Shop Modern Furniture and Modern Decor at ModernFurniture.com

Living Room Accent Furniture Entertainment Centers Living Room Seating Living Room Tables ALL Living Room
Dining Room Accent Furniture Dining Room Seating Dining Table Sets ALL Dining Room
Bedroom & Bathroom Bathroom Accents Bathroom Cabinets Bedroom Furniture Bedroom Sets Beds ALL Bedroom & Bathroom
Bar & Rec Room Bar & Rec Room Seating Bars Entertainment Centers Games & Tables Pub Tables ALL Bar & Rec Room
Office Bookcases Chairs Desks Filing Cabinets ALL Office
Modern Decor Clocks Fountains Globes Lamps Lighting Mirrors Pillows Plant Stands & Pedestals Rugs Shelves Wine Racks ALL Modern Decor
Outdoor Chaise Lounges Heating & Lighting Outdoor Decor Patio Chairs Patio Sets Patio Tables Patio Umbrellas Sofas & Loveseats ALL Outdoor

Wood Furniture Buying Guide

Unlike metal or plastic, shopping for modern wood furniture requires some level of material expertise. Wood has been used in furniture construction for thousands of years, and understanding wood's unique qualities and the techniques developed for shaping it will help you to distinguish quality craftsmanship from cheap imitations.

Solid Versus Veneer
The word veneer has taken on a somewhat pejorative meaning in our time, considered synonymous with words like fake or superficial. This negative reputation is undeserved. The longevity of early wood veneers was limited by the low quality adhesives of that era, but contemporary wood veneers are often superior to solid wood construction.

The reason for this is that modern wood veneers are built in layers that will resist cracking and warping much better than solid wood. Modern adhesives are also stronger, and veneers permit the use of beautiful woods that are better suited to finishing than construction.

Contemporary Wood Furniture Terms

Solid wood
Solid wood is kiln-dried wood that is cut and shaped to provide the basic structure of modern wood furniture. Wood furniture is not made from a single block of wood, but rather multiple solid wood pieces joined together. To test solid wood furniture quality, lift up a single corner and watch how the piece responds. If it keeps a rigid shape, it's been joined properly.

Veneer
The veneer is the wood you see on the surface of about 80 percent of modern wood furniture pieces. Beautifully grained woods too expensive for solid wood construction are sometimes used as veneers for contemporary wood furniture.

Finish
The finish is the treatment a wood furniture piece receives to acquire its final visual appearance. Modern wood furniture finishing techniques include sanding, staining, distressing, painting, lacquering, and highlighting (rubbing a wood furniture piece with steel wool to bring out the grain pattern).