Which wood should you choose for countertops? Using the example of 3 types of wood


Nowadays, there are many materials for making tables: laminated chipboard, MDF, steel, stone, glass, plastic. They all have their advantages and disadvantages, but the most popular, high-quality material that never goes out of fashion is wood. However, the array can be different. Which breed should I choose? What are the pros and cons of the most popular tree varieties? More on this below.

Solid wood has undeniable advantages over other raw materials. Namely:

  • Environmental friendliness, absence of harmful fumes, beneficial effect on human well-being and mood.
  • High wear resistance. Furniture made from natural wood will last for many years and can be restored if necessary.
  • Good compatibility with other materials. A solid wood table looks harmonious not only in a classic interior, but also in a modern setting.
  • Solid appearance. Wooden tables look expensive and often become the main item in the room.

Dining table shapes

Natural raw materials as a pliable material can be used to create a table of any configuration. When choosing it, the features and characteristics of the room are taken into account. Of the variety of shapes of kitchen furniture, the most popular are round, square, rectangular, and triangle tables. Products with ornate original configurations are made individually by craftsmen to order.

Modern production models are represented by folding and sliding options, which are in demand due to their practicality. The style and overall atmosphere of the kitchen depends on the correct configuration.

Features of outdoor wooden tables

The peculiarity of tables for outdoor use is their:


  • resistance to negative factors;

  • long service life;
  • wide range of models;
  • variety of designs and structures.

A table for the dacha can be made from different materials :

  • wood;
  • vines;
  • metal;
  • natural or artificial stone.

Each individual option has its own advantages. But it is wooden models that are in greatest demand . Because it is pleasant and convenient to work with wood, and you can make a product of any complexity on your own without much effort.

Ash

Minuses:

Does not tolerate constant humidity very well. Better than beech, but still, if you expect a service life of more than five years, it is better to choose something else for bathroom furniture, such as oak, larch or pine.

Pros:

High density, like ash - 690 kg/m3, this makes it an ideal material for dining table tops and work tables.

How to update wood countertops?

Sooner or later, the surface of the wooden tabletop will have to be renewed - the wood will have to be re-saturated with oil. How often should this be done?

“It’s difficult to name a specific period; a lot depends on the specific operating conditions,” answers the Belinka brand technologist. — To understand whether it’s time to renew the countertop, apply a few drops of water to the surface and observe - if the wood quickly absorbs them, it’s time to take out a jar of oil. However, don’t worry, applying oil is not a difficult task, every housewife can handle it on her own.”

What type of wood is it made from?

Before you start building a country table, carefully select the wood. Since the service life of the product, its wear resistance and appearance will depend on its technical characteristics. Most often, outdoor furniture is made from:


  • tika _
    Furniture made from this breed will delight its owners: reliability, aesthetics, and resistance to negative environmental factors. Teak products become stronger and more attractive every year. Such furniture will fit into any landscape design and will become the main decoration of the dacha;

  • oak _
    Oak tables amaze with their noble appearance, elegance and durability. But keep in mind, despite the strength and reliability of wood, before assembling a piece of furniture, the wood must be treated with special antiseptics. Then insects will not appear in the product, and it will not rot;
  • coniferous species . This material is affordable. Products made from pine will not be as durable, but they will be different: safety, ease of use, environmental friendliness and presentability. A pine table does not require special care and attention;
  • linden, alder . These tree species, in addition to their original texture and texture, have high technical characteristics. They are easy to process and can withstand high loads.

As for the advantages of wooden outdoor furniture made from any type of wood, these include:


  • resistance to damage;

  • long service life;
  • elegance;
  • simplicity in convenience.

The disadvantages of wooden products include:

  • possibility of ignition;
  • insect damage;
  • likelihood of rotting.

Advice: to increase the wood’s resistance to all negative factors, it must be treated with special means.

Also, most people consider the disadvantages of wooden country tables to be their heavy weight . But such products are installed outdoors once a year. At the request of the owners, they can be put away in the summer kitchen or any household for the winter. construction.

