Materials
Choosing what type of wood you want for your home is very important. There is an incredible variety, and each has its own characteristics, colour, and properties. Here at MJ Kloss Carpentry & Joinery we will advise you which wood is best suited to your specific project.
Hardwood
A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating. These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. Some examples of trees that are hardwood are walnut, maple, and oak.
Hardwood has pores whereas softwood doesn’t, which allows water to transport throughout the wood and keep the tree healthy. The pores are also what create the visual difference between the softwood and hardwood grain. Softwood has a light grain because it has no visual pores whereas hardwood grain is prominent.
Hardwoods are often denser than softwoods. For this reason, they are used for flooring, construction, decks, and high-quality furniture.
Softwood
A wood will be classified as a softwood if the seeds don’t have any type of coating and are instead dropped to the ground and left to the elements. Softwood is the wood that comes from trees that have needles and produce cones. These trees are usually evergreen conifers such as spruce or pine trees. Trees that are softwood include pine, redwood, fir and cedar.
Softwood timber is commonly used for feature walls, ceilings, furniture, doors and windows.
Wood Veneer
Wood veneer is a thinly sliced wood that is utilized to create a finished-wood look on a skirting board, door frame, window frame, cornice, window, door and dado rail. The wood is usually sliced to be thinner than three millimetres and is generally bonded onto less expensive material.
Veneer’s purpose is to achieve the look of a higher-end solid wood for interior trim at a lower cost and shorter manufacturing time. For example, manufacturing a solid wood mahogany bench would be very expensive; however, if one were to build the bench out of a less expensive wood, such as plywood, then apply the thin mahogany veneer on top, the bench will appear to be made of mahogany but at a small percentage of the cost. Once made the veneer can be sanded and then stained to look like elegant solid wood.
MDF
Melamine
Melamine is essentially particle board dipped into a resin to create a hard surface on each side, and make it heat and damp resistant. Melamine board is often used in kitchen and bathroom cabinetry for its durability. It works well for shelving as well as display counters, office furniture, whiteboards, even flooring.
