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Olde Good Things

Architectural and Altered Antiques

3 Tips to Choosing the Right Wood for Your Table

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When choosing a wood for your custom table, the easiest part of the decision making process is picking the color of the wood. Now that you’ve gotten that decision out of the way, it’s time to consider a few other important factors so that you can make the best possible decision for your table.

3 Tips to Choosing the Right Wood for your Table

The three main factors involved in buying the right tabletop are durability, grain, and cost.

Durability is measured in the hardness of the wood via The Janka hardness test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. The higher the number on the scale, the harder and more durable the wood.

Woodgrain is the arrangement of the wood fibers, denoting the texture of the wood. The wood pores that determined if it’s open or closed-grain. Larger pores are considered open grain and are visible to the naked eye. Smaller pores create a closed grain.

When considering the cost for your new table or desk, it is important to keep in mind that the wood utilized is solid wood (as opposed to the less expensive particle board wood commonly used in mass-produced tables) has been salvaged and is not virgin wood. Olde Good Things is consciously utilizing practices to avoid deforestation where possible. The cost of each hand-crafted table is reflected in the craftsmanship and quality of each table and is indicative of the table’s longevity.

 

MAPLE

 

DURABILITY: One of the hardest woods typically used for high-use furniture such as cabinetry. Takes dark stain semi-well, but is known for being splotchy when applied.  Moisture-resistant, maple is rated as non-durable to perishable, and susceptible to insect attack. Janka rating 1400-1500

GRAIN: Straight, closed-grain.

COST: Medium

 

OAK

Round Oak Table Top

 

DURABILITY: Oak is a hard-wearing and heavy wood – able to withstand constant use. Most often cut in a way that makes it resistant to warping. Rated as non-durable to perishable, with poor insect resistance. Stains when in contact with water. Janka rating 1200-1300

GRAIN: It is known for having lovely open-grain markings.

COST: Medium

 

PINE

Rectangle Pine Table with turned legs

 

DURABILITY: Low-density, softwood. Prone to nicks and scratches. Takes paint and stain well. The heartwood is rated as non-durable to perishable in regards to decay resistance. Janka rating 300-400

GRAIN: Even, close-grained

COST: Low

 

WALNUT

walnut top table with steel tube base

DURABILITY: Walnut is a hardwood known for its strength. Rated as very durable in terms of decay resistance, though it is susceptible to insect attack. Janka rating 1000-1100

GRAIN: Straight, open-grain. It has a medium texture and moderate natural luster.

COST: High

 

Watch a video on how to care for your wood tabletop

Take a look at our Farmhouse or Industrial table blog posts

 

Farmhouse Style Dining Room Tables

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Farmhouse style rustic is one of the most popular design trends sweeping the globe. Not only is the use of wood and metal an edgy look, it can provide the ideal balance between modern and cozy in the chemistry of your home.

Designing your kitchen with Farmhouse design elements is easy, and it will give the room a unique balance between cutting edge and traditional. Distressed finishes highlight this look; sleek distressed wall wood skins and timeless distressed furniture complement each other. Pair with vintage white subway tile and antique tin mirrors, wood and metal baskets, and chicken wire glass on the cabinet doors for a finished and perfected rustic kitchen and dining room. Other design elements to consider are iron hooks on planks to hang utensils, coats, or even antique light fixtures. Farmhouse style dining tables, in particular, are one way to bring this contemporary vibe into your space while inventing a traditional place to create years of memories.

The artisans at Olde Good Things have perfected the art of the farmhouse dining table. Like our other crafted items, the dining room tables are made from reclaimed materials, often from buildings over a century old that would otherwise end up clogging up the landfill. Custom salvaged wood from classic buildings is actually of a far better quality than the pressed fabricated wood used in new furniture. When choosing pieces of reclaimed wood from historic brownstones and famous buildings, our architecturologists select only the best reclaimed wood from the beams and joists. Then we send the specially selected wood to our warehouse in Scranton, where our craftsmen begin to sculpt and shape the  dining room tables. You can learn more about our custom process here.

If you have decided to go with this stunning look, measure your space and record the dimensions. Then contact us at Olde Good Things so we can help you decide on the right design style, color, finish, and size for your custom reclaimed wood dining table. All of our dining room tables are made to custom length, width, and height. Our beautiful wood choices include pine, oak, maple, and walnut. The finish for your dining room table top can be smooth, semi-rustic, or rustic with a stain to suit your color palette.

Featured Farmhouse Style Dining Room Tables

We also offer traditional benches as an addition to each custom dining table.

Despite its age, the wood used retains its quality and longevity, and will look and feel better than anything on the market. If you are ready to begin designing your custom reclaimed wood dining table, please contact us today.

Video: How to Care for your Wood Dining Room Table

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Click above to watch video

 

If you are the proud owner of an Olde Good Things handcrafted dining room table or you own a farm table made of the woods listed in the video, you may have many questions on how to well maintain and clean your dining room table.

There are generally two types of finishes we use:

1. Conversion Varnish: We also refer to this as our lacquer finish. This finish is generally used for hardwoods such as: walnut, maple, mahogany, oak industrial flooring etc.
2. Oil / Varnish: This is three-part mixture which consists of marine varnish, tong oil and mineral spirits. We use this finish on our farm tables, which are made from reclaimed white pine and other pines as well as on our reclaimed oak.

These two finishes are both stain resistant and water resistant. In caring for your dining room tables, we suggest using a mild soap and water for everyday use. This will clean grease and stains etc. We recommend Guardsman, a spray furniture polish to bring back the luster in your table.

For the farm tables when scratched you can easily touch it up with a Minwax pencil stain sold at Home Depot. Use either dark or light depending on the color of your table. A provincial stain is usually good for our tables. Then wipe over with natural Danish Oil and wipe off to revitalize your table. This is also sold at Home Depot.

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How our Farm Tables are made

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