7 min read
Oak, Maple, Pine or Walnut: How to Choose the Right Wood for Your Furniture
Hard maple scores almost four times higher than pine. Here's how oak, maple, ash, walnut, cherry and pine compare, and which wood fits which piece of furniture.
Hard maple scores about 1,450 lbf on the Janka hardness test. Eastern white pine scores around 380. That's a gap of almost four to one, and it's the first thing to know before you choose a wood for a dining table, a dresser or a bed. Hardness decides how a piece handles daily life. Colour, grain and the way the wood ages decide whether you'll still love it when it's passed down to the next generation.
This guide covers the woods our Mennonite builders work with: maple, oak, ash, walnut, cherry and pine. Our wood species guide has the full reference for each one. Here we focus on the choice itself: which wood suits which piece, and which household.
What the Janka number tells you
The Janka test measures the force it takes to press a small steel ball halfway into a board. The higher the number, the harder the wood is to dent. On a dining table, that matters. A dropped fork, a toy car, a chair pushed in too hard: over ten years, those marks add up.
| Wood | Janka hardness | Colour | Where it works best |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard maple | 1,450 lbf | Pale cream to gold | Dining tables, kitchen islands, high-traffic pieces |
| White oak | 1,360 lbf | Light tan to cool grey-brown | Contemporary dining and bedroom |
| White ash | 1,320 lbf | Pale cream to light tan | Dining furniture, chairs |
| Red oak | 1,290 lbf | Warm tan to reddish brown | Traditional dining and bedroom |
| Black walnut | 1,010 lbf | Rich chocolate brown | Statement tables, desks, accent pieces |
| Cherry | about 950 lbf | Light pinkish brown, darkening to a richer reddish brown | Bedroom sets, formal dining |
| Wormy maple | about 950 lbf | Cream to gold with streaks and knots | Rustic, farmhouse and cottage pieces |
| Eastern white pine | about 380 lbf | Pale yellow with knots | Cottage pieces, blanket boxes, bedroom furniture |
Hardness is only one part of the choice. Walnut is softer than oak and it's still one of the most prized furniture woods in North America. It just belongs on pieces where looks matter more than wear.
Maple: where we'd start for a busy dining table
Hard maple is the hardest wood in our species guide, with a fine, tight grain that hides small scratches well. Over the years it deepens to a warm honey-cream and stays fairly light. It takes a wide range of stains, though the dense grain needs careful preparation for the colour to come out even.
If you have young kids, host often or use the dining table as a homework desk, hard maple is the wood we'd point you to first.
Wormy maple is a different material. It's a character grade of soft maple, about 950 lbf, and the mineral streaks, worm tracks and small knots are what people choose it for. In a farmhouse or cottage setting, everyday dents tend to blend into the character instead of standing out.
Oak: the grain you can see from across the room
Oak has an open, pronounced grain that shows through almost any stain. The two oaks look more different than most people expect.
Red oak (1,290 lbf) is warm, with tan and reddish tones that turn amber with age. It's the classic look for a traditional dining set or bedroom suite.
White oak (1,360 lbf) is a little harder and cooler in colour, from light tan to grey-brown. Ours is flat-cut, which gives the broad "cathedral" grain pattern you see in a lot of contemporary furniture. It's excellent with natural and light finishes.
If you're unsure, put a sample of each next to your floor. Red oak reads warm. White oak reads neutral.
Ash: oak's lighter cousin
White ash sits between the two oaks in hardness, at about 1,320 lbf, with a similar bold grain in a paler, cleaner colour. Ash also handles shock well, which is why it's long been used for tool handles and baseball bats. For dining chairs that get tipped back and dragged across the floor, that's a real advantage.
Walnut: for the piece people notice
Black walnut has a deep chocolate to purple-brown colour that no stain fully copies, so most buyers keep it natural or close to it. Unlike most woods, walnut tends to lighten and mellow a little with long exposure to light instead of darkening.
