What’s under the surface?
Cabinet furniture can be made from a variety of materials – solid woods, natural or synthetic veneers, and man-made boards or a mixture of each. All have their advantages and understanding a little about the materials can help you choose the product most suited to you.
Solid wood
The colour, feel and overall appearance of a solid wood product can be hard to beat and gives the most ‘traditional’ feel to cabinet furniture. As a wholly natural product, solid wood will show knots, grain/colour variation and other features.
Solid wood products will have a tendency, even if kiln dried, to move with temperature and humidity changes. The colour of solid wood can also change over a period of time as the wood mellows and matures. The unique nature of wood can also mean that panels and adjoining pieces of furniture will not always be an exact match in terms of colour and grain.
Real wood veneers
Veneers consist of thin layers of wood with a fine or decorative finish that are applied to various types of material. This could be timber or some form of manmade board. The advantages of veneers are that the furniture itself can be more stable and less prone to movement or warping, and a wider range of decorative finishes can be achieved than with solid woods. Grain and colour match can be better than solid wood pieces, but because the veneers are wood they can be subject to movement with changes in temperature and humidity.
In some cases, wood veneers can give the look of real wood at a cheaper price. However this is not always the case – finely decorated or finished veneered items can be expensive.
Synthetic veneers
Synthetic veneers are also used extensively on cabinet furniture. These are paper or PVC foils that have been printed, and usually embossed, to represent the feel and appearance of real wood. They too are usually bonded to chipboard or MDF. The difference to the customer is that these have a uniform colour and grain structure. This means that they will not vary between pieces of furniture and will not be subject to changes in colour fading due to light.
Man made boards
Man-made boards such as plywood and chipboard have the advantage of being more stable than solid wood. They are less likely to warp, split, shrink or expand when temperatures and humidity vary.
A more recent product is medium density fibreboard (MDF) – a smooth board which can be cut and shaped without leaving a rough edge. It is an ideal base for lacquer and foil finishes and because of its consistent colour and visible edges can be stained or lacquered to resemble wood.
Beauty in the eye of the beholder
Finishes used on solid and veneered wood vary from simple waxes and oiled finishes to lacquers capable of withstanding different levels of use. It is worth asking your retailer how you should care for the product you are buying as the maintenance necessary for each type of finish varies.
Most modern furniture is finished with a lacquer that has been developed to maintain appearance in normal use and should only need regular, light dusting with a soft cloth. If sticky marks occur on the surface they can be removed with a dilute solution of warm soapy water. The offending area should be rubbed lightly and then completely dried afterwards before replacing any vases etc.
Wax polishes should only be used when damage has been occurred, that is the lacquer has been cracked or removed. It should be noted that the wax polish will not have the same level of resistance to damage as the original finish.
Manufacturers’ care instructions should always be followed. Cleaning products that are not recommended by the furniture manufacturer should never be used.
Things can change
Many timbers, solid or veneered, naturally vary in grain and colour from piece to piece. This gives the furniture a uniqueness that sets it aside from synthetic veneers and painted surfaces. Depending on the intensity of daylight that an item is subjected to, over a period of time the colour of the timber may mellow i.e. become darker. This often happens in what appears to be an erratic manner, as some pieces will appear lighten than others. The effect is natural. However problems can occur if an item such as a lamp, vase or mat is left in one place. This will slow the colour change of the timber under the item and may result in an area of lighter wood that may take longer to mellow. The mellowing of timber occurs rapidly for about the first two years, it then appears to slow down and eventually the furniture will achieve full ‘maturity’. However some woods do lighten with exposure to sunlight so regularly repositioning the furniture and items on it should be undertaken as a precaution.
Any wood or veneer will vary in colour and graining from piece to piece, giving it that unique individuality which distinguishes it from synthetic materials such as plastic or metal. Matching of veneers cannot always be guaranteed and you should check with your retailer before ordering.
