Solid Wood Furniture and Hardwood Floors

Natural materials

Forget all about laminates and engineered wood because you cannot beat solid wood for beauty, durability and quality. It matters little what purpose the solid wood is used for, be it for furniture, floors, carvings or any other application it will always be the top choice of professionals.

Solid wood advantages

Appearance is everything and real wood looks amazing. It is stronger than man made (engineered wood) timbers except perhaps ply boards but ply fails miserably on appearance. Another big factor is that solid wood can withstand the wet and it does not fall asunder or melt away but dries as good as new. Man made woods would disintegrate in damp conditions.

Solid wood disadvantages

It is really expensive. Cheaper engineered wood (composites of hard and soft wood) can be made from sawdust, small chippings, special glue and other saw waste. If you can afford the real thing they buy it to avoid disappointment and instead experience the comfort and beauty of real timber.

Solid wood flooring

Why would you want to walk on anything else? Solid wood flooring is far superior to laminates and offers better soundproofing. Real solid wood flooring is tactile, organically tough and long-lasting.

Hard Vs Soft doors

Hardwood is used to make a solid door but hollow wood structures are common for internal doors. The hollow core door is lighter (and cheaper) than a solid wood door and considerably easier to install. A hard door dampens sound which travels freely through the hollow version. Privacy can therefore be a problem for the occupants.
The hollow doors are not suitable for exterior use because of their flimsiness. A stout solid wooden door will keep out most burglars if your property is targeted. A solid wood door will naturally resist fire better than a lightweight hollow door.

Hardwood choices and their uses

The best solid woods in my opinion are Ash, Oak, Cherry and Maple:

White Ash is colored light brown, but darkening towards the heartwood. Has an open grain and is heavy, hard and very strong and springy and resists shock. Is very workable and is used extensively for furniture, handles for carving tools and sporting equipment.

The Red Oak as its name suggests has a redder tinge and a courser grain then its sister While Oak. Also, it is a little easier to work with than White Oak although both are still excellent timbers. It is a strong and durable hardwood suitable for most applications but less water-resistant than white oak. Ideal for making a lovely wooden chest or oaken bookcase.

Cherry is straight-grained, hard and may have some gum resin marks. It is light and strong and as it name suggests it is a reddish-brown color. Used for making fine furniture, rocking chairs, beautiful keepsake boxes and even wooden toy boxes.

Maple (hard variety) is usually straight-grained but sometimes found with a beautiful Birds Eye effect randomly distributed through the wood. It is a tough heavy wood that is very hard and strong, creamy in color but slightly redder towards the heartwood. Maple is used for making flooring and industrial furniture items (old school desk for example).

Maple (soft variety) is colored the same as the hard variety above. Many similar properties to the hard variety and it is still classed a hard wood despite being 25% less hard than hard maple. It is still suitable for flooring. Used for veneer working, for making musical instruments, memento boxes and often children’s wooden blocks.

Others

Other hard wood or solid wood types worth considering are Beech, Walnut, Teak and Iroko (African teak).