Wood Types & Finish Options

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Every piece of our solid wood furniture begins with two important decisions: choosing the right wood type and the perfect finish. Explore our premium American hardwoods, compare the unique character of each wood species, and see how stains and finishes look on different woods. Whether you're designing a dining table, conference table, bed, or custom furniture, this guide will help you choose the wood and finish that's right for your home.

Screens lie — wood doesn't

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Return your sample after you buy a furniture piece and we'll refund it.

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Wood Types & Finish Options

Compare Wood Types & Finish Options

Every American hardwood has its own grain pattern, natural color, and character, so the same stain can look dramatically different from one wood type to another. Compare our wood species, stain colors, and finish options below to find the perfect combination for your custom furniture.

Classic Wood Types

Live Edge Wood Types

Naturally figured hardwoods typically finished with a clear protective coat to highlight their unique grain, character, and live edge. Most often used for live edge dining tables, epoxy tables, conference tables, and one-of-a-kind furniture.

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Character

Durability

Best for

All Woods at a Glance

Every wood at a glance

SIDE BY SIDE

Compare Our Wood Types

Compare the unique character, grain pattern, and ideal uses of our most popular American hardwoods. Every wood type is crafted into heirloom-quality furniture the biggest differences are
appearance, grain, and the style each wood complements best.

Wood Type

Replace

Natural color

POPULAR USES

brown maple

Smooth

Creamy

Dining tables & dressers

Cherry

Fine grain

Warm reddish

Traditional dining & bedroom

Hickory

Bold character

High variation

Rustic furniture

Reclaimed Barnwood

Rustic texture

Aged patina

Rustic & industrial furniture

Brown Maple

Smooth

Creamy

Dining tables & dressers

Cherry

Fine grain

Warm reddish

Traditional dining & bedroom

Still deciding? Continue to explore each wood type above in detail, compare stain colors, and see real furniture built from every American hardwood.

Live Edge Wood Types

Walnut, spalted maple & sycamore aren't stained

These three are used mainly for our live edge pieces slab tops, river tables and one-of-a-kind benches where the wood's own color and figure are the entire point. They're finished with a clear coat rather than a stain, so there are no stain options to choose from. Walnut is the one exception: clear coat, or clear coat with a black glaze to deepen the grain.

Rustic grades

Same color, more character

We often build cherry, hickory, quartersawn oak, flat sawn white oak and walnut in a rustic grade. Rustic is the same wood species and accepts the same finishes, so the color matches the sample you order the same stain samples apply to both grades. What changes is the character: additional knots, mineral streaks and epoxy-filled natural imperfections, left in and celebrated rather than sorted out. If a product listing only shows one version, the other can usually be ordered — just give us a call at 610-672-6454.

How to Choose

Four things worth knowing first

01

Judge it in your own room

Screens shift color, and so does your lighting. A finish that looks warm under a showroom light can read cooler at home — that's exactly what samples are for.

02

The wood changes the stain

Identical stain, different species, different result. Open-grained oak drinks it in; smooth brown maple takes it evenly. Always compare on the wood you're actually buying.

03

Order more than one

Finishes look different beside each other than they do alone. Two or three samples side by side on your floor tells you far more than one sample held up on its own.

04

Wood keeps changing

Real wood mellows with light and age — cherry especially deepens and enriches over the first year. It's a feature of solid hardwood, not a flaw.

The Topcoat

Built to be used, not protected

Every piece gets a pre-catalyzed polyurethane finish over the stain you choose. It's what makes these tables durable and scratch-resistant enough for everyday family life — not just for looking at.

Steel bases are powder-coated for roughly ten years of weather resistance before meaningful rust, and the coating also guards against chips and corrosion.

Compare wood types & strength →

Free Design Help

Get a custom wood furniture quote

Tell us the wood and finish you're considering and we'll come back with pricing, options, and honest advice on what works best for your room. No design fee, no obligation.

Order Finish Samples

or call 610·672·6454

Good to Know

Finish questionsquestions

What does a finish sample cost?

Return your sample after you buy a furniture piece and we'll refund it — that refund doesn't apply to smaller décor items.

Can I get a sample of a rustic wood?