Attention: when placing a wooden table outdoors, you need to consider the space for water drainage.

Wood in different styles

Choosing natural wood for a kitchen countertop is actually a great testing ground for design creativity. Modern kitchen design options often include many wood surfaces; the walls are even treated with the material. This approach began to be applied in almost all directions: from modern to classic. The main difference, in this case, is the color of the wood and the degree of its processing.


Tabletop made of natural wood Source remontkit.ru

Fresh and free, Scandinavian style is filled with light shades that go well with any type of wood surface. The choice depends on what mood you want to create in the room. Today in Scandinavian design you can often find shades of black and blue, which also go well with wood.

Wood in the interior is a source of vital energy, allows you to create comfort and a cozy atmosphere, and reminds a person of his unity with nature.

A tabletop made of natural material in combination with a Provence style design emphasizes the beauty and sophistication of the style. Wood perfectly complements interior textures inspired by nature itself.

For loft or rustic styles, you need to choose minimally processed solid pieces of wood: textured heterogeneity and even bare knots look great on a table under glass, in combination with stabilized moss and other stylistic interior details.

Tools and Supplies

From the tools for making a wooden table, you need to prepare:


  • drill;

  • ruler;
  • building level;
  • screws;
  • drill;
  • sandpaper.

The materials we will need are:

  • lumber;
  • furniture glue.

Which type of wood is better?

Each type of wood has its own characteristics that should be taken into account when designing furniture.

People have long considered wood as the main building material.

For a more convenient and detailed comparison of characteristics, let's refer to the table.

Table 1. The most common types of wood used in the furniture industry

NameAverage density kg/m3Chip strengthCharacteristics
Oak7009,9A very durable rock, resistant to rotting processes. It has a beautiful, noble texture.
Beech67012,1Representative of hard rocks, easy to process, pliable. However, it is prone to rotting, which requires careful antiseptic treatment. When it dries out, it deforms more than oak.
Larch6609,8Durable, resistant to rotting and deformation, prone to cracking. Therefore, it is not recommended for rooms where there are constant changes in humidity and temperature.
Birch6309,0Quite durable, resistant to deformation, chipping and cracking, but with constant humidity it has a tendency to rot. This drawback is easily neutralized with the help of antiseptic treatment, since wood is easily impregnated with special compounds.
Pine5007,4Durable, soft, lightweight, slightly deformable. Due to its natural characteristics, it is pliable when working. Easily impregnated with antiseptic compounds.
Spruce4506,8Less smooth texture compared to pine, has a larger number of knots. It is not so well treated with an antiseptic, it is more capricious in processing.
Aspen3806,5The texture is not particularly expressive, the color is whitish-green. Due to its softness, it does not crack, is easy to process, and is little susceptible to rotting. However, marks from mechanical influences may remain on surfaces made of this material (for example, if a child draws with strong pressure on a pen or pencil)
Fir3705,9The wood is soft, does not tolerate moisture well, is susceptible to rotting, and is therefore not suitable for furniture that will be used outdoors or in rooms with high humidity. It is easy to process, which will simplify the work of novice carpenters.

So, after carefully studying the table, it becomes clear that soft woods (aspen, fir) will be easy to work with, but during service they may disappoint due to their susceptibility to mechanical stress and low moisture resistance. It is better to opt for harder varieties such as pine, larch, beech and oak.

We did not consider heavy-duty wood species (hornbeam, yew, etc.), since their processing is extremely difficult at home.

Advantages of solid wood furniture

Interior items made from solid wood are considered to be of the highest quality. They are heavier than products made from chipboard or MDF and have good strength.

Table 2. Key benefits.

Evaluation criterionDescription

High environmental friendliness

Wood has the ability to even out the indoor microclimate. Unlike composite materials, it does not contain toxic impurities in the form of formaldehyde.

