Here you’ll learn how to find the best wood for a dining table or kitchen table in your home. We offer 9 standard wood types and this post will give you the basic characteristics of each of them to help you choose the best wood for you.
The beauty of made-to-order furniture is that it allows you to choose the materials and stain for a customized finished product. Whether your style leans more contemporary or traditional, we’re here to help you find the best type of wood for your dining table.
- How to Select the Perfect Dining Room Table Style
- How Many People Do You Want to Seat
- How to Decide on Your Furniture Wood Type
- Color, Warmth and Choosing the Right Stain
- Finding the Perfect Chair to Match Your Table
- With Accent Furniture to Complete the Room
- Adding The Finishing Touches - Decorating your Finished Room
Red Oak
Red Oak is a classic wood type that is perfect for a traditional styled home. It has been a staple of Amish furniture builders and provides a warm, comfortable ambiance, making it a great choice for any traditional dining room.
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Tone
Orange-reddish hue with the sapwood being white to light brown. -
Grain
Pronounced opened grain. The stain absorbs into this open grain pattern becoming darker where the grain is close and lighter where the grain is more open. -
Durability
Very durable with good wear-resistance. The grain pattern can help hide minor dents and wear. -
Overall Look
This is an ideal choice if you desire a warm or more traditional look. -
Density
Red Oak has a rating of 1290 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Brown Maple
Brown Maple's smooth grain and variegated grain offers a more contemporary look. This wood type is highly versatile depending on the style you are trying to achieve. From a more formal look with darker stains to a country chic look with paint and stain, Brown Maple is the perfect choice for your family's eclectic style.
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Tone
Features a unique combination of brown, tan, white and cream streaks
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Grain
The grain pattern smooth and characterized by the varying light to dark streaks. It absorbs medium to dark stains well and its smooth surface is ideal for painted finishes. Choosing a lighter colored stain will best showcase the natural range of grain colors in Brown Maple, while a darker stain will blend the grain colors better.
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Durability
It is a softer hardwood so it is more prone to scratches and denting with heavy use.
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Overall Look
Perfect for a transitional look and can be a perfect choice for either light, dark or painted pieces.
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Density
Brown Maple has a rating of 950 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Rustic Cherry
Rustic Cherry, with its knots, pits and beautiful grain pattern is the perfect choice for an updated rustic look. Choosing this would offer your home a casual, rustic elegance perfect for family style dinners and game nights.
- Tone
White, brown, and deep red with brown flecks and is a less refined version of traditional Cherry wood featuring natural knots and pits throughout. -
Grain
Fine satin-smooth texture and a circular grain pattern. Over time it will darken with exposure to light and heat.
- Durability
Because it is a softer hardwood, it is more prone to denting with heavy use. -
Overall Look
This is the perfect choice for a natural rustic look.
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Density
Rustic Cherry has a rating of 950 on the Janka Hardness scale*.
Hard Maple
The smooth, blonde grain lends itself perfectly to a contemporary and chic look. A Hard Maple dining set would compliment a modern dining room and is the perfect backdrop for cocktail parties and formal dining.
- Tone
The sapwood is creamy white with a golden hue and the heartwood varies from light to dark golden brown.
- Grain
The wood has a close, fine texture and a light circular grain pattern. The light tone of Hard Maple makes the stain colors appear bold and bright, while the hard and smooth texture makes it less suited to dark stains. -
Durability
Hard Maple is one of the hardest domestic woods in the USA and sometimes referred to as Rock Maple. Because of its hardness, it is very durable.
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Overall look
The minimal grain pattern of Hard Maple make it the perfect choice for a transitional, contemporary or modern look. This wood captures light and brightens any space.
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Density
Hard Maple has a rating of 1450 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Quarter Sawn White Oak
Quarter Sawn White Oak offers a unique look with the linear grain pattern. This solid wood type is favorite choice for mission and arts & crafts styled homes. Paired with furniture with mortise and tenon joinery or slats and corbels, this can add a craftsmen style look to your home.
