Buying oak furniture for your house is the ideal way to give your residence that blend of style and durability that only oak can offer. It’s no wonder that oak has been the furnishings wood of choice for carpenters and craftsmen for years and years. Imagine the charm of the Brooklyn dressing table mirror gracing your bedroom. Or some fine lounge oak tables and chairs inside your family room. The truth is both dark and lightweight oak furniture look wonderful in every room in your home. Here’s you complete help guide to acquiring the best oak furniture.
First, let’s consider what oak is. Oak may be the wood in the hardwood oak tree, a genus is native to the northern hemisphere. Oak comes in two main varieties – red and white. Have an identical grain but white oak features longer rays. White oak is much more durable that red and it is, obviously, lighter in colour.
Red oak wood is popular for flooring, furniture, and kitchenware among other things. It’s a carpenter’s dream being easily sanded, stained and finished.
Light oak is known for its toughness and resistance to rot and moisture. This will make is much more suitable outdoor usage, in garden furniture, for instance. Popular light oaks include Orly, Shaker, Cambridge, Dorset, Mobel Oak Range, Hereford, Atlantis, and Timberland.
Why should you choose oak furniture for your home? The solution could be explained in the two words ‘beauty’ and ‘durability’.
The good thing about oak furniture comes from its colour and grain. Oak includes a timeless, classic beauty. Which means that a product such as a dressing table mirror appears to be good inside a sleek apartment at Canary Wharf because it would in a rustic cottage deep in the countryside.
With regards to colour, oak has few peers. The colours of oak range from light golden shades to some medium brown. Oak wood is renowned for its unique grain, which is especially pronounced when it is quarter sawn. And oak is a porous hardwood which means that it stains well.
As for durability, oak’s hardness protects it from the knocks of everyday life. Oak also has tannin acid contained in its grain that makes it resistant to insects, mold and fungus. In fact, most damage to oak is a result of hot, corrosive or dirty objects positioned on the surface of the wood. Oak’s durability causes it to be perfect for homes with active children – it’s very impervious to blows and scratches.
When it comes to buying the furniture, your two main choices are solid oak and veneer. In the latter, a layer of solid oak is glued to some less valuable wood for example pine, plywood or particleboard. Oak veneers look very nice and are often strong and durable through being made by overlapping pieces. However, poor veneers can peel, warp or bubble up which is tough to repair.
If you are buying solid oak furniture your alternatives are dark or light oak. Your decision will depend on such factors as the size your rooms and the colours of your walls, floors and existing furniture.
Dark oaks look heavier so might not be suitable in a small room. Light oaks create a glow of light and space. Light oak furniture also offers a far more chic and modern look.