Which wood is best for furniture? Solid oak and beech.

In the two previous materials we looked at solid pine and birch, and now it’s time to consider in detail the types of wood, furniture from which belongs to the elite class, and therefore the price for them will not be affordable for everyone. But even in this case, you should pay attention to furniture made of solid oak and beech, since despite all their shortcomings, this furniture has much more advantages, so they not only balance them, but also outweigh them. And when we talk about furniture made from solid oak and beech, we mean the quality and durability for which these species are famous. But enough beating around the bush, let's take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of oak and beech.

Solid oak

Let's start with one of the most elite types of wood - oak, which is mentioned in many sources, including folk legends and fairy tales, as the tree of princes and kings. Since ancient times, the oak has been a symbol of power and steadfastness; it is not without reason that the mighty heroes for whom the Russian land was famous were compared with this tree.

If you decide to furnish your interior with luxury and a touch of elitism, then solid oak is your choice. Solid oak furniture, thanks to the unique natural pattern of the wood, looks original, but at the same time can fit into any interior. In many ways, oak wood is an almost ideal material for making furniture, but the defining word in this case is “practically,” since oak has its own strengths and weaknesses, so let’s study them in more detail.

Advantages of solid oak

• Durability of solid oak furniture. There is an understanding in our minds that furniture made of oak is a sign of the solidity and status of its owner also because its service life is very long. Solid oak has successfully passed the test of time, as it can remain intact and intact for centuries. Oak cabinets and beds, if properly cared for, retain their quality even after half a century. Due to the fact that oak wood lends itself well to carpentry and restoration, its service life is truly unlimited;
• It can be easily restored, so it can serve for a long time, maintaining its impeccable appearance and quality.
• Compliance during processing;
• Moisture resistant. This property of oak wood makes this material the best choice for making kitchen furniture. Oak furniture is not afraid of temperature changes, does not swell or deform under the influence of water and steam, which are the main damaging factors in the kitchen;
• Solid oak is highly resistant to mechanical stress;
• Environmental friendliness of oak. Wood is a natural material, and therefore does not emit toxic substances during operation. It is worth noting, however, that an oak set can charge the room in which the furniture will be placed with the energy of living nature, which will have a very beneficial effect on your health, both physical and spiritual.
• A wide range of shades helps to successfully fit the products into a wide variety of rooms and interiors.
• The combination of high strength and ductility of the material allows the use of various methods of decorative wood processing. At the same time, the wood does not lose its hardness.
• An excellent antiseptic - essential oils and resins contained in furniture made from valuable solid wood prevent the spread of rotting processes and protect against mold and harmful insects. Oak furniture is not destroyed by insects and does not rot. During the growth process, oak wood produces essential oils and resins, which subsequently prevent the appearance of insect pests in it. Also, these substances have an antifungal effect - mold never appears in oak furniture;
• Aesthetics – solid oak furniture can decorate almost any room with its appearance alone. This already speaks of the good taste of the home owner.

Disadvantages of solid oak

• The high cost of oak products, which could cover the cost of purchasing more than one option from other wood. Yes, this pleasure is not cheap, and if you decide to purchase oak furniture, you must be prepared for sufficient financial expenses. On the other hand, with a quality item it cannot be otherwise. When making furniture, wood undergoes careful, highly efficient processing. If there are small children in the house, it will be very disappointing when they choose a brand new wardrobe or chest of drawers as their canvas. The lion's share of the cost is the wood itself, on the purchase of which companies spend a decent amount of their budget. Any wood will not be suitable for furniture production. A careful selection of material of the quality that would meet state requirements for the manufacture of furniture sets is carried out;
• High hardness of the material. In some situations, this can greatly complicate the work of the master. Oak is one of the most “capricious” in the processing and production of furniture of complex design, which causes long production times and “torture” for the master himself.
• Cracking. This can happen if low quality wood was used, which grew on the shore of a reservoir. It is for this reason that most experts resort to using a special scheme for selecting wood for production needs.
• Huge weight of furniture made from solid oak. Moving or rearranging has every chance of becoming a problem for you, which is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to solve alone, so a pair of strong hands may be required.
• Requirements for the interior and living space - not all apartments and not every interior style will fit oak furniture. It will not fit into small one-room apartments like Khrushchev-era apartments and studios with adjacent space. Solid wood products look quite massive. Accordingly, this material is not very suitable for small rooms: the space will feel overloaded.
• Frequent cases of counterfeiting - this factor follows from the previous paragraph. The high price encourages consumers to seek “bargain value.” But think about it, not a single company will operate at a loss. Oak is an expensive wood, the cost of which is fully included in the cost of the finished furniture. If you want it cheap, buy interior items made from other types of wood, such as beech.

