Can solid wood furniture be comparable to compressed wood variations?

A question of quality verses convenience and practicality. Weighing up the benefits and value of quality wood furniture over lesser priced alternatives.

When it comes to decisions that affect your lifestyle and home the replacement or acquisition of furniture could have a major impact on your finances. We have two choices as to what material we could have our furniture made from; solid wood and compressed wood fibre. Solid wood furniture would be the more expensive, premium choice in this situation as fibreboard is a recycled wood alternative, where the wood is compressed and glued together to form a firm, workable material. This wood board does not however look like wood so a thin veneer wood texture is attached to the surfaces.

So what are the benefits of using compressed wood boards? Mainly that it typically costs less than solid wood and that is can be easily recycled. It is also a lighter material and therefore can be moved to different locations easier. Some designs can even be disassembled and then reassembled when moved to a new location in the house or another home.

If the choice is simple that of cost then it is possible to still enjoy real wood furniture without the high price tag. Furniture can be made from woods that are generally inexpensive, sustainable and fast growing like Pine and Tulip. There is also the issue of branding. Some furniture manufacturers do charge a premium regardless of what the items are made from. If you can find independent manufacturers then you will probably make a saving and may even receive a higher quality, better made product. Many independent manufacturers do offer a bespoke service if you are wanting furniture for kitchens and bedrooms.

Fibreboard is known to bend under sustained load; like for instance, if you have had a TV resting on a table for any length of time, you will notice that the table will have bowed under the weight. It is for this reason you may choose not to use fibreboard if the furniture has to be load bearing.

Solid wood furniture is easier to maintain and is generally a more resilient material. You might of experienced that when you move to a new home or move the furniture to a new room your chest of drawers or your wardrobe came apart at the joints because the fibreboard couldn't withstand the force of moving the overall weight of the item.

If the furniture is regularly used, such as a dinning table it will acquire dints and scratches or the finish might be rubbed off. These imperfections can be repaired with ease and little if any expense but when you damage compressed fibreboard it would be better just to replace the item. Solid wood can sometimes look better after it has seen some use developing a patina or lived in look.

Both types of furniture material have their uses under different usage situations but solid wood will always be the better choice. You may think that it is expensive but bespoke made furniture can be comparable to branded self assembled fibreboard, you will get the beauty, quality and durability of solid wood for less than you think.

Aspect Pine are manufacturers of bespoke, hand crafted solid wood furniture for use throughout the home. For more information about solid wood furniture please visit http://www.aspectpine.co.uk/