Tuesday, January 6, 2009

All About Hardwoods and Hardwood Furniture

If you enjoy and appreciate fine wood furniture then you must also learn to appreciate the differences in the various hardwood varieties that go into making fine wood furniture. Just as the word "hard is used to describe hardwood so to is the word "soft" to describe soft woods which is woods such as pine that is used in home construction.

The basic difference between the two types of wood is, you guessed it, one type is hard and one type is soft. There are so many types of hardwood that are used in making wood furniture that it would be impossible to mention them all in this article but some of the more common hard woods are covered.

Walnut is a dark brown tightly grained hardwood that is commonly used in cabinetry and musical instruments. It comes in many variations and one of the rarest and most beautiful is "walnut burl" that is harvested off of the lower end of stumps and is most commonly used in the making of fine gun stocks.

Oak is another common hardwood that you can often times find being used in flooring and furniture. It is known for its light white to tan color and consistent grain that makes it so responsive to staining or coloring. Beech is another hardwood that is similar to oak in its coloring and hardness. It is also grown in the U.S. as is oak and it too responds well to staining.

Beech however, does have a slightly different grain appearance that is slightly speckled when compared to oak, which is made up of fine strand like grain. There are so many hardwoods that come from places all over the planet including Africa and Asia. Ebony is a dark black hardwood that is grown in Africa that is used on guitar necks.

Written by Brena Talmet. Find the latest information on a New York Furniture Dealer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brena_Talmet

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