Wood Options
Red oak is a very popular hardwood, chosen for its traditional, coarse-textured look, as well as its excellent durability and strength. It accepts stain consistently and wears very well over time, making red oak a good choice for furniture that will see heavy everyday use. Natural color varies from yellow to pale brown, often with a light reddish tinge.
White oak-much like red oak-is hard and strong, providing outstanding wear-resistance. It has a medium-coarse to coarse texture and varies in color from light tan to nearly white or light grey. Our Amish craftsmen use quarter sawn white oak for a unique aesthetic appeal.
Soft maple is a straight-grained, fine-textured wood. And despite its confusing name, it's actually a hardwood. Derived from red or silver maple trees, soft maple is not as durable as its hard maple cousin, but is more capable of accepting stain. Soft maple has roughly the same density as cherry, with colors usually ranging from light cream to pale brown with occasional dark streaks.
Hard maple, or rock maple, comes from sugar or black maple trees. It's a tough, moderately heavy wood with a fine and uniform texture. Hard maple finishes very smoothly and is extremely durable. Commonly seen with no stain, its natural color varies from nearly white to light tan, with an occasional reddish tinge.
Cherry is a dense, even-grained wood, widely considered to be the finest of the fruitwoods. It is prized for its beauty and is considered an excellent choice for both formal and casual applications. Natural coloration varies from a light cream to a dark reddish brown, however, cherry can darken considerably with age, developing a deep, rich patina over the course of several years.
Hickory is a close-grained wood that's often nearly white in color. It's also one of the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods found in the United States. Because of its flexibility and resilience, hickory is commonly used in the construction of chairs and other bentwood furniture.
Walnut is a dense wood, ranging in color from light to deep chocolate brown. The black walnut tree produces one of the finest cabinet woods. Slow growing and highly desired, walnut is more expensive than many other woods.
