The huge popularity of oak for building furniture stems from the fact that it is in plentiful supply and therefore much more affordable than other less plentiful woods. It is also durable, hard wearing. a heavy hardwood with a beautiful grain. Furniture made from oak is usually heavy, solid and simplistic in design.

From the mid to late 17th Century oak was mainly used for the frame and drawer linings of furniture. Oak was a popular wood used heavily in the Georgian era and made a comeback of sorts in late Victorian times.

Oak is a slow growing tree, taking anywhere between 150 – 200 years to reach it’s maturity, and there are more than over 300 varieties of oak but the most popular is the red or white when it comes to making furniture. The wood is hard and pale in colour, but darkens to a rich brown with age and polishing and at Kalusto we offer painted or natural oak furnishings

Is Oak Best The Best Wood To Use For Furniture?

Furniture built from oak is considerably sturdier than that crafted from some other hardwoods, such as mahogany and can last for years and it can also take the wear and tear of a modern home. It offers a natural beauty that fits seamlessly into almost any home style. It’s a timeless design which means you can keep your oak furniture pieces as part of your home decor as long as you want them. Oak furniture just doesn’t seem to wane in popularity mainly due to it’s richness in colour and rustic appeal.

What to Look For When Buying Oak Furniture

Although some furniture is made of solid oak, other pieces are constructed with oak veneers which is basically glued over the carcass and built more than likely from cheaper versions of wood. Choosing between solid oak or oak veneer furniture is a matter of taste and budget. Oak veneer is very thin, wide sheets of oak—and can be cut to size and glued over core carcasses of pine or particleboard, as examples, and this can greatly reduce the overall cost of the piece. There is nothing wrong with opting for veneer furniture, provided it is built well. Some companies do advertise their oak furniture designs as solid oak when in reality it’s veneer, Fortunately we can guarantee that all our oak furniture is 100% solid oak with no veneers.

Five Facts About Oak

1. Oak’s Latin name, Quercus robur, means ‘strength’.
2. The oak tree was scared to the Greek God Zeus, the Roman God Jupiter and the Celtic God Dagda
3. A mature oak tree can reach around 148 feet (45 meters)
4. Oak trees appeared on our planet about 65 million years ago
5. Only 1 in 10,000 acorns grow up to be an oak tree

So if you’re looking for your next piece of oak furniture be it a simple lamp table or dining room table and chairs we have a wide range to choose from