ok but not that good in terms of quality. Maple and Walnut are all good but a bit expensive.
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I`m like wood so match. Nice works
heyah i am wondering what kind of wood is used to make good quality pine furniture
Birch is a hardwood. Tight-grained and stains very well. It is often used as a lesser-cost alternative to cherry.
great article. i learned a lot about my furniture!
Nice hub. Wood veneer can be a good option for some types of furniture (particularly tables) and it costs less too.
what sort of wood is birch and where would it fall under hardwood or soft wood
JerrBear 2 months ago
Cherry is the best...Walnut is great too!