If you want a lighter colored board go with Maple, and if you want a darker board go with Walnut. Maple is a slightly higher quality wood with many benefits. Still, despite that, it is a less expensive end product though Walnut offers its own advantages.
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.
Maple is a significantly stronger hardwood product than walnut. In fact, maple is one of the strongest and most durable natural wood options available.
Walnut – 3.3lbs per board foot. Oak – 3.6lbs per board foot. Hard Maple – 3.75lbs per board foot.
Walnut wood is hard, heavy, and resilient, capable of resisting warping and suffering very little shrinkage. The grain is irregular but typically straight with a medium texture. The endgrain is semi-porous with distinct growth rings. Although susceptible to insects, English Walnut is quite resistant to decay.
Balsa – Balsa wood is so lightweight it's buoyant.
Walnut wood can change color depending on the way it's dried or its age. The heartwood usually is a dark brown color and the sapwood is a light yellow color. When the wood is left out in the elements, such as the sun, the lighter wood will turn darker and the darker wood will turn lighter.
Oak offers more options as far as grain pattern, and will provide a richer look when used as cabinetry or flooring. Maple is lighter, more affordable, and works well in contemporary spaces and for indoor projects.
Pros: Walnut is a very strong and stable wood that can take intricate carving. The color can be beautiful. Cons: Some may not like the variation from dark to light that's sometimes found on a single wide board. Walnut is also one of the more costly woods.
Maple has some nice advantages. It's generally cheaper than walnut for the same quality, and laser engraving shows up much better. The dark burns of the laser contrast with the light wood grain of the maple nicely. If you've got a bold statement to say, get a maple!
Due to its premium quality, unique beauty and durability, walnut is considered a high-end wood. In fact, walnut is considered one of the most luxurious non-exotic woods available for home furniture. Walnut is highly desired for its rich, chocolate-brown color, and lends a feeling of luxury to any space.
Maple, poplar, alder, white oak, beech, ash, walnut, and koa are some of the least expensive hardwoods available today. They are great options for furniture making, just like their like exotic counterparts, cherry and mahogany.
Regardless of what option you may choose, real or look-a-like, walnut wood is becoming a more and more requested item. Although walnut has been around for a while, we think this “trend” is here to stay. Walnut is recognizable, it's beautiful, and it's a rich-looking material for any kitchen space.
Light-colored wood, such as maple, will naturally darken due to exposure to UV light and oxygen.
Reminiscent of dark cocoa and coffee beans, Dark Walnut embraces the shadowy hues of black and brown. Woodgrain appears etched with charcoal, creating a sultry dance where light and dark meet.
They are packed with essential fats, antioxidants, fiber, and plant compounds that improve overall health. However, one must also be aware of the side effects of walnuts. Overconsumption of walnuts may cause digestive issues and allergies, lead to weight gain and choking in children, and aggravate ulcers.
Woodworkers value it for its strength, texture, and color. It polishes to an extremely smooth finish and ranges in color from milky white sapwood to dark chocolate heartwood. Natural walnut wood develops a beautiful patina over time.
It's prized by woodworkers for its strength, grain and color. It polishes to a very smooth finish, and the color ranges from creamy white in the sapwood to a dark chocolate in the heartwood. Over the years, natural walnut wood develops a lustrous patina.
An umbrella term for light-toned varieties (such as birch, maple, or ash), blonde wood has gotten a sophisticated update for the 21st century. The fair-hued finish now appears on sleek-lined seating, minimalistic tabletop decor, and contemporary light fixtures.
Mahogany is a dark wood with a fairly flat EQ and slight mid-range hump, whereas maple is a lighter wood with more treble emphasis and a tighter low-end.
Maple flooring simply comes down to a personal preference for the darker hues and more complex grain of Birch versus the lighter colors and subtler grain of Maple. At Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, our design consultants will help you explore the pros and cons of each hardwood as well as the advantages of Birch vs.
As walnut wood ages, it can get lighter! A rich honey color can come through. The change in color is not as pronounced as the patina that develops in cherry wood.
Neutrally toned woods like Walnut are the most versatile. Walnut has soft purple undertones that work with warm and cool-toned wood alike. Feel free to mix dark and light woods of varying finishes and grain sizes so long as the undertones are consistent.
New walnut has a consistent dark-brown color but as it gets older, two changes occur. 1: Unlike maple and cherry, it gets lighter. 2: A rich honey color starts to come through the grain.