Wood is a noble material that allows all styles of furniture, which is why it still has its place in our homes. However, a piece of wood furniture is not necessarily a piece of quality furniture, and disappointment can be rude when we have paid dearly for a piece of wood that does not live up to our expectations! Be careful: as with any purchase, you will need to check the quality of the product. Here are some tips for a successful purchase of wooden furniture!
The different stages of wood processing
Knowing the basics of wood processing allows you to understand the steps that have an impact on the quality of the wood and therefore the total cost after processing . To put it simply, here are the 3 main phases:
Sawing
Once the tree trunks arrive at the mill, the handlers proceed with debarking and sawing. The whole process is fully automated. The types of sawing vary according to certain criteria such as the species of wood and the desired thickness of the slices.Drying
These slices are then subjected to pre-drying and drying. Immediately after sawing, the wood is transported to a space dedicated to this purpose. The wood can be air-dried in the traditional way or artificially in a drying shed.The finishes
Finally, the sliced and dried wood is subjected to a final transformation: the finish. The wood can then be sanded, brushed, varnished, oiled, waxed, stained… according to the customer’s request. This step consists in removing the water contained in the wood fibres. It will prevent any swelling or deformation of the material. This phase is very important because it will ensure that the wood will not “work”!
Buying wooden furniture: what you need to check out
The type of wood Depending on the piece of furniture you wish to purchase, not all types of wood will be appropriate. Be aware that oak, walnut, birch, teak (among others!) are woods that, once dried, are very hard and therefore perfect for furniture that is very exposed to blows and scratches. On the contrary, pine and fir are soft woods that are very shock-resistant. A pine desk or table will therefore be damaged more quickly! You can drive a nail into it and leave a trace…
The wood is divided into different families called “species”. Clear wood species, exterior wood species, red wood species, all species are available in logs, blocks or planks for solid wood or sliced for veneer.
Differentiate between species and know how to recognize a quality wood according to its aspect, its heart and its density.
It is the physical and mechanical properties that make it possible to distinguish between several species. Visual appearance, smell, feel, hardness and density – all the senses are involved!
Visual appearance
There is a wide variety of wood colours ranging from light wood species to brown and red boist tones. Within the same family, the colouring differs according to certain criteria (geographical location, place in the tree, richness of the soil). Not to mention the age of the wood, which also has a direct impact on the colour.Veining and grain are two other elements that help to differentiate. The grain corresponds to the patterns formed on the surface of the wood. The orientation of the grain is different depending on the cut of the wood. Finally, the grain, in other words its roughness, is also a determining factor.
The smell
Sometimes it is enough to recognize the essence. In the case of pine, for example, the resin emanates a particular scent, specific to this wood. Conversely, species used in the food sector do not give off any odour.Touch
Less obvious than sight, touch nevertheless helps to discern the different essences. In contact with the hand, certain surfaces are “greasy”, “porous”, “fluffy” or “tasty”.Hardness and density
Each wood has a particular hardness distributed according to three criteria: soft, medium-hard and hard. Density is the final differentiating factor. It varies enormously depending on the type of wood.La structure du meuble en bois
Ce n’est pas une très bonne idée d’acheter un meuble pas cher mais complètement bancal… Autant prendre une pièce de mobilier convenablement construite, donc solide qui vous suivra pendant des années et résistera avec brio aux affres du temps ! Pour cela vérifiez-en la construction, et bannissez par exemple tout assemblage fait avec de simples agrafes. Prenez le temps de contrôler la stabilité au sol, les glissement des tiroirs, les fermetures des portes qui ne doivent ni forcer ni être trop lâches.La finition du meuble en bois
Ponçage, teinture et finition sont les 3 dernières étapes d’un meuble bien terminé. Si le ponçage a été mal fait, la teinture sera forcément mal appliquée et le résultat final ne sera pas joli. Vérifiez-donc correctement les plateaux, les angles et les côtés latéraux de vos meubles : vous ne devriez déceler ni taches, ni grains de poussières ni bulles, ni coulures. Sachez également qu’un meuble de qualité est un meuble entièrement fini ! Aussi le dos et le dessous devraient être également poncés et teintés (ou cirés).
Buying antique or second-hand wooden furniture: what you should check out
If you have had a crush on old furniture found at a flea market, and you are thinking of restoring and customizing this furniture, remember to check first of all the construction of this furniture, because the report is the same as for new purchases: it is the structure, solid or not, that you will have to evaluate. Test the stability of the furniture by leaning on it, for chairs check the solidity of the frames. Check if the wood is sound in the hidden parts, underneath, behind, in any drawers…
As long as the structure of your used furniture is viable, anything goes: surface damage, such as scratches and dents in the wood can be repaired. Colours, patinas, stains that are not to your liking can be removed and reworked, if you have time!
Wood grading according to density
The density of the wood has an impact on its robustness and therefore its quality. Each species has a more or less hard density.
How are wood species classified?
As you can see, several parameters come into play in the transformation of wood as soon as it is felled. A good manufacturer must therefore pay particular attention to the processes involved.
The choice of wood is a second factor that will greatly influence the quality of your furniture. The hardness and density of the wood will have an impact on its resistance.
Two measurements are used to evaluate the hardness of a wood: the Monnin hardness (varying between <1.5 and > 9) and the Brinell hardness (which is expressed in N/mm² and varies between 10 N/mm² and > 40 N/mm²).
At the same time, the class of use is another element to be taken into consideration. It is defined according to the nature of the activity and its intensity.
Classification of wood types
I propose the following classification, it will give you an idea of the density of the woods. The species are classified from A to D, from lightest to hardest:
- Class A: poplar, fir, pine, alder
- Class B: birch, teak, walnut
- Class C: oak, ash, elm, acacia
- Class D: wenge, dark acacia, azobe