Along with the development of technology, more and more new materials are born and applied to the interior. However, wood is still a popular material and is used mainly in the interior thanks to the gentle color and warm feeling that wooden furniture brings. If there is a change in furniture trends, it is that people combine wood with a variety of other materials to create new furniture.
Basically, based on the characteristics, we
can classify interior wood into different
types of wood for furniture, they are:
●
Hardwood
●
Softwood
●
Industrial wood (also called
synthetic wood, industrial board)
Hard wood
Hardwood is the most valuable and different type of plywood. Hardwoods
have a more complex structure than softwoods and often grow much more slowly,
thus having a more solid structure. It takes a long time for the hardwood to
mature enough to be harvested. For example, the average harvest age of oak is
25-30 years.
Do you think people distinguish hardwood from
softwood based on hardness? In fact, not 100% hardwood will be harder than
softwood. Some softwoods have a better hardness than hardwoods. Yew, for
example, is a soft wood that grows domestically, but is harder than other
hardwoods. Hard or softwood trees are distinguished based on their reproductive
structure. Hardwood trees are angiosperms, with flowers and fruits. The seeds
are in the fruit, reproducing based on the seeds. Softwood trees are coniferous
trees without flowers or fruit. Reproduction is based on cone cells. Some
common hardwoods are oak, walnut, ash, aspen, maple, poplar, hardwood etc.
Soft wood
Softwood accounts for 80% of world wood
production. The regions supplying the largest softwood production are
Scandinavia, Russia, North America and China. Some common softwoods are pine,
red, fir, cedar, cypress.A simpler feature to quickly identify softwood is that
the softwood does not change leaves, keeping its green color all year round.
Wood Industry
Industrial wood is also derived from natural wood, but undergoes a process with glue, heat, and technology to create large, flat, and lightweight wood panels. This is difficult to achieve in natural wood. Because it is rare and expensive to obtain natural trees with a large diameter of wood. Industrial wood can be classified into different types of wood for furniture the following categories:
●
Chipboard
●
Plywood
●
MDF
●
HDF
People often equate industrial wood as low
quality. However, not all industrial wood is made from low quality natural
wood. High-grade industrial wood has plywood. Average quality is MDF, HDF. The
lowest grade is particle board. Depending on the purpose of use, climate and
humidity of that area, sometimes industrial wood will be a wiser choice for
your interior. Industrial wood, when applied to the interior, is often combined
with veneer. Veneer is a selected thin, natural veneered surface material.
Veneer gives furniture a beautiful color, wood grain like natural wood, but
more durable, more aesthetic. At the same time, it overcomes the common
shortcomings of monolithic natural wood when making furniture such as easy to
crack and warp.
What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?
Despite their name, hardwoods are not harder
than softwoods and softwoods are not always softer than hardwoods. The real
difference depends on the species of plants they came from. Hardwoods include
deciduous trees (trees deciduous in winter) and seeds with a fleshy or seed
mulch. Examples of hardwoods include oak, elm and teak. Soft trees, on the
other hand, come from evergreen trees like pine and juniper trees. Their seeds
are bare and open (coniferous).
Hardwood - especially teak - is known for its
use in garden furniture due to its durability and weather resistance. It is
also commonly used for shipbuilding, including furniture, floors, instruments,
musical instruments, crates, etc. A hardwood tree is heavier and more expensive
than a soft one.
Soft wood is also used to make garden
furniture, but must be fabricated to protect it from the elements. In general,
it is used more than one hardwood because of its low cost and ease of
operation. Soft wood is widely used in construction.
Which is the most expensive?
Hardwoods originate from slow growing trees in
tropical regions of the world, and are more expensive than soft, fast-growing
trees that are abundant in Northern Europe. Hardwoods are thicker than soft
trees and are therefore heavier and require more drying time due to the amount
of natural fat in it - both are expensive.
Due to its relatively low cost, hardwoods are used for "good" applications - high-quality furniture, etc. - or under conditions of inactive plant functions. But that doesn't mean that a soft tree is cheap and bad. The two are simply different and are suitable for different purposes.