Like cherry, maple will darken over time, though far less dramatically. Maple starts off very light and bright, with a few pink and grey tones. Over time, it will age to a warm golden honey color. Other light brown woods, like ash and white oak will slightly darken to a beige or amber color.
Cherry, in addition to walnut, is photoreactive lumber, which makes the aging process much more dramatic than oak, maple, or other woods. Over the course of 6 to 8 months, deep amber colors will start to come out. The aging process is what makes cherry such a beautiful and rich hardwood option.
Finally, oak furniture will get more beautiful with age, naturally darkening during its lifetime, and daylight will alter the colour, so be sure to periodically rearrange any lamps or ornaments to give an even colour. Coastal French-Washed Solid Oak 4ft 6in Double Bed. Original price: £529.87. Why buy oak?
Unlike cherry, maple, and oak (which all darken in color as they age), walnut wood will actually lighten slightly over time.
The heartwood, or innermost part of the tree, is typically a light cream to yellowish brown, though it may even appear green. It's not always easy to see where the heartwood meets the sapwood, or outermost part, though the sapwood is usually white to pale yellow. These colors will darken or become yellower with age.
As the pine wood ages, with the help of UV from the sunlight it tends to turn more of an orange colour. In a similar way, as Oak oxidises with time, it tends to darken to a very dark brown and in some cases, black.
Oak will also change colour because it will have started the seasoning process – this is where the oak starts to dry out. Eventually, your green oak could then be classed as seasoned oak. It is possible to guess how old a beam is from the colour, after about 10 years it is black.
Also pine will darken with age. You can see below the first 2 images of new pine with wide grain, the 3rd image of the top of a very old pine table. Notice the very close grain.
While hickory is typically a light-colored wood, it can change color with age, depending on the conditions it is exposed to. Over time, hickory that is exposed to sunlight will darken in color, while hickory that is kept in darker conditions will lighten.
Comparing Walnut and Brown Maple Wood for Furniture
Walnut has some darker colors, but still looks beautiful au natural with an oiled finish. Brown maple colors and the nature of its grain pattern look best in darker stains.
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).
'What's old is new again,' agrees Etsy's 2023 collections curator, Martha Stewart, adding that 'brown furniture is alive and well'. But while dark wood appears to be on the up, Etsy has observed a 24 per cent decrease in searches for Scandinavian decor, raw or light wood (14 per cent) and beige decor (29 per cent).
White oak experiences very little color change over time—its golden tones only grow slightly richer.
Classic medium-toned browns such as cherrywood, mahogany, oak, maple, walnut, birch wood, and hickory are all timeless colors that never go out of style. Cherrywood is a deep, rich color that has a deep mahogany shade with warm tones of red or brown, often mixed with hints of pink and even purple.
However, cedar that is destined to live outdoors needs some special care and attention. Specifically, it needs to be treated with a good wood stain. Otherwise, your nice cedar color will fade to a dull, nasty grey.
The easiest species of wood to turn are pine and cherry. They are soft and easy to shape on the wood lathe and should be used by anyone who is trying to learn how to turn wood. When turning wood, you want to choose softwoods at the beginning to reduce the complexity of turning wood and allow you as a beginner to learn.
Oak seems to offer a near-perfect balance of beauty, character, durability and affordability. With salmon-colored hues in the heartwood, Hickory is actually somewhat lighter than White Oak, which has a more nutty brown color.
There are a few key differences between black walnut and hickory trees. For one, black walnut trees are typically taller, reaching up to 100 feet, while hickory trees only grow to be about 60 feet tall. Additionally, black walnuts have a darker bark, while hickory tree bark is usually a light brown or gray color.
What Color is Birch Wood? The most prized part of the tree where birch is concerned is the sapwood or outermost section of the tree. Its usually more of a creamy white, but can be almost a pure white in some cases. It develops a yellowish-red tint with age.
Pine varies from creamy white to yellow and is a much lighter wood than oak. Whereas, oak generally has a dark reddish colour to it.
Pine and all solid wood furniture changes over time. Natural cherry will age to a much darker, redder color over many years. So, when you have pine furniture, do not be concerned about it aging to a darker, richer golden or orange color. This is the natural process and enjoy the beauty of solid wood furniture.
Color/Appearance: Heartwood is a light brown, sometimes with a slightly reddish hue, sapwood is a pale yellow to nearly white. Color tends to darken with age.
Like cherry, maple will darken over time, though far less dramatically. Maple starts off very light and bright, with a few pink and grey tones. Over time, it will age to a warm golden honey color. Other light brown woods, like ash and white oak will slightly darken to a beige or amber color.
As it ages, it darkens to golden brown or even amber in color. The pronounced, attractive grain is mostly straight and thin, with some rippling, and is slightly rough in texture.
The simple answer is yes. Natural cherry wood oxidizes when given exposure to UV lights, causing it to gradually darken over time. In most cases, 80% of the oxidization happens in the first year.