Requirements for a wooden staircase

Wood is suitable for both classic-style interior design and modern design options. Seeing wood in the interior and exterior is not uncommon today. Wood is used, among other things, for the manufacture of stairs, but it is worth knowing that we are talking about durable and hard varieties that ensure reliable operation of the structure. Wood cannot be wet - it is permissible to use raw materials with a moisture content of up to 8%, and then not for installing stairs on the street.

Many people evaluate only price qualities and therefore make a mistake, since focusing on the cost of the material is not enough. Low cost in this case may indicate the quality of the wood and the shortcomings of processing. Soft varieties, for example, are less durable and exhibit greater susceptibility to abrasion. Thus, their use does not guarantee the strength and reliability of stairs, both external and internal. Soft wood can only be used for cladding concrete stairs in a house.

Solid beech

Beech is the “low-cost version” of oak and is as strong and durable as it is used in furniture production. It is difficult for a non-professional to distinguish furniture made from solid beech and oak, especially considering the variety of shades of coatings that can imitate almost any wood. One of the main indicators of the authenticity of solid beech furniture is the unostentatious luxury, elegance and, at the same time, the massiveness of the furniture sets. Beech, like many of the previously described types of wood, has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of solid beech include the high density of wood and its ability to dry quickly while maintaining its original appearance, a pleasant pattern of wood texture, fast bleaching, unchanged shade of the product even when varnished, flexibility, and environmental safety. But even with such a fairly large list of positive qualities, solid beech wood is not without its drawbacks. These include poor tolerance to dry air, high hygroscopicity and sensitivity to changes in air humidity, the need for special care, and so on. But let's take a closer look at them for a complete understanding.

Advantages of solid beech

• Beech has a high density;
• The ability to maintain its original appearance without cracking during production drying. At the same time, drying does not take much time;
• When cut, beech has a very beautiful natural pattern, which allows furniture made from it to have an original and very beautiful color;
• tendency to rapid bleaching, which allows you to give the product any color;
• When coated with varnish, it practically does not change its shade;
• Beech is extremely convenient to work with: it is flexible and cuts well.
• Environmental friendliness and safety (which is especially important for children's furniture);

Disadvantages of solid beech

• High hygroscopicity and sensitivity to high room humidity parameters - Does not tolerate sudden changes in humidity;
• poor tolerance to dry air (therefore it is not recommended to install beech furniture near radiators or other heating devices);
• Intolerance to direct sunlight, color may fade slightly with prolonged use;
• With prolonged use and improper care, cracks can often form;
• Beech is a very heavy material, so massive products made from it will not be easy to move.
• Need for special care;
• difficulties when it is necessary to repair furniture.

General information

The plants in question are long-lived trees from the beech family. Their species are quite common in the Northern Hemisphere. Beech and oak bring considerable benefits to humans. In particular, they are a source of high quality wood. In both plants it, having a homogeneous structure, is well processed. This is what a beech might look like:

Beech wood

And this is an oak tree:

Oak wood

Bottom line

So, what is the answer to the question - Which wood is best for furniture? It is impossible to answer the question unequivocally, because any type of wood is perfectly suited to the conditions for which you are looking for interior elements. It is for this difficult reason that many make their choice of wood based on the purpose of the furniture. As you probably noticed, each type of wood has its own pros and cons, so it’s impossible to say which one is the most ideal and versatile. But if you need beautiful furniture that will serve you faithfully for many years, then you simply need to give preference to wood species with high hardness values, for example, oak wood, then your furniture will be strong, elegant and will serve you faithfully for many, many years . And it will help you with this.

What kind of wood is used to make doors?

A tree is part of living nature. It breathes, has its own “circulatory” system, has its own strength, the ability to absorb moisture to one degree or another - in a word, it is a material “with character”, and capricious, which sometimes negatively affects the properties of some breeds. Over time, as well as during operation in unfavorable conditions, if protective treatment technology is not followed, the material may crack, change color, completely blacken or become moldy and rot.

The ancient people learned how to “tame” the capricious nature of wood, but the primary point that artisans paid attention to was the correct choice of blanks. Experts took into account the age of the plant, the level of its resin content, and the climatic features of the area. Be sure to evaluate the condition of the bark and pay attention to the type of crown.

