Types of Wood

Alder is a hardwood from the Pacific Northwest. It is very consistent in color and takes stain well. Alder gives the look of many fine hardwoods at a reasonable price

Beech is a long-fibered, light colored hardwood with a tight grain much like birch or maple. It is good for bending, takes stain well and is commonly used for chairs and stools.

Aspen is a softer, light colored, even-grained hardwood. It accepts most stains well but may need a sealer or a coat of mineral spirits to achieve an even stain. Nonpenetrating stains work best on this type of wood.

Ash grows primarily in the Northeast and Canada. It is a cream-colored hardwood and often used for sporting equipment such as baseball bats. It has an open grain pattern similar to that of oak and takes stain well.

Maple is especially abundant in the Eastern US. It is very light colored with a very even grain texture. Eastern maples are generally harder than Western Maples because of the colder winters and shorter growing seasons. Both are very durable and take any color stain well.

Oak is the wood most commonly used for ready-to finish furniture. It is a very hard, open-grained wood that comes in red or white varieties. Red oak, which has a pinkish cast, is the more popular of the two. White oak has a slight greenish cast. Both woods stain well in any color.

Parawood from the far East is used for much of the furniture made in that part of the world. The wood is as hard as maple or ash and takes a very even stain. It is yellow in color with a grain similar to mahogany.

Pine is a soft wood that comes in many varieties from the various parts of the world. In the US, Eastern white pine, ponderosa pine, and sugar pine are some of the varieties used to make furniture. All have a yellow coloring and with brown knots and are excellent for staining. With some stains, a sealer helps prepare the wood to achieve a more even look

Radiata Pine is a plantation-grown wood from South America that is harder than other pines and has fewer knots. This variety of pine has a beautiful grain pattern and takes stain well.