Artistic value

The tree has a beautiful texture with original patterns of annual rings. It fits harmoniously into most style concepts. This material is available in many shades. In warm climates, the color of the wood is rich and dark. In the temperate zone it is lighter.

Practicality

Long service life and resistance to moisture. Since the material is warm, it is ideal for creating interior items.

Good energy

It is believed that trees have a positive effect on people's emotional state. This is especially true for oak, one of the most energetic woody plants.

In addition to the above, wood has the following qualities:

  1. High strength at low density.
  2. Resistance to salts and acids.
  3. Low thermal conductivity.
  4. Good cushioning.
  5. Possibility of restoration.
  6. Ease of processing.
  7. Variability of painting and processing methods.

When there is excess moisture, wood swells and shrinks in extreme heat.

When choosing solid wood furniture, you need to adhere to the optimal microclimate in the room

Beech

Minuses:

Beech furniture is not resistant to changes in humidity. Beech is susceptible to rotting, strongly absorbs moisture and can become deformed over time. Not recommended for use in bathrooms or under-sink countertops.

Pros:

High density 660 kg/m3. 140 kg/m3 more than pine, which means that more effort will have to be made to damage it. The cost is slightly higher than pine, but still affordable. The cost of a beech tabletop is 11,100 rubles

Choosing wood for the countertop

Use dry wood (humidity should not exceed 12%). During production, boards with defects are rejected.

Under the influence of moisture, a wooden tabletop may darken; you should give preference to moisture-resistant material; it is possible to treat the wood with a water-repellent composition.


Natural material in a modern interior Source agata63.ru

Caring for natural wood tables

Despite the fact that modern furniture undergoes serious processing, it still requires special care and below is a list of things that should be observed.

  • Remember that the condition of wooden furniture may depend on the environment. An atmosphere that is too wet or dry has a detrimental effect on most tree species, so humidity and temperature must be monitored.
  • It is advisable to clean and wash wooden furniture using special products. If there is no mark on the cleaning product allowing it to be used for cleaning furniture, it is better to discard the product.
  • It is best to clean and wash furniture using special fabrics or rags made from flannel, cloth, velvet and cotton.
  • Remember that wood is a living material and pests can grow in it. For prevention, you can buy a special wax-based paste and carry out treatment once every 2-3 months.
  • Understand that with proper care and treatment, wooden furniture can serve the owner for decades and not lose its presentability.

How practical is a wooden tabletop?

How to protect wood besides using wood products?

“If you want the tabletop to last longer and maintain its appearance, follow simple rules: do not cut anything directly on the wood (perhaps only oak will withstand such violence), do not test the surface for fire resistance and heat resistance,” continues Artyom Lepyoshkin. — Very hot objects can darken wood, ash is especially sensitive. But if you spill wine or juice on the surface, just wipe it with a damp microfiber cloth. Do not use wet rags, this will cause the wood to swell.”

Andrey Lyamin-Borodin advises not to use aggressive household chemicals to wash the countertop: “It happens that drops of such a product fall on the countertop when cleaning the sink or hob. If this product contains, for example, a solvent, it can change the color of the wood and whiten it. An important rule when any stains get on the countertop is to not allow them to be deeply absorbed and, therefore, to remove them immediately. A stain that cannot be washed off can be removed by walking over the area with fine-grained sandpaper, after which the protective coating will need to be renewed.

Regarding the choice of sink - in this case it should be mortise or, in other words, overhead. Washing an under-table installation will create constant exposure to water on the edge of the tabletop, which will inevitably cause it to deteriorate. However, lovers of country style or owners of tabletops made of particularly water-resistant wood may not be bothered by this.”

Making a wooden table with your own hands: step-by-step instructions

Tabletop

Treat all boards thoroughly.

Having achieved a perfectly flat and smooth surface, drill holes for dowels in each end in increments of 10-12 cm (for the outer boards they should be made only on one side).

All edges must be milled and surfaces sanded.

After thorough cleaning of chips and dust, they must be coated with special wood glue (PVA can be used).

