KEY TAKEAWAYS: The most expensive wood is agarwood. Other expensive woods include:
African Blackwood is the most costly wood in the world, and it is also one of the rarest due primarily to human overexploitation and habitat loss. This indicates that African Blackwood may soon become endangered or extinct.
Naturally, you'll want your indoor furniture to stand the test of time, as well. That's why we recommend hardwood options such as maple, mahogany, walnut, and oak for beautiful, long-lasting pieces that can be both decorate and good for common use.
Pine wood is not very expensive and is widely used as cheap timber. The tree grows up to 260 ft depending on the species. The Janka Hardness scale score of the white pine tree is around 500 lbf. A dresser is a common pine wood piece of furniture however people often choose pine wood to do flooring.
MDF, laminates, softwood, and melamine are also hallmarks of cheap furniture. Of course these materials are great for less used spaces and children's bedrooms, but if you spot these materials in cheap bedroom furniture, be sure to know that it won't be high quality.
There are two different sorts of fake wood furniture: laminate and veneer. In both cases, a surface that has the appearance of solid wood is glued to a less expensive engineered wood product hiding it from sight. The nature of the covering material is the difference between the two types.
No plywood, particle board, MDF, veneers, engineered woods or other composite wood products allowed anywhere in our furniture, because they can pollute indoor air quality, including with high levels of formaldehyde (a human carcinogen).
Wrought Iron
As far as metal furniture goes, wrought iron is - quite literally - the strongest choice. This hard-wearing, heavy metal becomes stronger each time it's heated and worked, and since wrought iron furniture typically has an ornate and intricate design, that means it's incredibly tough.
Lignum vitae is hard and durable, and is also the densest wood traded (average dried density: ~79 lb/ft3 or ~1,260 kg/m3); it will easily sink in water.
Today, most furniture is made with ash, pine, gum, and poplar; pine, fir, and other inexpensive woods are used for hidden parts. The rare woods are used only for very good furniture, and they're often used in combination with the less expensive woods.
Generally speaking, lighter colors work best for modern designs while darker colors complement traditional and rustic atmospheres. However, you can always mix and match your wood color to achieve the perfect design. Keep in mind that undertones also influence the feel of a room.
The most expensive wood is agarwood. Other expensive woods include: African black wood, sandalwood, koa wood, Brazilian rosewood, lignum vitae, cocobolo wood, purpleheart wood, bocote wood, holly tree wood, bubinga wood, and pink ivory. Several of these woods cost upwards of $100,000 per kilo.
This follows the simple rule of supply and demand. The more desirable and scarce an item is, the higher the price will be. Keep in mind that more sustainably made furniture will also be more expensive, both due to the costs of sourcing the material and the demand for more eco-conscious options.
Choose Neutral Colors
In interior design and decorating, neutrals are often a staple palette that never dates. Therefore, timeless furniture uses neutral colors, yet it doesn't mean that it is boring. On the contrary, you can combine neutral colors with some art pieces with blues and greens.
If you're looking for a highly durable and long-lasting piece of furniture, and cost isn't the biggest factor, then oak will be the better choice. If you're looking for less expensive furniture that will last a good number of years, but you don't mind eventually replacing it, then pine is perfect.
When it comes to deciding on wood colors for furniture, the most timeless color is Classic Walnut. With its rich, medium-brown tones, it goes with just about any color scheme, and can seamlessly cross over from a traditional to contemporary design style (and vice versa).
IKEA offers many types of wood. However, IKEA is mostly known for its furniture pieces made of compressed wood chips that are pressed between plastic veneer. That said, IKEA has a large offer of solid wood such as pine, oak, birch, beech, or acacia. Thus IKEA can be real wood indeed!
Most Ikea furniture is made of laminate wood, which can be hard to work with but by sanding first, you'll find the job a doddle. After sanding, wipe down the furniture to get rid of the dust. Once your furniture has dried, you move onto the next step.