| Believe it or not, if you are a fan of buying furniture | | | | poorest of the poor. In the sixteenth and |
| made of wood, you probably already own several | | | | seventeenth centuries in England, furniture made |
| oak furniture pieces! Oak is very popular among | | | | from oak was in very high demand. People wanted it |
| furniture makers and buyers and this article will | | | | in every room of their homes, and as many different |
| explain one of the reasons that oak is such a popular | | | | things - from actual furniture to wooden paneling to |
| building material and why, if you are looking for a | | | | augment a room's look! |
| new piece of wooden furniture for your home, | | | | Why is Oak Good for Furniture? |
| buying a piece of furniture made from oak is one of | | | | The sapwood of oak ranges from light brown to |
| the best ways to go! | | | | white and the heartwood is usually a pinkish or |
| A Brief Run Down on Oak | | | | reddish color. These colors make it easy to use oak |
| There are about four hundred different trees or | | | | furniture with just about any home's existing color |
| shrubs that can be identified as being in the oak | | | | scheme. The colors blend in naturally to whatever is |
| family. All four hundred of these trees and shrubs can | | | | around them! The grain is straight and the furniture |
| be found in the northern hemisphere and the trees | | | | made from oak will have a coarse texture. Oak is a |
| are both evergreen and deciduous and can be found | | | | heavy wood, so oak furniture is not easy to lift or |
| everywhere from the icy northern reaches of the | | | | move. It also stands up to just about any wear or |
| globe to the tropics of Asia. Oak wood is very | | | | tear you can give it, which makes it an excellent |
| dense, very strong and very resistant to fungal and | | | | candidate for family heirlooms and for families who |
| insect attacks. Its high tannin levels keep most of | | | | cannot afford to replace furniture often. |
| these worries away. The grain markings have always | | | | Buying Oak |
| been thought beautiful, especially in the quarter-sawn | | | | When it comes time to purchase your oak furniture |
| boards. There are two basic types of oak: white oak | | | | you should decide whether you want the furniture to |
| and red oak Both have been used in everything from | | | | be made out of actual oak or whether a simple oak |
| ship building to decorative furniture making. | | | | veneer is all right. Veneers are less expensive, but |
| A Brief History of Oak Furniture | | | | true oak will last many lifetimes. Make sure the |
| Believe it or not, oak furniture has been common | | | | furniture has been well made and that there are no |
| since the medieval ages. Back then, oak was valued | | | | gaps present between the different parts of the |
| because, in addition to being strong and durable, it | | | | furniture The furniture should also be indentation free |
| was also cheap and readily available! All homes had | | | | and each plane of the wood should be level with |
| oak furniture from the richest of the rich to the | | | | those around it. |