Then the boards are fastened together using wooden dowels placed in the prepared holes.

Important! When gluing, direct the pattern in different directions. This increases the strength of the product and reduces the risk of deformation.

When the canvas of boards is assembled, it is necessary to dry it, securing it with clamps.

After complete drying, cut off excess glue with a construction knife and sand the surface. Treat the finished shield with a special antiseptic.

Thus, it takes one day of work to make a canvas from wood.

Underframe

Let's look at the process of creating a standard underframe (4 legs and a rectangular frame).

Saw off the required size bars for all elements, process them using a grinding machine or manually with sandpaper and coat them with an antiseptic.

To save time, it is better to carry out the procedure in parallel with the countertop.

When the prepared elements are ready, fasten the pairs of legs with smaller cross beams using furniture screws.

They can be pre-lubricated with glue.

Important! Self-tapping screws are screwed in from the inside at an acute angle to the surface.

In the same way, fasten the legs with long beams.

Drill holes in the center of each leg for further assembly of the furniture.

If you plan to make the table two-color, painting the prepared elements should be done before final assembly. If the product is the same color, assemble the structure and paint it entirely.

Final installation of the product

Place the table top face down on a flat, clean surface and begin working:

Place the base on top the way it should be attached and draw a pencil along the inside.

Mark the joints of the parts in increments of 200 - 230 mm on both surfaces.

Drill holes in the underframe and tabletop, remove shavings from them, coat them with glue and assemble the product using special furniture fasteners (as when making wooden panels). Use a mallet if necessary.

Leave the product to dry for a day (at least 12 hours).

The final stage

When the structure is assembled, perform final sanding, apply decorative elements in accordance with the design project and cover with several layers of varnish or glaze.

By following the instructions, you can easily make a wooden table with your own hands.

Important! Each layer of coating must dry completely. Therefore, the final finishing of the table will take at least 1 more day. Therefore, the process of creating your own masterpiece from an array will take you about 3-4 days.

By spending a minimum amount of money and a few days, you will receive a reliable and durable dining table made of oak, pine or other material you like, and a lot of positive emotions.

So you have learned how to make your own table from solid wood.

Manufacturing and assembly

The main components of the table are:

  • supporting frame;
  • table top;
  • support strips.

The table assembly process is carried out in the following sequence:


  1. Before you start assembling furniture, each board is pre- sanded, leveled, and burrs are removed from their surfaces .

  2. Next, according to the applied markings, we connect the tabletop to the base with self-tapping screws.
  3. After this, we fasten the legs with bolts.
  4. Next, the product is treated with special impregnations that prevent damage to the array.

A round table will look very attractive on a summer cottage. For this you need to prepare:

  • base;
  • racks;
  • table top;
  • base for table top.

The assembly stage will consist of the following sequence:


  1. The base is assembled by fastening the crosspiece together with glue and self-tapping screws.

  2. All irregularities are processed with a grinding machine.
  3. we attach 4 racks to the base , which will act as legs of the product.
  4. Using a jigsaw, cut the edges of the boards fastened together for the tabletop evenly in a circle.
  5. Assembling the base . To do this, we fasten the tabletop boards together and connect everything to the bottom of the table.
  6. To make the product decorative, the screw caps are covered with wood putty .

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Types of tables by type of design

Today, the “smart home” policy is gaining immense popularity, which provides for the presence of multifunctional and compact furniture.

Solid countertops do not lose their relevance, but if there is a lack of free space, you can choose the following types of wooden tables:

  1. Table transformer. This model is equipped with additional plates, which, if necessary, allow you to increase the surface of the tabletop.
  2. Extendable table, additional plate hidden under the main part.
  3. Dining tables are very popular; additional plates rise like petals on both sides.

The additional surface can be raised on folding legs to form a two-tier coffee table.

When there is a shortage of free space, you can use a hanging table. When assembled, such furniture is a picture or a mirror plate, and, if necessary, folds out into a full-fledged tabletop.

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