Buying Wood Furniture? Invest in the Best Types of Wood for Furniture

When furnishing a home, it’s an obvious choice for most of us to buy wood furniture. With the many options to choose from, it is even more crucial to invest in the best types of wood for furniture. For example, the best Australian timber for furniture can differ for every buyer depending on its intended purpose or preferred type and style.

Timber furniture is known for its luxurious look and feel, and it is durable and sturdy at the same time. Whether you are interested in wooden bedside tables, a massive dining table, or looking to set up a completely solid wood bedroom suite, you never run short of options.

If your budget allows, and you have a little know-how of different types of woods, you can buy wood furniture that will serve you for years to come, that add to the beauty of your interiors.

While solid timber furniture is beautiful, versatile and timeless, it must be made using the best types of wood to deliver on these promises. Let’s delve into some details of the best wood types. And, try to understand which of them makes the right choice for your modern classic furniture.

Top 5 Best Types of Wood For Furniture

The choice of wood depends on your aesthetic standards, budget, and the routine wear and tear your furniture is expected to endure. Keeping these characteristics in mind, the following are the best Australian timber and American hardwood for tables, custom bedroom furniture and other wooden furniture you wish to have in your home.

Best Australian Timber for Furniture

West Australian Marri

West Australian Marri is chosen for its strength and durability. With its distinct veining and patterning, it is often used to make furniture that is the centrepiece of the home.

Marri has a coarse but even texture with a slightly interlocking grain structure. The wood has honey and golden tones and dark veining.

This beautiful hardwood suits contemporary and/or country home settings.

Check out the KOBE TV UNIT IN WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MARRI for your living room.

Tasmanian Blackwood

Tasmanian Blackwood is a popular timber for furniture throughout the home due to its durability and variety of colours.

This hardwood has an attractive irregular grain that you can finish to a smooth lustre.

It has wide-ranging hues of light brown to dark brown, and reds, as well as beautiful black grain patterning.

You can buy this popular wood furniture for both modern and traditional settings.

Check out the VALENCIA DINING TABLE IN TASMANIAN BLACKWOOD for your dining room.

Western Australian Jarrah and River Red Gum 

West Australian Jarrah is known for its durability, strength, and versatility, allowing it to be used in wide-ranging exterior and interior applications. It comes in dark red to dark brown hues and boasts a moderately coarse and interlocked, wavy grain that makes it an appealing material for architecture and design. Used mostly for heavy-duty construction, the Western Australian Jarrah is a durable hardwood that is resistant to termites, rot, and fire. The decorative qualities of this hardwood also make it a prized choice for furniture.

Australia’s most common eucalypt, River Red Gum is known for its termite resistance and durability. It is an ideal choice for heavy-duty timber furniture. Besides its durability and strength, the distinctive red colour of this timber allows for a range of applications from railway sleepers and wharves to mine shafts and veneers.

The wood is hard and comes with an interlocking grain that makes it a bit difficult to work with. Still, it’s an enduring pick that delivers a wonderful lustrous finish.

American Hardwoods

American Oak

American Oak is among the strongest light-toned hardwood used for furniture. The gorgeous dynamic oak grain has a lot of variety in its colour, with its pale straw to pale browns it is among the most commonly used timber for furniture making.

Oak is a furniture wood classic known for its V-shaped, tight grain pattern, and it responds to polishes and stains quite well. It is effortless to work with and can be carved into eclectic, contemporary furniture designs for your interiors. From bedside cabinets to custom dining tables, it’s a perfect choice for all your furniture projects.

Check out the ATLANTA ROUND DINING TABLE IN AMERICAN OAK.

American Walnut

American walnut is a perfect pick for anyone looking for rich dark toned timber.

With its dark brown and purplish-black hues, and fine, straight grain timber, marbled patterning, this hardwood suits both elegant and contemporary spaces.

It is commonly used for decorative veneers, but in its solid form is also used for premium fine furniture.

Check out the MILAN DINING TABLE IN AMERICAN WALNUT.

Hardwood or Softwood: Which Is the Best Types of Timber for Furniture?

When you buy custom-designed wood furniture, you want it to last a long time and provide an incredible appeal to your interiors. Keeping that in mind, hardwoods are best-suited for interior furniture. They not only look exotic but also offer higher density and are more durable.

Softwoods, on the other hand, are not as hard and can be bought relatively cheaper. However, they are less desirable as they easily get dents and scratches. You may still use them in low-impact areas around your home and enjoy some additional savings.

Softwoods include some of the common pine timber varieties mainly used in cheaper furniture and as a construction lumber. Pine is one of the popular and best softwood for furniture for its reliable durability, highly shock resistant and versatile for interior furnishing due to its light colour. Western red cedar is also a popular softwood for outdoor furniture due to being rot-resistant.

Now that you are equipped with all the information about the best types of wood, make an informed choice the next time you buy custom bedroom furniture or other wood furniture for your dream home.

Where to Buy Wood Furniture?

Even if you’re not an expert, you can quickly assess the quality of a piece of furniture using our timber furniture shopping checklist.

Looking to buy the best solid wood furniture but want to cut the hassle? Naturally Timber is a name you can trust. If you are looking to buy customised furniture online, we have a wide range of high-quality furniture pieces you can choose from. Browse our collection of quality handcrafted Australian-made timber furniture here.