Hardwood Furniture Types

Can't see the futon for the trees? We're the same way. When futon frames are made from a beautiful furniture wood, whether it's cherry or mahogany or oak, it's the wood that's usually first to grab - and hold - our attention. If you're a decor-conscious shopper, hardwood's ability to hypnotize makes it essential that you know the different hardwood furniture types available when shopping at AffordableFutons.com.

Because futons can have such a laidback presence, choosing an attractive hardwood for your futon frame is a great way to seamlessly blend the piece into a more formal furniture scheme. Conversely, if you're a college student living in a highly casual dorm or multi-roommate flop, owning a beautiful piece of wooden accent furniture might help convince your parents that you're a fully functioning adult - which means fewer questions about why you're majoring in liberal arts. It's a win-win situation. So hardwoods are hard, right? That's actually a trick question, because the answer is "not always." If you slept through botany class, here's how it works: hardwoodscome from angiosperm trees that are usually deciduous, i.e. flowering trees that lose their leaves every year. Hardwoods are almost always harder than softwoods, which come from conifer trees, i.e. cone-bearing evergreens. Poplar is one example of a hardwood that's actually kind of a softy, but in general the distinction between "hard" wood and "soft" wood holds true.

Hardwood's popularity as a furniture wood for futon chairs and other pieces is attributable to several things. Hardwood trees have a more complex cellular structure than softwoods, which gives their wood increased visual appeal due to a greater variety of textures and richer grains. And as you'd expect, hardwoods tend to be stronger and more durable than softwoods. They're also more expensive, but you do get what you pay for.

The wooden futon bunk beds, chairs, and frames at AffordableFutons.com are made primarily from seven types of hardwood (along with a few softwoods, which are discussed in our Softwood Furniture Types article. Here's some basic info about each type and its notable qualities.

Beech
As a shade-tolerant tree whose prolific leaf fall creates a great deal of soil-nurturing humus, beech has earned the nickname "mother of the forest." Its color ranges from white to red or reddish brown. Beech wood is heavy, dense, and strong, and resistant to shock and abrasive wear. Its grain is fine and straight, and it has a uniform texture. Beech stains well, and is an elegant, inexpensive hardwood.

Cherry
Cherry wood is one of the most luxurious of all hardwoods. That's due not only to its gorgeous appearance, but also to its outstanding finishing qualities. Cherry's red and brown coloring grows richer and darker as it ages, and its straight, satiny grain acquires character from the gum pockets and pith flecks that give it distinctive markings. A light wood with medium strength and density, cherry is admired for its smooth and lustrous finish.

Mahogany
One of the world's most esteemed furniture hardwoods, mahogany is a premier wood choice for fine furniture and high-end musical equipment. Mahogany's strength, hardness, and decay resistance - qualities that historically led to its widespread use in shipbuilding - place it among the most durable woods. But it's mahogany's color and figure that linger in the mind. Its pale tans, light and dark reds, and golden browns are complemented by striking figures and patterns such as stripe, blister, and curly.

Maple
One of the densest and heaviest of all hardwoods, maple is often used as a flooring or countertop material because of its toughness and resistance to abrasion. Maple is a close-grained, light-colored wood. The grain is usually straight, but sometimes features a burl, bird's-eye, curly, or fiddleback figure. Maple can be white or off-white, ranging to amber or light brown with a reddish cast. Eastern maple is harder than Western maple.

Oak
Oak is the commonest furniture hardwood, and is available in two primary types: red oak and white oak. Oak's abundance makes it an inexpensive alternative to hardwoods such as mahogany and cherry, yet futon frames made from oak sacrifice neither strength nor beauty. Oak has an open grain and coarse texture, and it stains extremely well. For beauty, durability, and cost, oak is hard to beat as a furniture hardwood.

Poplar
Poplars are the tallest of all U.S. hardwood species, and their fast growth results in a wood that is both softer and lighter. However, it's also very strong and stable. Poplar has a straight, close grain and uniformly fine texture. Primarily white or yellow in color, it can have an olive green or light brown cast. Because poplar is abundant and easy to work with, futon sets and frames made from this softer hardwood are very affordable.

Rubberwood
Rubberwood is sort of a new kid on the furniture hardwood block. Though grown for many years on the rubber plantations of tropical countries, rubberwood has only in recent years gained popularity as a furniture wood. The reason? Our growing concern with environmental sustainability. Rubber trees are no longer viable on plantations after about 30 years. But instead of being burned, as in decades past, older rubberwood trees are now being harvested for furniture production. The furniture pieces made from rubberwood are inexpensive and eco-friendly, with a natural color similar to beech.