What is Solid Wood?
Solid Wood
Solid wood is a timber that has been milled directly from trees. Other types of wood, such as plywood, medium-density fiber board (MDF) or veneers, are manufactured from wood mixtures. Solid wood is a wood that has been cut from a tree. Unlike engineered wood, which is composed of wood fibers that are held together with bonding agent, solid wood contains wood fibers throughout the piece of lumber. No fillers or bonding agents are used. Solid wood is often used for furniture, construction, cabinetry and flooring. It does not warp as easily as many engineered woods, but it is more susceptible to stains. Solid wood is easier to repair than veneers or other engineered woods, which is one reason that it is used for many types of projects. There are several types of solid wood available, so woodworkers can choose from a large selection for their projects. Each type of solid wood has its own characteristics, including its grain pattern, color and texture.
Commmon Wood Characteristics
Wood is not the same for every type of furniture. There are different characteristics to wood that are taken into consideration, when a furniture maker is planning to create a piece of furniture. Some of the common characteristics include:
- Hardness: Wood can be distinguished into two main categories: hardwoods or softwoods. It’s the botanical classification among the woods. Basically, hardwood trees are flowering and softwoods are conifers.
- Color: Furniture color is an important factor because it will contribute to the character of the finished piece. Some woods have significant colors, while others are mixed. Quite often, a furniture maker will have a certain tone in mind for the piece and seek out a certain variety of wood to match.
- Grain: The grain of the wood you choose is going to show up on the finished piece of furniture, so it must be given careful consideration. Each species of tress has a different cell structure that determines its grain. Wood grain is either open-grained or close-grained, as determined size of the cells.
Common Woods Used for Furniture
Some furniture makers have favorite woods that they prefer to use for the tone, feel or grain. Here are some of the common woods that are used for solid wood furniture. The type of wood used is vital and here are the ones available in the Pakistani market:
Hardwood: Sheesham, Mahogany, Walnut, Deodar, Teak and Ash Wood.
Softwood: Fir, Chirr Pine and Hemlock.
Hardwood
Hardwood is usually taken from sheesham, deodar, mahogany, teak and walnut trees. Hardwood is also used in ceilings and on walls and floors. For construction purposes mostly deodar wood is used in Pakistan. This wood type is rot and termite resistant, is durable and strong. People mostly use furniture made up of Hardwood in their houses.
Mahogany: It’s a precious woods, mahogany is a main-stay in fine furniture. This classy wood has a reddish-brown to deep red coloring. Our preferred wood is Mahogany. It gives a rich luxurious finish to our different types of bedroom furniture, living room furniture, sofa sets and consoles.
Ash Wood: It’s a tough hardwood with a pale wood color. Due to its property of not losing its strength, it is often used in bent and curved furniture.
Teak: A wood due to its unique qualities of glossy look, is highly recommended for cabinets and furniture. Teak wood is also used for window frames, as it has better tendency to resist moisture. Teak wood does not absorb moisture during monsoon season, hence used widely for doors and window fittings. It is a costly option.
Deodar: looks astonishingly alluring when polished properly. This wood is very famous for its dark pinkish color.
Walnut: wood is used for making furniture, wooden crafts, and also for walls and ceilings. Sometimes, it is used to finish floors because it has good moisture resistance.
Sheesham: has the color ranging from golden brown to a deep reddish brown. You can also see some dark streaks in the wood that adds to its beauty. It’s heavy in weight. Therefore, due to these factors it’s the most favorite wood in Pakistan for furniture.
Softwood
Fir, Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghi), and Hemlock are widely used in Pakistan as Softwood. Softwood is lighter and can be bent easily. For this reason, softwood is quite frequently used to make home decor items.
Fir: is mostly used for windows and door panels. Fir has two types: blue fir and silver fir.
Chir Pine: is taken from Northern parts of Pakistan and is quite popular in furniture and houses made in the Northern Areas. It is also used for making door panels and furniture. It is mostly used for making different patterns, carvings and designs on furniture. fir.
Choosing a wood for furniture is bit difficult. You need to think about the different styles, finishes and colors, moreover, it have different names region wise.
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