What Type of Wood Should You Choose for the Custom Wood Furniture for Your San Diego Home?

As custom wood furniture builders, we are often asked by our customers what the best type of wood is for furniture. This is a complicated question to answer, and in truth, the answer is always “It depends.” It’s like asking a car salesman what the best type of vehicle is. He will likely have a lot of follow-up questions, such as, “What style of vehicle do you want (sports car, sedan, SUV, truck, etc.)?”  “What’s your budget?”  “What’s most important to you (good gas mileage, horsepower, comfort, etc.)?”

With types of wood, it also depends on what you’re looking for. Here are a few questions you may need to answer as we help you determine which type of wood will be best for your custom wood furniture project:

What Color Do You Want Your Finished Piece to Be?

Yes, wood can be stained, but different woods have different natural undertones, such as browns, pinks, or yellows. It is a lot easier to achieve the exact color you want if you start out with a type of wood with the right undertone. If what you want in your finished piece is a cool brown color, you could go with something like Walnut, which has beautiful brown undertones. On the other hand, wood such as Red Oak and Cherry will naturally have a warm, pinkish-red color to it, which would be better if you want to end up with a warm, reddish-brown color.

What Type of Wood Grain Do You Prefer?

Wood grain refers to the striping you see in cut wood. Some wood types will have a tight, straight, and relatively uniform grain, while others will have a wavy grain that is more open. Modern furniture tends to use the former, while more traditional or rustic furniture typically uses the latter.

You’ll also want to consider whether or not you want your wood to have knots. Some people like the look of knots in wood such as Knotty Pine and Cedar and think they add character to a furniture piece, while others don’t want any knots in their furniture whatsoever.

What Is Your Budget?

There is a wide range of pricing when it comes to wood types. Exotic, imported woods can be extremely pricy, while common wood species that can be sourced locally are much more affordable.

At Three Pines, we can source pretty much any type of wood you desire, but we always want to keep your budget in mind. We are happy to help you compare prices of the various options you are considering.

Will the Furniture Piece Be Housed Inside or Outside?

If the piece you want us to build for you is intended to be outside, your wood choices are more limited than they are for interior furniture pieces. For exterior wood furniture, you’ll want to select a wood that will withstand the elements well. Wood species such as Cedar, Teak, Acacia, and Sapele are some great options to consider.

Final Thoughts

We realize there are a lot of factors to consider with wood selection for your custom wood furniture piece. Rest assured we are here to help you select the perfect wood for your project! We can show you samples or even take you to a local sawmill to see a variety of options. Although the ultimate decision is up to you, we are happy to make suggestions based on our many years of woodworking experience.

Contact us at Three Pines Wood Co. to have your initial questions answered or to tell us about the custom furniture piece you want designed and built.