Types of Wood Used to Make Furniture

Wood types are usually categorized as hard wood or soft wood. Typically, soft wood comes from evergreens, or trees with pine needles, and hard wood is from trees with broad leaves. Most often, hard wood is used for making furniture as it has higher durability, although soft wood is becoming more popular for furniture making.

Open-Pore Wood

Some woods have small holes, called open pores. These pores give the wood a distinctive texture. When finishing woods with open pores, stains can accumulate in the pores making those areas seem darker. Some open-pore woods are ash, oak and walnut.

Tight-Grained Wood

Cherry, maple and alder are types of tight-grained wood. These wood types have a tighter grain, are smooth to the touch and take stain well.

Red Wood

Cherry and mahogany woods will lend a red-colored quality to your furniture. Cherry is less expensive than mahogany.

Insect Resistant

Teak is good for furniture making if you are looking to craft for outdoor purposes. Teak has a natural oil that repels insects and water. Cedar is known to also repel insects.

Easy-Crafting Wood

Soft wood such as pine is typically easier to work with. Pine also holds up to humidity better than many other woods. Cedar is a soft wood that is also easy to craft.

Exotic Wood

Lacewood from Australia is often used for accents. Granadillo from southern Mexico can be used for all furniture crafts. African mahogany from Ghana can be used to make any type of furniture.