Walnut furniture
When we talk about walnut wood, we mean the wood of the walnut tree. The dark precious wood is often used to make exclusive furniture for bedrooms and living rooms. Walnut wood is not widespread in Germany and is therefore very valuable. Some special properties make the wood very popular with furniture buyers despite its high price.
The characteristics of walnut wood
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Walnut wood is easy to process
Although the wood of the walnut tree is tough and hard, it can be processed very easily and easily, which is beneficial when making furniture. Every now and then you as a customer can get a bargain on furniture made of walnut wood.
The wood also absorbs surface treatments well. However, walnut wood is often used untreated indoors. This preserves the natural look that makes the wood so popular. If you still prefer a protective treatment for the wood, you can also use a transparent varnish for the surface, which maintains the natural look.
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Walnut is resilient
Walnut is a heavy and tough wood, making it resistant to wear and damage. Something heavy can fall onto a table made of walnut without causing any damage. Walnut wood also rarely forms splinters. Because the walnut wood is also quite flexible, it hardly warps. Furniture made from walnut is therefore very durable and retains its appearance over the long term.
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Walnut without chemicals
No chemicals are used during the processing of walnut wood. The wood is therefore in a natural state even after furniture or other products have been manufactured. Since it doesn't splinter, it is suitable for example tables or cutting boards extremely suitable. Even after many years, the natural quality of the wood is still very high.
Walnut trees are not particularly common in our regions, which is why the wood usually has to be imported. In addition, this tree species does not tolerate crowded stands. The trees need a fairly large spacing and are therefore more expensive to grow. Because walnut is an expensive wood, it is often only used as a veneer that is glued as a thin layer to the surface of another material.
Caring for walnut furniture
Freshly processed walnut wood has a light brown to dark brown color and is streaked with an almost black grain. Over time, these stripes fade into the background as the wood darkens due to exposure to the sun. If you want to prevent this process, you should use a clear varnish. This slows down the darkening significantly.
Surface treatment also makes sense for practical reasons, as it protects against contamination. This can make care and cleaning much easier, especially for tables made of walnut wood. If stains do occur, “water staining” has proven effective for removing them. When cleaning, you should definitely avoid harsh cleaning agents and scouring agents.
If you care for walnut wood, you can lye it, wax it, varnish it or oil it. Oils have the advantage that they penetrate the wood and don't just sit on the surface. This treatment should be renewed once a year. The same applies to waxed furniture.
Use of nuts outdoors
The wood of the walnut tree is not weatherproof when untreated. In addition, walnut wood is not resistant to insect infestation. Garden furniture made from this wood should definitely be given a protective varnish and treatment against wood-damaging insects. However, the wood is naturally well protected against fungal attack. Depending on the origin, these properties can vary. For example, the American walnut “Black Cherry” is susceptible to both fungal and insect attack.
Walnut wood: origin and special features
Walnut trees grow throughout Europe, wherever there is a mild climate. Related walnut plants are also native to Asia, America and North Africa. However, the walnut tree is not a typical forest tree; it tends to grow sporadically in parks and gardens. Nut trees have the positive effect of keeping mosquitoes and flies away. They are also the ideal shade providers. If the walnut tree is covered in green-shelled nuts in June, then, according to an old farmer's wisdom, it is a so-called boy's year. What this means is that by the following year more boys than girls will see the light of day.