At 1,010 lbf, it's softer than maple and oak. We'd suggest it for a statement dining table in a home that doesn't see heavy daily wear, an executive desk or an accent piece.
Cherry: the wood that changes the most
Cherry is about 950 lbf, close to walnut. Its big feature is colour change. It starts as a light pinkish brown and darkens to a richer reddish brown with exposure to light, with much of the change happening in the first months.
One tip for new cherry furniture: move lamps, bowls and runners around for the first few months. Anything left in one spot will leave a lighter shadow until the rest of the surface catches up.
Pine: softer, and that's part of the appeal
Pine is a softwood, not a hardwood. Eastern white pine is around 380 lbf, so it dents far more easily than anything else on this list. Many buyers choose it for exactly that: the dents and knots give it a lived-in cottage look.
For a dining table in heavy daily use, a harder wood like maple or oak will show less wear; pine suits households that like a table that shows its history. For a blanket box, a bedroom dresser or a piece for the cottage, it's a good fit.
Match the wood to the piece
- Everyday dining table: hard maple, white oak or ash. Browse our dining room furniture to see each one in finished pieces.
- Dining chairs: ash or hard maple, for strength at the joints.
- Bed, dresser or nightstand: almost any species works, because bedroom furniture sees less wear. Cherry and red oak give a warm room; white oak and ash give a lighter one. See our bedroom furniture.
- A statement piece: walnut.
- Farmhouse or cottage: wormy maple or pine.
Then choose the stain
The same species can look completely different from one stain to the next, and each wood takes stain in its own way. Open-grained woods like oak and ash show the grain through darker colours. Walnut is usually finished natural. Our stains and finishes page shows the colours on real wood samples where we have them.
Judge a stain on the actual wood, not on a screen. With custom furniture, you choose the species, the stain and often the dimensions, so it helps to see the combination in person before you order.
Solid wood first, species second
A species only matters if it runs all the way through the piece. A "maple" table that's maple veneer over particleboard will never wear like solid hard maple. Solid wood furniture is a lifetime investment, and each Penwood piece is hand-crafted by our 20+ Mennonite master builders to be passed down. Our guide to solid wood vs. veneer vs. particleboard shows how to check before you buy.
How the wood is dried matters too. Our builders use kiln-dried lumber, so a tabletop doesn't crack or warp once it's in a heated Ontario home. We walk through each step in The Making of a Penwood Piece.
See the woods side by side
At our showrooms in Oakville, Ancaster, Morriston and Collingwood, you can put your hand on each species and compare finished pieces. Bring a photo of your floor or a cabinet door. It's the quickest way to see which wood suits your room.
Questions we hear about wood species
What's the hardest wood for a dining table? Of the woods in our species guide, hard maple, at about 1,450 lbf on the Janka scale. White oak (1,360) and white ash (1,320) are close behind.
Is oak or maple better for furniture? Both are excellent. Hard maple is a little harder and has a smooth, quiet grain. Oak has a bolder grain that shows through stain. Choose maple for a clean look and the most dent resistance, and oak if you want the wood grain to be part of the design.
Is pine good for furniture? Yes, for the right piece. Pine is a softwood, so it dents easily, but many people like how it wears in. It's a good choice for bedroom furniture, blanket boxes and cottage pieces, and less suited to a dining table in heavy daily use.
Does cherry wood darken over time? Yes. Cherry starts light pinkish brown and darkens to a richer reddish brown with light, mostly in the first months. Moving objects around during that time keeps the colour even.
Is walnut too soft for a dining table? Not too soft, but softer than maple and oak. Walnut works well for a dining table in a home where it isn't used heavily every day. For a busy family table, hard maple or white oak will hold up better.
Do Mennonite and Amish builders use different woods? Mostly not. Both traditions build with the same North American species. We explain the real differences in Mennonite vs. Amish Furniture.