Furniture Material You Should Know 2023

September 19, 2023

In a house, furniture is not simply the arrangement of a place to live, but it also carries a profound meaning. This article will explore the importance of choosing types of furniture material and their suitability for your interior design style.

Natural Wood

Hardwood

Hardwood materials are a popular and suitable choice in types of furniture material. Below, we will explore in detail the commonly used hardwoods and their advantages and disadvantages:

Oak

  • Advantages: Oak is known for its high hardness and durability, helping interior products to be durable and beautiful for a long time. Oak also has a beautiful appearance and a warm color, suitable for many interior design styles.
  • Disadvantages: Oak costs more than some other woods, and it can be difficult to cut and work due to its hardness.

types of furniture material - Oak

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Teak

  •  Advantages: Teak is a rare natural hardwood, famous for its natural water resistance. They are often used in outdoor furniture and make the product durable and water-resistant. Teak also has a beautiful appearance with its warm golden brown color.
  • Disadvantages: Teak is also an expensive type of wood and has a high price. Finding sustainably sourced teak can also be a challenge.

types of furniture material - Teak

Soft wood

Softwood materials are an important part of types of furniture material, and they are often used to create products that appear warm, welcoming, and often cost less than their hardwood counterparts. Below, we will explore in detail the commonly used softwoods and their advantages and disadvantages:

Pinewood

  • Advantages: Pinewood costs less than hardwoods, making it suitable for consumers with limited budgets. Pinewood has a natural appearance, with beautiful grain and pale color. It is often painted or finished to create beautiful interior products.
  • Disadvantages: Pinewood has lower hardness and durability than hardwood, and is susceptible to scratches and impacts. However, this can also make it easier to work with and craft.

types of furniture material - Pinewood

Cypress (Fertile Plant)

  • Advantages: Cypress has an attractive natural color with unique wood grain and characteristic milky white color. This type of wood withstands humid environments and is even naturally resistant to water rot. Cypress is often used for outdoor furniture products.
  • Cons: Cypress is quite expensive, and finding sustainably sourced supplies can be difficult.

types of furniture material - Cypress

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Industrial Wood Materials

Industrial wood materials are the most high-quality types of furniture material, including MFC (Medium Density Fiberboard) and MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard), are an important part of the furniture industry and are often used to produce many high-quality furniture products.  Below, we will go into detail about each of these industrial wood materials and their advantages and disadvantages:

MFC (Medium Density Fiberboard – MDF Panel)

  • Advantage:
    Uniform texture: MFC is produced by compressing wood fibers and high-temperature glue, creating a panel with a uniform texture and few cracks or folds.
    Flat surface: MFC typically has a flat and smooth surface, making it suitable for surfacing many interior products such as desks and cabinets.
    Affordable: MFC typically costs less than many types of natural wood, making it an economical choice for many consumers.
  • Defect:
    Not waterproof: MFC is not water resistant and may swell when exposed to water for long periods of time.
    Cannot be used for outdoor products: Due to its non-waterproof nature, MFC is not suitable for outdoor furniture products or in high-humidity environments.

MFC (Medium Density Fiberboard - MDF Panel)

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard – MDF Panel)

  • Advantage:
    Good surface finish: MDF has a smooth surface and good finish, making it a good choice for painting, veneering or pattern printing.
    Easy to process: MDF is easy to cut, drill, and machine into complex shapes, helping to create furniture with detailed lines.
    Affordable price: Similar to MFC, MDF has a lower price than many types of natural wood.
  • Defect:
    Not water-resistant: Like MFC, MDF is not water-resistant and easily swells when exposed to water.
    Quite heavy: MDF has a high density, making it quite heavy, and can increase the weight of the interior product.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard - MDF Panel)

Plastic And Polycarbonate

Plastic and polycarbonate materials are becoming popular choices in types of furniture material, especially in modern interior design. Below, we will explore both materials in detail and their advantages and disadvantages:

Plastic

  • Advantage:

Lightness: Plastic is one of the lightest materials, making it easy to move and arrange furniture products.

Variety of colors: Plastic can be produced in a variety of colors, allowing you to create the desired interior product.
Bendability: Plastic is flexible and can be bent to create unique shapes and designs.
Water resistance: Many plastics are water resistant, making them suitable for use in outdoor spaces or near water sources.

  • Defect:

Limited heat resistance: Some plastics do not tolerate heat well and may deform or melt when exposed to high temperatures.
Limited bearing capacity: Plastic is often not as durable as metal or wood and can break or deform under great pressure.

Plastic

Polycarbonate

  • Advantage:

Transparency: Polycarbonate is a transparent plastic, allowing light to pass through without losing the aesthetics of the product. This makes it suitable for making decorative lamps and interior products with glass elements.
Heat resistance: Polycarbonate has good heat, fire, and impact resistance, making it suitable for durable and safe interior products.
Easy to process: Polycarbonate is easy to cut, drill, and machine into complex shapes, helping to create highly finished furniture products.

  • Defect:

Not scratch-resistant: Polycarbonate can scratch more easily than glass, so it needs to be stored and handled with care.

Relatively high price: Polycarbonate often has a higher price than many other types of plastic.

Polycarbonate

Synthetic Materials

In the world of types of furniture material, composite materials in furniture making often consist of a combination of two or more different materials, usually a type of plastic combined with metal or wood.  We will go into detail about composites and their advantages and disadvantages:

Plastic + Steel

  • Advantage:

Combining lightness and durability: When combining plastic and steel, you can take advantage of the lightness of plastic and the durability of steel. This creates interior products that are both light and sturdy.
Diversity of designs: This synthetic material allows you to create interior products with a variety of unique shapes and designs, due to the versatility of plastic.
Water resistance: If made properly, this material can be water resistant.

  • Defect:

Cost: Producing this composite material can be more expensive than using a single material.
Quality checks are needed: Ensuring that the joints and connections between plastic and steel are sufficiently durable and secure is essential to avoid problems.

Plastic + Steel

Wood + Metal/Steel

  • Advantage:

Combining aesthetics and durability: The combination of wood and metal or steel creates interior products with high aesthetics and impressive durability.
Warmth of wood: Wood adds warmth and comfort to furniture, while metal or steel adds rigidity and durability.

  • Defect:

Cost: Producing products that combine wood and metal or steel can be more expensive than using a single material.
Needs special care: Wood needs regular preservation and maintenance to maintain the beauty and durability of the product.

Wood + Metal/Steel

Conclusion

Here is an article exploring various types of furniture materials that we have diligently researched. We hope you will find the necessary information through Q-furniture‘s article and gain a clearer insight into choosing the most suitable and best-performing furniture materials.