People’s first impression of hardwood is that hardwood is very hard and strong . But actually, the name of hardwood has nothing to do with their hardness . Some hardwood is very hard and durable (e.g. teak), some hardwood is very soft and weak (e.g. Balsa) .
What on earth is hardwood ?
Hardwood is the wood cut from broad-leave trees that belongs to angiosperm . The definition of hardwood is not based on its hardness. In contrast, softwood is comes from conifer trees that belongs to gymnosperms .
Common Hardwood Species
any hardwood species have attractive wood grains . These hardwood are suitable for making furniture, flooring and craftswork. Top quality solid hardwood furniture and solid hardwood floor are extremely expensive.
Common hardwood species are: Red Oak, Rosewood, Teak, Walnut, Wenge, Cedar, Poplar, Meranti, Maple, Mahogany, Iroko, Eucalyptus, Hickory, Ebony, Elm, Cherry , Beech, Ash, birch and etc.
Usages Of hardwood
Natural hardwood lumber is widely used in building, framework, construction, windows, doors, joinery, furniture, flooring, man-made boards (plywood, fiberboard).
In order to prolong the service life of hardwood lumber, they are usually treated with oils or preservatives in application .
The supply of durable hardwood becomes weak due to over-exploitation and the prices of durable hardwood are constantly increasing. But with a new wood technology, some suppliers can turn a non-durable wood into a durable wood by modifying the inner structure of wood. This’s really a piece of good news !
