Why we’re fans of using hard woods in our Little Folks Furniture designs…
In general, hardwoods come from deciduous trees which lose their leaves annually and softwood comes from conifers. Lots of today’s furniture is manufactured from softwoods, because it is deemed easier to work with, as well as being cheaper to buy.
This is where timber knowledge and expertise really comes in to play: Hardwood trees tend to grow at a far slower pace, and therefore the wood is denser, stronger and won’t damage so easily. Therefore if you want furniture that will last and will perform you should choose to make it from hardwoods – and very often the timber will come from forests that have been there for literally hundreds of years and because they are looked after properly, have been used to make furniture for as long. There is a real investment in quality and sustainability going back for many years.
But it is not just about the great strength and performance hardwoods impart. The other reason we love hard woods is because of the fantastic base they provide for paint finishes. Soft woods are knotty with a lot of sap and have a “soft” density (hence the name) – which means that if anything bumps into it, the wood bruises and the paint finish is cracked. Over time the sap in soft woods “bleeds” through and reacts with the paint finish. Quite simply, paint that has been applied to hardwoods is more durable and will stand the test of time, particularly when it comes to lively children!
Here are some of the hard woods we use in our Little Folks Furniture designs:
Oak – Quercus (The Edit)
Beech – Fagus (Fargo, The Edit. Classic Bunk)
Ash - Fraxinus (Woodland)
Poplar – Populus (Fargo)
We love a natter here at Little Folks Furniture HQ, so if you’d like to talk more about timber, then please do give one of our designers a call on 01985 300 588.
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