Choosing the right material for your furniture is crucial; after all, your furniture is a considerable investment that should last you a lifetime. When choosing wooden furniture, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, starting from the aesthetic appeal to the longevity and maintenance of the materials. The myriad of options available on the market can quickly make you feel overwhelmed, but we’re here to make this task a bit easier for you. You’ve definitely come across oak furniture before and marveled at the appearance, but is it really the best material? Here’s how you can know whether oak furniture is right for you.
Advantages of Oak Furniture
Let’s start off with the advantages of getting oak furniture. Oak can be a great material thanks to its availability, styling options, durability, and longevity. Here’s more on its advantages:
- Availability
Oak trees are widely available. Moreover, an oak tree can grow until it’s 40 feet high, making its timber yield one of the highest when compared with other species. What’s even better is that the cultivation of oak is strictly monitored by the authorities, so logging and replanting are responsibly maintained. This can help you rest assured of the environmental impact of the furniture you’re using, as well as ensure a constant supply of oak wood for all purposes. Whether you’re an enthusiastic DIYer looking to make your own furniture or looking for options to furnish your house, oak will always have your back.
- Style and Color
For thousands of years, we’ve been using oak to make furniture. Countries like the UK have been using oak longer than most, thanks to its wide availability in nature. As a result, the oak experts at Only Oak Furniture explain that manufacturers have had the freedom to experiment with a trick or two over the years, producing all kinds of oak furniture that fit various interior decor styles and colors. Oak has a natural golden color, but it can be treated to produce brown-reddish shades. Moreover, oak can be styled in different ways, including antique, classic, and modern.
- Durability
When it comes to durability, oak wood is one of the best there is. You’ll be hardpressed to find other hardwood materials that can survive the wear and tear and usage abuse like oak can. Unlike pine which can remember the touch of your fingerprint, oak furniture can be placed in high-demand areas or air-dried to be placed in outdoor settings without showing any signs of aging. This also makes it one of the least-maintained woods, so you won’t have to suffer any unnecessary renovation costs.
- Longevity
As a result of its durability, you can expect the oak furniture to last you a lifetime, without exaggeration. In the first place, its durability and longevity had made oak the most popular material in traditional oak carpentry, and technological advancement in our age has only made it more popular. In short, you can rest assured of the investment you put into oak furniture.
Disadvantages of Oak Furniture
Despite its many advantages, oak furniture has two downsides. Here are the disadvantages of buying oak furniture.
- Cost
You might have already expected this one: oak furniture can be pretty expensive to purchase. After all, it includes all the best features a piece of wood should have. This cost mainly comes as a result of the slow-growing nature of oak, as it takes years to cultivate the trees and process the timber. That being said, the many advantages outweigh the cost of investment, given that you won’t really need to replace it, unlike other kinds of wood. However, you can find a middle ground by buying oak-veneered furniture made from other cheaper kinds of wood. You can also consider buying used furniture from antique and second-hand stores.
- Difficulty to Work With
Owing to the years spent growing, oak is naturally dense and hard in structure. As a result, working with oak wood can be especially challenging when compared to other kinds of wood. This will only pose a problem for you if you’re looking to make your own furniture, but that’s also why it’s important to buy the furniture from experienced manufacturers.
When sifting through countless options, you’ll want to find the best kind of furniture for your home. Since getting into too many technical details can be a hassle, you might want to look for available, durable, low-maintenance furniture that has high aesthetic appeal. This makes oak furniture one of the best options out there. Even though it can be more expensive than other alternatives, you can rest assured knowing that oak is furniture is worth every penny.
