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Oak is the second most commonly used wood for ready-to-finish
furniture. It is a very hard, open-grain 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. |
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Maple is a hardwood which colors range from a cream to a light
reddish brown. Maple is usually straight-grained and sometimes found with
highly figured bird's-eye or burl grain. Maple is hard and strong and has
excellent resistance to abrasion and indentation. |
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Alder is a hardwood from the Pacific Northwest. It is very consistent
in color and takes stain well. It ranks fourth behind para, oak and pine
as the wood most commonly used for ready-to-finish furniture. Alder gives
the look of many fine hardwoods at a reasonable price. |
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Parawood from the Far East is used for much of the furniture made
in that part of the world and has now surpassed oak as the most commonly
used lumber in Ready-to-Finish Furniture. The wood is as hard as maple or
ash and takes a very even stain. It is yellow in color, with grain similar
to mahogany. |
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Pine is a soft wood that comes in many varieties from various parts
of the world. In the U.S., Eastern white pine, ponderosa pine and sugar
pine are some of the varieties used to make furniture. All have yellow coloring
with brown knots and are excellent for staining. With some stains, a sealer
helps prepare the wood to achieve a more even look. |
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Paulownia is a fast-growing tree that is grown commercially for
the production of hardwood timber. It is a very light, fine-grained, soft,
and warp-resistant lumber and has a wide range of uses such as: furniture,
boxes, Instruments, clogs and even surfboards. |
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