- Tone
This wood has cooler white to sage undertones. - Grain
Quarter Sawn White Oak has a unique grain pattern which is achieved by cutting the wood at a 90 degree angle to the tree's growth rings which exhibits a tight grain with dramatic light and dark tones. Quarter Sawn White Oak absorbs stains richly and evenly. The natural variation of color exhibited in the wood grain is enhanced with staining. - Durability
Very durable with good wear-resistance. The grain pattern can help hide minor dents and wear. - Overall Look
If you love furniture with texture, then Quarter Sawn is a great choice. It is the perfect look for mission and craftsman styles. -
Density
Quarter Sawn White Oak has a rating of 1360 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Plain Sawn White Oak
Plain Sawn White Oak offers a straight-grain pattern. The clearer medium-toned wood can help achieve a more contemporary look.
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Tone
This wood has cooler medium brown with sage undertones.
Grain - White Oak absorbs stains richly and evenly. The natural variation in the grain pattern will be enhanced with staining.
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Durability
Very durable with good wear resistance. The grain pattern can help hide minor dents and wear. -
Overall Look
If you love the look of open grain pattern but looking for a more contemporary over all look, White Oak is a great choice! -
Density
White Oak has a rating of 1360 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Cherry
Cherry wood has been a traditional favorite for formal dining room furniture. The beautiful grain and the wood's ability to darken and warm over time offers a beautiful and rich look for your dining set. This would offer the perfect backdrop for Sunday dinners and family celebrations.
Tone
- The heartwood of cherry varies from a rich red to reddish brown, while the sapwood is creamy-white in contrast. Over time it will darken with exposure to light and heat. Cherry wood has a natural reddish hue and this warmth is intensified by all of the cherry stains.
- Grain
Cherry wood has a fine satin-smooth texture and a circular grain pattern. The wood may also naturally contain brown pith flecks and small pit pockets. When stained, this fine grain has a very even-toned finish. - Durability
Because it is a softer hardwood, it is more prone to denting with heavy use. - Overall Look
The fine grain pattern is perfect for a formal, traditional look or an updated transitional feel. -
Density
Cherry has a rating of 950 on the Janka Hardness scale*.
Walnut
The rich golden to grey tones of Walnut is perfect for a modern and contemporary look. The grain pattern makes this the perfect choice for a room where the furniture can take the center stage. Highlight the grain further by pairing it with furniture with clean lines or unique details.
- Tone
Walnut has a rich chocolate or purplish brown color with hints of grey, black and sometimes golden streaks. It is the only dark brown hardwood grown domestically. Over time it will take on a light golden brown color, which is slight and almost unnoticeable. - Grain
It has a beautiful grain pattern, characterized by a lot of movement and streaks.
- Durability
It is a medium dense hardwood and can be prone to denting with heavy use. The grain pattern will help hide some minor wear. -
Overall look
The grey and rich tones of Walnut is perfect for making a statement and can be either contemporary or a formal statement piece.
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Density
Walnut has a rating of 1010 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
Hickory
If you’re aiming for a rustic look, hickory is one of the best woods for a dining room table. The strong grain pattern offers a striking, rustic look that echoes visions of lodges and cabins. This can help bring the outdoors into your dining room for a rustic and casual look.
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Tone
Hickory has a contrasting reddish and cream colors.
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Grain
It has a medium grain that gives an earthy feel with a smooth look.
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Durability
It is the strongest wood type that we offer. Due to the density of this wood, it can be prone to warping and cracking and does require even more attention to the room's humidity level.
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Overall Look
The contrasting streaks in the grain pattern provides a more rustic look and can provide a very striking piece of furniture.
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Density
Hickory has a rating of 1820 on the Janka Hardness Scale*.
*The Janka scale rates the relative hardness of wood. The higher the number the harder the wood. These ratings were determined using the Janka Hardness Test which measures the force required to embed a .444 inch steel ball to half its diameter into the wood. This is one of the best measures of the ability of wood species to withstand denting and wear.