Choosing a Type of Wood for Your Dining Table

August 9th, 2016 Blog

You’ve decided to invest in a custom made wooden dining table – something that will last for years, if not generations, that will anchor your dining room’s decor and act as a showcase in your home. Wood is an elegant and timeless material that can be shaped and finished according to today’s trendsetting designs. At Woodcraft, we offer a wide variety of standard designs for dining tables that you can customize by wood, colour, texture, and size. It can be a lot to choose from, especially if you’re not sure where to start. We suggest that you begin by deciding the type of wood you would like to use, and we’ve put together this quick guide to help you make up your mind.

Cherry – Cherry is remarkable for the quality of its colours and grains, and it polishes very well. The colour is known to darken over time, and while some people count this as a fault, any good craftsman will take this change into consideration from the beginning. Plenty of people covet cherry for its ever richer colour, year after year. Although the colour changes, it is largely unaffected by seasonal changes thanks to its pores and straight grain.

Oak – Oak is an incredibly durable material that resists warping. Oak is relatively affordable in North America, and it’s a favourite for Woodcraft tables because it’s a sturdy hardwood. It’s particularly grainy, and the patterns depend on the species. Whereas red oak’s grain has a swirling pattern, white oak has a striped pattern. White oak is particularly resistant to water damage, which is why it was a popular choice for boats and whiskey barrels.

Maple – Another hardwood, maple has a white, creamy colour. It is particularly hardy, and it’s frequently used in dressers and cabinets. You won’t have to worry about denting a maple dining room table. Maple goes particularly well with darker stains and can be made to look like cherry. It also darkens with exposure to sunlight, so be aware of how you place it in relation to windows.

Wormy Maple – This is a softer type of maple that hosts the Ambrosia beetles (hence why it is sometimes called Ambrosia maple). In the past, it was often considered a “discount” material because of the discolouration and holes made by the beetles, but today it’s highly sought after because of its design appeal.

Pine – The downside to pine is that it is a softwood lumber, and therefore very susceptible to dents, and you will have to treat it gently (i.e., keep Halloween pumpkin carving on the kitchen counter). It’s straight grained and naturally white or tinged with yellow, while the knots are brown. It works wonderfully for creating a farmhouse look in your home, as it has a naturally rustic feel to it.

Most of our dining tables at Woodcraft are available in several of these woods, and we encourage you to explore how each will look with different colour combinations. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have further questions finding the right materials for your needs.