Is Pine the Best Wood to Use When Building Furniture?

Fine furniture and cabinet makers have known for centuries that pine is a perfect wood choice for building their most distinctive pieces. It is not hard to imagine the old, rough hands of masters gliding gently over another finely crafted piece to feel the grain and smoothness of its offerings as the finish was applied and hand rubbed to a beauty that cannot be found in any other wood. If you are fortunate enough to own an antique that is other than oak, chances are it has some pine in it and unless it was abused down through the years it has probably stood the test of time when it comes to durability. In the shops of today pine still offers a stability, beauty and versatility that is hard to match.

Pine has a light cream to almost soft, yellow, natural colour depending on the species and where it is grown. The grain tends to be wider and more splinter free than other woods. It does therefore not appear to be "busy" such as oak or boring and plain such as maple. When put into the hands of a craftsman it can take on many styles such as modern, rustic, shaker or French provincial and still look unique and classic to that style. Rarely do you see other woods lend themselves to such versatility. When you add the fact that pine furniture can be made with knotty or clear (without knots) lumber the furniture buyer is sure to find a piece or an entire collection that will fit his or her home and look richer and warmer than many alternatives.

The durability of pine has already been alluded to. There are several reasons for this. When properly cured in preparation for fine furniture much of the moisture content is removed. This makes pine lighter and more stable than many woods. In addition, today's finishes are a lot more advanced than the old shellac or oil finishes that needed constant attention. They are water and even sun resistant keeping the original beauty constant for years of regular use.

While much of what we see mass produced today tends to be pressed wood particles covered with a vinyl coating to imitate wood, pine offers the buyer an affordable alternative. Because it grows quickly and tools easily it is less expensive than other woods making a pine wardrobe an attractive compliment to any bedroom in today's homes. Visitors to your home will notice the richness of your furniture made from pine that lends a feeling of elegance regardless of your style. Only the home owner needs to know that it was less expensive than it looks.

Not All Leather Recliners Are Created Equal

It seems that of all the pieces of furniture in the house, fabric or leather recliners take the hardest beating. Kids plop down on them and push them back to recline without any thought to how the mechanism works. They flop over the arms of the chair (both when it is upright and reclined), or they lean on the back of the chair and tip it backwards (this maneuver is also done with the chair in any position). Kids eat, drink and play with all sorts of things in a recliner. It is no wonder, as parents, that we want something that is durable! When it comes to upholstery, you cannot beat the toughness of leather. Leather recliners last. You may initially put out a bit more for the purchase, but the chair will outlast a fabric upholstery chair by as much as 4 to 1. However, you must remember that not all leather is created equally. Lets take a look at the three main types of leather (remembering that there are dozens of subcategories), and what to look for to make sure that you get what you pay for.

First, the highest quality leather is full-grain or top-grain leather. It is made from the top layer of the skin, the part where the hair has to be removed from the hide. What you see is what you get, this type of leather has real character because nothing is done to conceal any blemishes in the leather. You have to remember that the leather used to adorn a living, breathing animal. That animal may have suffered from insect bites, scratches or scars from run ins with barbed wire, "burns" from over scratching their neck on fence rails or manure that sticks to their hide for very long without being removed.

The grain can vary on full-grain leather, depending upon any healed scars, or any wrinkling, veining or stretch marks (yes, who knew it, stretch marks can be attractive if you are a cow!). But being natural, it offers great breathability. It adapts to both environmental and body temperatures. It ages very nicely, developing its own unique patina. Leather recliners made out of top-grain leather has either an aniline or semi-aniline finish. This creates a soft and supple leather, it is left with a natural finish - not dyed.

The next type of leather is commonly called a corrected-grain leather, though it may also be referred to as plated, embossed or buffed. This type of leather is made from top-grain leather, but has been sanded or buffed down because it did not meet the standards necessary to be a full-grain leather. This leather came from cattle that led a rough life, their hides have a lot of problems. The buffing hides most of these imperfections, then an artificial grain is applied. Often this type of leather is dyed with pigment to further conceal any imperfections. You will find many leather recliners in various colors with a nice smooth grain made from corrected-grain leather.

The third, and poorest quality leather that you have to watch out for, is split-grain leather. A cows hide is quite thick, so the hide will be split, often more than once. The high quality top-grain is the top layer, and what is left is split-grain leather. This type of leather has no natural grain, it is from the fibrous part of the hide, and this tissue structure just isn't very strong. Split leather is great for a lot of things (such as suede) but it is not good for furniture.

So, the next time you go shopping for a couple of leather recliners (his and hers), make sure that you are getting high quality leather so that the chair will last for many years to come. A top-grain leather may be best, but if it is out of your price range, a nice corrected-grain leather also make for very nice and good quality leather recliners.