Common Types of Solid Wood Used in Construction

Solid wood is available in varying grains, textures, and colours. It is preferred in construction for its durability and beauty, making it an ideal material for fine furniture. Solid wood can be categorised into soft and hard, where hardwood is derived from broad-leafed trees without needles like ash, cherry, mahogany, maple, oak, and walnut. Meanwhile, softwood comes from needle-bearing evergreen trees like pine, spruce, redwood, and cedar.

Hardwood is known for its strength and stability while softwood for its appealing marks and dings that develop over time. Of all types of solid wood, five are common in making fine furniture: mahogany, oak, maple, beech and pine.

Mahogany is of tropical origin, a medium to hardwood indigenous to South and Central America, as well as Africa and some parts of Asia. It is excellent for carving due to its strength. It features uniform pore structure, medium grain and less-defined annual rings. Mahogany colours range from tan to brown.

Oak is the most common material used in finer and more durable furniture pieces. It is a heavy, hard, open-grained hardwood that grows in the United States, Canada and Europe. Oak comes in red and white varieties, with red having a pinkish cast and white a greenish cast.

Maple is a very light-coloured, medium-to-hardwood that grows abundantly in Eastern America. It is known to resist shocks, stain well, and last long. It has an excellent texture and even grain.

Beech is commonly grown in Northeast America and Canada. It is a heavy, pale-coloured, medium-to-hardwood with a fine, tight grain and large medullar rays. It polishes well but does not last as long as other hardwoods.

Finally, pine is softwood that grows all over the world. It provides warmth and uniqueness through its light yellowish shade and broadly spaced streaks.