How Wood Compares to Other Furniture Materials

Local and foreign clients prefer Canadian wooden furniture because it’s not only high-grade but also a product of sustainable manufacturing processes. Despite cutting down trees for furniture making, the country remained number one in the number of independently certified and audited forests. With the sustainability of these wood products, you can say that every purchase is akin to saving the environment, and you can be assured they’re worth their price.

Although wood is an industry staple in Canada, artisans use other building materials in furniture making. If you want to take home only the best fixtures, you first have to know your choices and how these selections compare to one another. Read on if you’re ready to learn more about how wood compares to other alternative furniture materials.

Advantages of Wood Furniture Compared to Other Alternatives

When you purchase furniture for your office or home, you will have to choose from different types of wood furniture or those made from other materials like acrylic, particleboard, plastic, glass, medium density fiberboard (MDF), and coloured metals. Understanding these materials’ respective advantages and disadvantages is crucial before bringing these pieces home.

Below are the wood characteristics that make wooden furniture better than those made with other furniture materials in the market:

Durability and strength

The wood’s extreme resilience is one of the best things about it. It’s a natural material that can last a long time despite constant abuse like scratches or spillage. With minimum care, your wood furniture can transcend generations of use.

Adds value to your home

Wood furniture may cost more, but its material is more valuable than other manufacturing materials. Its grain patterns and woodworking craftsmanship alone can ensure that every piece is unique. This means every wooden piece of furniture in your home adds value to its charm and longevity.

Modifiable

The good thing about furniture made from pieces of wood like heartwood, or from oak wood, pinewood, or even engineered wood is that you can change them over time. You can refinish, repaint, stain, or sand it, giving it a new upgraded look. The great thing about this is if you have some woodworking or cladding skills of your own, you can do these modifications yourself.

Learn more about the advantages of decorating your home with solid wood furniture and the durability of wood furniture by checking out woodcraft.ca. You can also go through the offerings on their site to get excellent wood product ideas.

Disadvantages of Wood as Opposed to Other Furniture Materials

To help you decide whether wood furniture is right for you, you also need to go over its disadvantages. This is to set clear expectations instead of blindly following trends. Here are a few red flags you need to consider despite your love for woodworking or any wood products:

Heavy

Contemporary materials like steel, plastic, and composite materials wow the market for their cost-effectiveness, variety, and ease of access. These materials are also lighter than wood.

Wood is solid and sturdy, making them heavier than other furniture materials except for metal. This won’t be a problem if you permanently keep them in a single place. However, if you need to move things around, you’ll need more people to lug around your solid wood furniture.

Non-Water-Resistant

While wooden furniture upkeep is effortless, it doesn’t mean you can be careless when dealing with them. Unlike waterproof laminate, steel, or plastic furniture, wood pieces are highly vulnerable to water. Moisture can damage the wood finish, causing it to swell and split. Also, you have to keep in mind that anything made from any type of wood is prone to warping, thus needing particular care when it comes to storage.

Discolouration

Compared to composite materials, wood products like outdoor furniture can discolour and get damaged when exposed to ultraviolet light. The effect is similar to the skin’s exposure to direct sunlight. The light can break the chemical bonds inside the wood, causing the surface to change colour. If you don’t find this kind of discolouration attractive, you can put your woodworking skills to the test, or you’ll need to ask an artisan to restore its old finish.

Check Woodcraft for Your Wood Furniture Needs

Whether you want wooden bedroom furniture or some high-end outdoor furniture for your home, you should get them only from the best. Not all wood products or wooden furniture are expensive, but they’re usually pricier than those made from other furniture or construction materials.

To get your money’s worth, source your wooden furniture needs from Woodcraft. We have been creating and selling beautiful pieces in the Canadian market since 1974. We’ve been making customers happy and satisfied with our exemplary craftsmanship for almost five decades. We have also grown with the times. Now, you can visit our website if you wish to order our wood products and wooden furniture online.

Looking for beautiful and sustainable furniture for your home? You can trust Woodcraft to give you high-quality wood furniture that meets your needs. Contact us today!

FAQs on How Wood Compares to Other Furniture Materials

Is buying solid wood furniture worth it?

Yes, solid wood is sophisticated and timeless, and they’re also easy to maintain and resistant to wear and tear. If you invest in solid wood furniture, you can expect them to last for decades.

Is wood furniture more durable than metal furniture?

Metal may be more durable than wood, but serious downsides render it less favourable than solid wood furniture. First, metal is a great heat conductor. If you expose your furniture to heat, you can’t use it until its temperature lowers. Second, it’s heavier than wood, so moving it around could be a pain. And third, metal can rust or corrode. This means you need to spend more effort on its upkeep, unlike wood.

What is the difference between hardwood and softwood furniture?

You can tell hardwood and softwood apart by their nature and reproduction process instead of attributes and appearances. Hardwood furniture uses wood from deciduous trees. These are trees that annually lose their leaves, and examples of these are poplar, maple wood, meranti, iroko, sapele, teak, red oak, and cherry wood.

Hardwood tends to be more resilient than softwood, so it’s often used for furniture pieces that require utmost durability. For example, hardwoods like walnut, maple, and beech are raw materials for fine veneers, wooden flooring, crafting furniture, and joinery projects. These tasks emphasize wood grain, colour, and other aesthetic characteristics. Hardwood is also denser than softwood, making hardwood furniture longer-lasting than those made from the latter.

On the other hand, softwood furniture uses conifers that remain evergreen. Softwood, such as redwood, cedar, and spruce, is famous for its strength and versatility. This explains why artisans use it for structural applications, external joinery, landscaping, decking, flooring, and furniture. Unlike hardwood, softwood develops quickly, leading to reasonable cost levels. It’s also less dense, lighter, and more flexible than hardwood.