Acacia is a durable hard wood from fast growing trees from the Far East and South America. The thin grain, the flame design and varied colour shades give furniture made from it a warm appearance. Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees of Gondwanian origin belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the Pea Family (Family Fabaceae). There are roughly 1300 species of Acacia worldwide, about 950 of them native to Australia, with the remainder spread around the dry tropical to warm-temperate regions of both hemispheres, including Africa, southern Asia, and the Americas.
Alder is a hardwood from the Pacific Northwest. It is very consistent in color and takes stain well. It ranks third behind oak and pine as the wood most commonly used for ready-to-finish furniture. Alder gives the look of many fine hardwoods at a reasonable price.
Ash finishes relatively easily and takes a beautiful stain. It is ring porous, so if you are looking for a glass like finish you must use a pore filler. It can be stained to look like oak as the grain pattern of the two woods is very similar. Ash has less chatter (ie. the little lines) between the rows of open pores, so tends to stain a little brighter than oak. You must sand carefully to eliminate cross grain scratching, particularly if you are using a dark stain.
Aspen is a softer, light-colored, even-grained hardwood. It accepts most stains well, but may need a sealer or a coat of mineral spirits to achieve an even stain. Nonpenetrating stains work best on this wood.
Birch The appearance of the wood will vary between species, but generally, the sap wood is creamy white and the heart stock, golden brown. Paper birch is predominately sap wood, with small brown knotty hearts. The wood is mostly white but as it nears the core will show brown flame patterns, with white sap edges.. quite dramatic. Yellow birch on the other hand, tends to be a larger tree and exhibits a more consistent golden brown colour, with little creamy white sap wood. Often yellow birch shows a nice curl pattern.
Eucalyptus is a sustainable, plantation grown hardwood actively
replanted in temperate regions around the world. Supply is plentiful and stable.
This heavy hardwood earns high marks for strength, a rich appearance and
durability.
Maple is especially abundant in the
eastern U.S. It is a very light-colored hardwood with a very even grain texture.
Eastern maples are generally harder than western maples because of the colder
winters and shorter growing seasons. Both are very durable and take any color of
stain well.
Northeastern Hardwood is naturally self-sustaining and non-endangered. Primarily used are birch and hard rock maple. Lumber is purchased from area saw mills, then dried, manufactured, and packaged on site. All sawdust, shavings, and waste materials generated during the manufacturing process is converted into wood pellet fuel, and used to heat homes. We are proud to say, "our operations generate no wood waste".
Oak is the wood most commonly used for ready-to-finish furniture. It is a very hard, open-grain wood and stains well in any color.
Parawood is a hard wood that comes from the great rubber plantations of Malaysia. The density of parawood is comparable to that of birch or ash. Its strength is rated the same as maple. Parawood is easy to finish and matches well with a variety of other woods. Once a rubber tree is no longer able to produce sufficient quantities of latex, it is cut for the process of furniture making and a new tree is planted in its place. This is and example of man's ability to fully utilize our natural resources, without harming the environment.
Pine is a softwood that comes in many varieties from various parts of the world. Pine has a yellow coloring with brown knots and is excellent for staining. With some stains, a sealer helps prepare the wood to achieve a more even look.
White Cedar is light weight but very durable and is unique in its resistance to bugs and its ability to weather without treatment (unlike other species). It is grown in moist swampy NE woodlands. Cedar absorbs and loses moisture slowly, which minimizes the dry cracking, splintering and swelling. Cedar has the US Forest Products Laboratory highest rating for decay and disease resistance. Fresh cedar odor is a mild insect repellent. White Cedar will last 25-30 years unfinished. There is no need to treat the wood, because it is naturally resistant to rot and pests. However, some people like a little color; for that, it is recommended that you stain the product (rather than to apply paint to it) in order to retain the natural protection of cedar.
Yellow Balau is a heavy hardwood that is native to Southeast Asia where the harvesting is strictly regulated to maintain a plentiful supply. The wood is extremely strong, durable and resistant to decay. It will weather to a silver-gray color when exposed to the natural elements.
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