What Species Of Wood Is Best For You?

Which wood should I use for my custom furniture project?

Timber species are not something many people know about. Sure, there’s your standard types like Oak, Ash, Pine and so on, and we all know about these, but when you’re getting a custom piece of furniture made there are SO many other options that could be perfect for you that you may never think about using.

Almost every time I ask someone what wood they’re looking to use and they’re unsure, there’s a moments silence followed by the words ‘probably Oak’, and I get it! It's a safe option, and it could well be the perfect option for you, but often after a bit of conversation people decide on something completely different, and only say Oak because they don’t know what else is out there.

So, here are some different types with a bit of info on each to help you understand the options you have a little more.

1. Oak

This is by far the most common timber I get asked to use, and as I said we all know about it already. It's a fantastic premium timber. Hardwearing, durable and ages beautifully. But let’s just dive a little deeper into it because ‘Oak’ is a very broad statement for a lot of different types:

If you’re looking for something knot-free and consistent in colour, you’re looking for Prime Oak. This is the most expensive and desired oak and can be used for some really beautiful furniture! And there’s two types – European and American.

European usually is the darker of the two and the colours ‘pop’ a lot more when a finish is applied. It's also harder and more durable but because it takes a while to grow, it is also the most expensive Oak.

Finally, if you’re a fan of the natural differences in wood – knots, strange grain patterns, variation in colour and so on, then Character Oak is the option for you (this is my personal favourite). It’s exactly the same stuff as above but simply with more character, hence the name.  this is great if you think that a simple wood grain look is a little ‘boring’ and you want some more life in the wood of your furniture. 

2. Ash

Another common choice is Ash, a lovely light hardwood that is very much ‘in fashion’ at the moment. It has a similar grain pattern to Oak but is more of a cream colour. The biggest advantage of Ash is that it's both a tough, durable timber that is also not too costly. It’s great if you’re looking for a piece of furniture with lots of curves and bends as it's a very flexible timber as well.

3. American Black Walnut

A stunning timber that is used in high end furniture, with a beautiful dark colour that slowly lightens over time to range from a dark brown, almost purple, to a lovely rich honey colour. It has great durability and can come with a variety of looks to the grain of the wood. The biggest ‘wow factor’ however is the colour. The deep brown is very unique and simply stunning.

4. European Walnut

A lot less common than its American cousin, European Walnut has very similar characteristics but is slightly harder, making it more durable, and is slightly lighter in colour with more colour contrasts throughout each piece.

5, Sapele

I often get asked about the possibility of getting something made from Mahogany, which is understandable considering how beautiful the timber is. Unfortunately, Mahogany is an environmental disaster, with loggers destroying vast spaces of rainforests to get hold of it, and for that reason it’s not something commonly used. But Sapele is a great alternative. A tropical hardwood from Africa, it has a similar colour (reddish-brown) and wood grain to mahogany and is much more sustainable.

6. American Cherry

This is a very versatile wood that is great for a lot of uses. But again the most unique point of it is it's colour, this timber has a lovely light reddish tinge to it that is very popular and works well in a lot of homes. It's unique colour does make it one of the most expensive in this list.

7. Maple

Another favourite of mine, Maple wood has a lovely cream colour to it with hints of pink in the grain that complement each other beautifully. This is a very hard wood, one of the hardest in this list, that gives an impressively durable finish and incredibly smooth finish to every piece. The contrast in the grain pattern is a lot more apparent than other timbers as the light is very light and darker pink sections pop out.

There are many other options out there as well, these only cover the most common ones but even then, a lot of these aren’t commonly known.