Wood brings warmth and security to every room. Because with wood you get yourself a piece of nature into your home. In order to make the right choice when buying furniture, some background knowledge is always helpful. That's why you find useful information in this little wood science to the popular natural material.

Special properties of wood

Wood is a pronounced versatile and lively raw material. If you want to make the right choice for your wooden furniture, you should therefore consider certain aspects regarding the wood properties.

The water content in the wood

Especially with solid wood furniture, it is crucial that the wood before processing dries sufficiently. The wood then has a lower gross density than fresh wood. The Bulk density is directly related to the moisture in the wood and gives Information about the drying state of the wood.

If the wood is not dried properly, there is a risk of deep cracks and warping in the wood. This often occurs import furniture made from tropical woods that are manufactured in South America or Asia. The air humidity and the water content of the wood are much higher there than in Northern Europe.

If you decide against it high-quality furniture made from local wood, they retain their shape and stability. It is always particularly important that the wood There is enough time to dry and the wood is dried professionally. This is the only way to avoid damage to the wood and to reduce the effects of shrinkage and swelling of the wood to a minimum. After drying, the wood has one Water content of maximum 16% and is ready for processing.

Local hardwoods impress with their durability

Local woods like Oak, cherry, ash or walnut are hardwoods. They are particularly stable and robust and therefore less susceptible to external damage. A very High-quality wood that is in demand worldwide is Slavonian oak. It scores with an even structure and grain. This oak wood comes from eastern Croatia, a wood-growing area that is thousands of years old. Foresters have been operating there for hundreds of years natural reforestation through selective deforestation.

Lover of particularly light woods with even coloring are well advised with ash or maple. Ash wood is therefore used in furniture construction because of its even structure still popular.

Walnut wood has a very exciting and diverse grain with a dark wood color. The dark and extravagant wood is less common and is therefore sourced from responsible forestry more time consuming and costly than other types of wood. The noble walnut wood gives the piece of furniture characteristic individuality and convinces with excellent wood properties.

By the way have softwoods, such as spruce, have a significantly lower strength and are not - or only to a limited extent - suitable for furniture construction due to their wood properties. So finds Softwood is primarily used for invisible components.

The chemical properties of wood

Certain types of wood, such as oak, walnut or ash Thanks to the tannic acids it contains, it has a natural antibacterial effect. They ensure hygiene, especially when used in the kitchen and on solid wood tables. That's why the Anton Doll factory only uses wood for everyday items selected and durable woods. An important characteristic of the quality of wood is the moisture content of the wood, i.e. the amount of water it contains. This influences both the condition and the formability of the wood

Stability as a physical property of wood

Overall you can say that it is There is no more stable fiber than wood fiber. Even carbon can't keep up in terms of weight, structure and stability. Illustrate this with the following example: A thick branch about one meter long has a considerable weight. Nevertheless, the wood fibers can easily hold it horizontally. Not even carbon fiber could withstand this long-term strain.

Wood also has the ability to regulate the humidity in the environment. Because wood works. It can absorb moisture and release it again. If these moisture fluctuations are significant, the wood can shrink (release moisture) or swell (absorb moisture). High-quality wood that has been carefully dried and processed will not be damaged in everyday life due to these natural properties.

Cultivation and processing of wood

Depending on origin, type of rearing, soil conditions and weather Trees differ significantly in their quality. And even when it comes to processing, care plays a big role. How and when are the trees felled? How is the cutting done in the sawmill and the subsequent storage of the wood? Of course, these questions cannot be checked when purchasing in an online shop - but they can Discoloration and special grains in the wood reveal a lot.

Grain and wood coloring

At their core, trees are all structured the same: the individual ones lighter and darker layers of wood are arranged alternately. The annual rings are characteristic and also ensure the special, unique grain in the wood. The denser the annual rings are, the higher quality the wood is. Light spots in usually dark woods are called Sapwood. This is the young wood below the bark. It supplies the tree with water and transports the resin. Therefore, this part contains more moisture, is softer and deforms more than the darker part of the wood. Because Sapwood is not as resilient it should not be used for high-quality solid wood furniture. Certain quality parameters can be identified from the appearance of the wood alone.

(Renewed) growing responsibility: sustainability

More and more consumers are placing value on it environmentally friendly, sustainable products and maintain a responsible relationship with nature and people. Solid wood is one natural and renewable raw material and, in contrast to plastics, an environmentally friendly material. However, when it comes to sustainability, you should also pay attention to where the wood comes from and under what conditions it is obtained. Whether wooden furniture from responsible manufacturing The best way to find out is to ask your dealer. Ask the manufacturer directly about it Origin and production conditions. By the way, we at Anton Doll use wood for our long-lasting quality products exclusively wood from sustainable forests. By expertly drying and processing the wood, we ensure outstanding quality. This ensures that the positive properties of the wood are used in the best possible way.