Brown Maple
Brown maple comes from the center of a maple tree. Because it comes from the center of the tree, it tends to run a range of colors from light beige to medium brown with different colored streaks referred to as, mineral streaks. Choosing a lighter colored stain will show more of these natural colors while a darker stain will blend these colors together for a more even finish. Brown maple is also commonly used for painted surfaces because it is naturally smooth.
Red Oak
Red oak is one of the most popular hardwoods used in the furniture industry. It is a heavy, strong wood that is very durable and offers excellent wear resistance. Red oak is characterized by its open grain structure. This distinct grain pattern allows the stain to become darker where the grain is close and lighter where the grain is more open.
Walnut
Walnut is a strong, hard and durable wood species. It is a rich brown wood that has excellent wood working qualities and features beautiful grain patterns that accept stains very well.
Hickory
Hickory is known for its strength, hardness and durability. It has a medium grain with a great deal of color variation between reddish brown, lighter brown, and white. These contrasting colors give hickory an earthy feel making it a beautiful wood to use for furniture.
Cherry
Cherry is also a very popular wood in the furniture industry. It has a very smooth texture and a closed grain pattern. Because of this, cherry finishes beautifully and evenly. One characteristic of cherry is that over time it will darken with exposure to light and heat.
Hard Maple
Hard maple is one of the hardest domestic woods in the USA. Because of its hardness, it is very durable. Hard maple is characterized as a dense, fine textured and close grained wood. 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.
Quarter-sawn White Oak
Quarter-sawn white oak refers to a method of cutting the wood at a 90 degree angle to the tree's growth rings. By doing this it binds the perpendicular fibers together making it less likely to crack, check or warp than flat sawn oak. Because quarter sawn oak is cut at an angle, the result is a limited quantity of top grade boards featuring a unique characteristic called ray flake that exhibits elegance and traditional beauty.