Today, the strategy for selecting material has changed significantly. It is not profitable for companies to implement strict qualifications, because production, especially of doors in the low price segment, is put on a conveyor belt. In order not to increase the cost, we use material that is easier to buy inexpensively, that grows nearby, and does not require transportation costs. Of course, in the general production mass there are also factories that work exclusively with a certain breed brought from a specific region. And the buyer must decide for himself whether he wants to buy a door made of Finnish pine or Belarusian oak to order.

By the way, you can view and inexpensively order doors from any type of solid wood in the catalog here: https://www.vdomspb.ru/catalog/dveri-iz-massiva.html

Of course, many would choose beautiful, durable, strong oak. However, not everything is as simple as it seems. There were cases, for example, when harvesters from abroad tried to sell us timber with increased radiation activity, which is not suitable for use in the production of interior doors by any standards.

Here we move on to the third point of selection (after the breed and environmental friendliness) and this is the reputation of the manufacturer. A responsible leader will not engage in deception. He always has documentation at hand with a clear indication of the origin of the material, including radiation parameters, and also has a certificate of compliance of the forest with established environmental standards. This means that in order not to end up with a cheap, low-quality surrogate, ask the manufacturer for a document and don’t worry about guessing.

Regarding the choice of species – oak, despite its high cost, is now considered the highest priority material. It is chosen more often, apparently because they do not know that for centuries, since the dawn of door production, people have used pine, birch, maple, beech, and cherry to the same extent. And this is natural, because both the listed and other breeds are good in their own way.

Considering the level of development of technology and protective materials, any surface can be treated with such high quality that even the softest and most capricious wood can resist foreign factors for years. Therefore, limiting yourself to choosing between one or two breeds is wrong.

Each material has its own special charisma, its own pattern and color. What's better? – Choose based on your taste and financial capabilities:

• If they are not limited, then laminated solid wood and oak, beech;
• If the top bar is not raised very high, then alder and pine are the very compromise option in terms of price and beauty.

User reviews

According to reviews from customers who have already “tried” beech furniture, this natural material is truly durable, reliable, and resistant to mechanical damage. It looks very interesting, especially in the classic interior of living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. Headsets in dark shades look stylish in office spaces and cubicles.

The owners note that the furniture is easy to maintain, but it needs to be properly organized. For example, if alcohol is accidentally spilled on the countertop, you need to wipe it dry. In basic terms, care is the same as for any wooden furniture.

Among the disadvantages, they point out the massiveness of the tables and cabinets: repairs, moving, or simply washing floors in hard-to-reach places become a real test for the owners.

What types of beech are used for furniture production?

The furniture industry uses oriental beech, which grows in the Caucasus, and forest beech, whose habitat is Central Europe.

There are many types of beech; more than 250 of them are used in various industries. Three types are most often used:

1. Hornbeam or white beech with a grayish wood tone is suitable for the “rustic” style due to its deliberate roughness and rusticity.
2. Planed is used for the production of chipboards and laminated chipboards, which are then used to create furniture.
3. The bleached beech is very beautiful, the dark shade of Bavaria is elegant.

How solid wood doors are made

They are produced using two technologies - the result is:

A common misconception concerns the material for the production of doors - 90 percent of people are sure that the basis of the door is a solid piece of wood. In fact, solid wood (if we talk about the material for making doors) means glued pieces of the same rock.

Characteristics of fragility, hardness and wear resistance of wood

Brittleness refers to the property of wood to collapse abruptly after an applied load. All valuable wood species lack this property, which is due to the specific structure of the wood fiber. The hardness index is characterized by the ability of wood to resist the penetration of any object. Hardness depends on the volumetric mass of the wood, and the larger it is, the higher the hardness.

Another main characteristic of wood is wear resistance. This characteristic implies the ability of wood not to succumb to friction loads. The friction process constantly occurs, for example, when using stairs or floors. Wear on the surface of the material is visible by the abrasion of the surface over time. Harder wood species such as beech, ash and oak are the least susceptible to wear. Soft woods (spruce, pine, etc.) have a soft structure and therefore are subject to rapid abrasion.

Which is better, alder or beech for furniture?

Alder has less dense wood than beech. Solid alder becomes dark after sawing, so it is used in furniture making after staining. Let's compare some characteristics of the materials. The color in both cases can be any thanks to dyeing. Both arrays lend themselves well to processing. However, alder is impervious to high dampness; tables, benches and chairs made from it can be left outdoors. But beech is afraid of humidity; garden furniture made from it must be protected from precipitation.

But beech wood is more durable and can withstand significant loads, so beds and frames should be made from it.

Alder wood in its pure form has an uninteresting texture and is homogeneous, therefore it is most often used in painted form. However, thanks to tinting you can get beautiful furniture. Alder polishes much better than beech.

