Until you actually have to go out and do it, choosing which wood you prefer your furniture to be made from is probably something you rarely give a second thought, but when the time comes, deciding upon the perfect furniture and what it’s made from is quite a tough decision, as there are just so many options available to us. Of course, opting for softwood furniture is always going to be the cheaper route, but when it comes to furnishing your home, choosing hardwood and spending a little extra at first can save you a lot of money in the long run. Whether you choose to go for modern or antique, there are so many options available to you, and it really doesn’t have to cost the earth. Here are just a few reasons why hardwood is worth the investment.
It Wears Better
Softwood comes in many forms, such as pine and spruce, whilst hardwood furniture is usually made from woods such as oak, maple and walnut. Softwood is so called for that reason; it is much softer than many hardwoods and, as is to be expected, it doesn’t always look as good after being bumped in to as hardwood does. If you run your nail down softwood, it tends to leave a mark, even if it has been treated. Hardwood, on the other hand, was the choice of material for the majority of antique furniture, which is why it has lasted so long and still looks as good as it did 100 years ago, and is also much more sustainable when it comes to being fire resistant. This is something to consider, especially if you have small children or pets, as furniture is bound to get scratched or bumped on several occasions, and so in terms of surviving general wear and tear, hardwood is the obvious choice.
Change the Look
Understandably, if you spend a little more on a hardwood piece than you would a softwood, it is more of an investment and something you want to last over the years. Something else to consider is how easy it is to change the look of. Hardwood is a great base material when it comes to sanding, painting or staining, which is great if you want to either lighten or darken the appearance of it depending on the colour scheme in your home. If you are worried about ruining a piece by renovating it yourself, and you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can often pick up cheap pieces of hardwood furniture at house sales, for local collection online, or at auction sites and car boot sales, and this is a good way of practicing your skills first.
So Much Choice
Due to hardwood being so versatile, it can be made into pretty much any piece of furniture you can imagine, which means over the years you can build up a collection of items and they don’t necessarily have to match to complement each other. There are plenty of retailers such as Fortune Woods out there who offer a wide range of high quality, hard wood furniture, and if you’re shopping on a budget, the prices won’t break the bank.
Despite softwood often being the cheaper option, hardwood is always going to wear better, and so in the long run, it’s really worth spending the time to find that piece of hardwood furniture that will last you a whole lot longer, and it’s worth looking out for sales too, as you can pick up these beautiful pieces of furniture at reasonable prices. Do you prefer hard or softwood when furnishing your home?
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