Which is better beech or oak for furniture?

Wooden furniture is very popular; the two main competitors are solid oak and beech - durable, attractive, and wear-resistant. But which option should you choose for your home? Let's figure it out.

Oak is very beautiful in itself, has an interesting pattern of growth rings, and is often used in its natural form. However, there are also many processing options:

• etching;
• staining;
• Patching.

All this allows you to create beautiful furniture with a touch of antiquity and aristocracy. Let's compare the parameters of oak and beech furniture in the table.

The disadvantage of beech is its susceptibility to moisture, due to which the tree begins to deteriorate. In addition, the surfaces are difficult to polish. However, both arrays are durable and wear-resistant. Due to the high hygroscopicity of beech, it is rarely used for kitchen sets and bathroom furniture; this niche belongs to oak. Oak furniture is very valuable, which is why it is often counterfeited. This rarely happens with beech products.

Let's summarize. Only an expert can visually distinguish oak from beech; the main characteristics of the arrays are similar, but beech loses in hygroscopicity, gaining in price.

Caring for beech furniture

Beech furniture is very attractive and durable, but its weak point is the “fear” of changes in humidity and increased dampness. Therefore, maintain comfortable conditions for headsets:

• temperature - +20 degrees;
• humidity – 60-70%;
• protection from direct sunlight.

To control the level of humidity in winter, place a container of water next to the heating device.

Removing dirt is easy: just wipe the surfaces with suede to clean the glass. In particularly difficult cases, it is permissible to use dishwashing compounds, after which the furniture is wiped dry. It is unacceptable to use formulations containing alcohol, acetone or solvent.

This is beech furniture that will decorate any interior. To appreciate its merits, it is important to buy models or headsets only from a reliable manufacturer who uses high-quality raw materials and European equipment. If the drying technology is not followed, the furniture will last very little and will quickly become covered with cracks. Therefore, trust the Pinskdrev factory and the official dealer in the Moscow region - Belarusian Quality.

What to look for when choosing beech furniture

Let's look at what you need to pay attention to when buying furniture made from solid beech. The following signs indicate that you have a high-quality chair, table or cabinet:

• The joints are symmetrical and neat.
• Uniform coating without blisters, chips, or cracks.
• High-quality fittings. Doors should open and close without unnecessary effort, drawers should operate smoothly and quietly, handles should not dangle. Check each element, take your time.

The responsible seller will present a certificate of conformity upon request.

Ash

The peculiarity of ash is that its wood is stronger than oak, but the material is too susceptible to the effects of the atmosphere, and therefore is not suitable for use outside the home. But for interior doors, the natural pattern of ash seems preferable to many, because its patterns are larger and more expressive than those of oak. Such doors look gorgeous with a classic frame of the opening; instead of standard moldings, they use: frames and carved platbands, figured cornices and capitals.

Popular shades of beech furniture

There are several types of staining for beech furniture. This is a light shade with golden or silver veins. The coating itself can be light, almost transparent or rich. Furniture in this tone looks bright, so it is installed as separate elements rather than as entire sets.

Another option for light beech furniture is white. More often used for summer cottage sets, the gray-white shade looks very elegant.

Bleached beech is the lightest shade of solid wood. The wood is pre-treated with steam, then painted with white paint and dried. The color is uniform.

The darkest shade of beech furniture is Bavaria. Suitable for office decoration, as it gives a touch of elegant rigor and formality.

It is allowed to paint surfaces in natural tones (cherry, walnut, wenge) or bright rich shades (red, purple, turquoise). In the first case, varnishes are used that preserve the natural shade of wood; in the second, enamel is used.

Why aren't doors made from a whole piece of wood?

Theoretically, the door can be cut from a solid tree trunk.
It looks much simpler than the process of sawing and gluing bars. But... such a door will cost more, and we assure you that it will “operate” much faster than one that is assembled from parts. Changes in humidity and temperature will quickly do their “work”. The canvas will crack or immediately become deformed, and the maintainability of such structures is, if not zero, then low. Another thing is the re-glued array. Each bar is considered as a separate segment, and if increased fiber tension is created inside one, it is not transmitted to the adjacent fragment. The gluing of the bars is carried out using a special technology. Between the fragments a seam is formed in the form of small teeth (in professional slang - a jagged microspike). It is made on special machines. And one more plus - a solid leaf is much easier to break than a door consisting of several elements.

So, the first stage of door production has been completed. High-quality and environmentally friendly wood has been selected, you can proceed to the next step.