There is a lot of different type of woods which are used for different purposes. Dark wood has a darker shade and is more commonly used than light wood, mainly because of its dark color, which gives an elegant look to the viewer.
So, in this article, I am going to list some different types of dark wood species and will be talking through the specifics on them, so I hope that helps you out.
Table of Contents
Importance of wood
Wood plays a very important role in our lives; half of the things we know are made of wood. We are going back when houses mostly consisted of woods; there are cabinets, cupboards, doors, even wooden floors and windows. It is giving that esthetic look which we are all craving. And yes, how can we forget about wooden furniture that never went obsolete.
Dark Wood Types
Dark wood, as the name implies, comes in dark color. It has very fine grains, which helps it make it smooth and polished. There are different types of dark wood, and some of them are explained as follows with their usage:
- Ebony
Ebony is kind of African blackwood, really dark in color. You can hardly see any grain in it. It is an incredibly smooth porous wood, super hard and dense making it a durable wood, making it difficult to play with, but it is very interesting wood. Ebony trees are found in the East African states of Mozambique and Tanzania. It is among the most expensive wood.
Its usage
This wood has been prized for making piano keys and oboes, clarinets, and even bagpipes. This wood is also used for making guitars and violins.
- Black cherry
Cherry is a dark hardwood type, and it’s physically pretty hard. It has some nice grains. In the woodworking world, cherry is considered to be the king and is the most beloved wood. Cherry is pretty friendly to work with. Cherry is notorious for burning easily, and the best way to ignore it is using a brand-new sharp blade.
- Antique cherry
Cherries have this natural brown texture to them, and they can change wildly in color and can be as white as maple or very dark wood. If you oil the cherry and let it sit for a while, it will turn into a dark color. Cherry can have a broad range of colors. It has a very smooth texture, hence very easy to work with.
Its usage:
Cherry, if used commercially, is good for stuff like cabinetry, fine furniture, flooring, veneer, and just specialty wood items. You might find cherry tables in restaurants and stuff, so it’s really good to work with. Cherry is mostly recommended to use on a wide scale.
- Walnut
Walnut is well known for its dark color. English walnut is a little bit lighter, while Peruvian wood is darker than black walnut. You might often come across really, really light SAP wood on the side of walnut. Most people cut them off since they only want the dark color, so you will not see them much at big lumber yards.
Its usage
Walnut wood comes from the hardwood of the tree; remember that’s the wood closest to the center of the log, and in the walnut tree, the wood is a rich deep brown. The result is dark tonewood that looks especially stunning in a natural or linseed oil finish. Walnut is a great candidate for executive office furniture and stunning dining furniture. For bowls, crafts, and also a thin sheet of veneer.
- Genuine mahogany
Within the mahogany family, there are three generals with about 15 species of wood that get named mahogany, one with the other. They are all effectively exquisite woods that share similarities. Genuine mahogany grows all over Latin America, from Brazil up to Mexico. It is surprisingly easy to cut shape, sand, and finish. It is naturally pale, but it needs some time to roast up to that nice color. It has a dark reddish appearance.
Its usage
Mahogany is a highly versatile wood. It is used in legit furniture work or a cutting board where you want to be tough and colorful. It also has qualities for shipbuilding and musical instrument components such as guitar backs and sides. It is also used for turning blusters, mosaics, inlays, and decorative carving.
- Red oak
When it’s cleaned, it has a fairly white texture, but as it gets finished, it turns slightly redder. It is relatively hard and very much similar to white oak, but when you hold them together, you’ll see a slight color difference. Red oak is a bit reddish than white oak. The middle area ray is a big difference; when you cut them, the middle area rays come out and become very apparent, red oak has a relatively small middle area ray.
Its usage
Red oak has a well-defined grain pattern and is a durable wood. Oak is an ideal candidate for furniture that sees heavy use, giving a traditional look. Oak can be used in many different styles.
- Rosewood
Rosewood is hard and dense, and yup, super fun to work with. It comes to life with just a simple coat of polish. It is loaded with a lively display of dark colors, from light body red wine to reddish-purple kisses with tan and copper color. The trees are pretty short and small; that’s why the wood that comes out of them is quite broad and short.
Its usage
Rosewood is a very beautiful wood used for making wooden trays, plates, knives, chess tables, or regular tables. It is used for super decorative woodworks and small crafts. You might also use them on the floor or a giant piano body.
Read: Lumber Wood measurements
Dark softwood and dark hardwood
Generally speaking, wood is often put into two categories, but what exactly makes a given piece of wood qualify as either hard or softwood?
Perhaps the most important and misunderstood aspect of defining wood as either hard or soft has nothing to do with the individual qualities of the harvested wood itself. The most famous and often used example of this is the balsa wood which, despite being one of the least dense and hence the softest woods of all, is technically hardwood. Likewise, the wood of the yew tree, which is classified as being softwood, is a great deal tougher than many hardwoods, including several types of oak.
Dark hardwood
Classifying the wood as either hard or soft is entirely dependent on the seeds produced by the tree it comes from. If the seeds have some form of coverage when they fall from the tree, be it in the form of shell or fruit, then the tree’s wood will be classified as hardwood.
Dark softwood
On the other hand, if the tree produces seeds left to the elements when they fall to the ground, then the wood harvested from it will be classified as softwood. Some of them include cedar, fir, pine, and redwood, which is dark softwood.
Its usage
Softwood is mostly used for outdoor furniture, wooden decks, and cladding for the building exteriors because it is resistant to external weather conditions. Pinewood is used for carved furniture, both inside and outside.
Read Also: Hardwood vs Softwood
Dark hardwood flooring
When you take away your old carpet, you will come across light-colored hardwood. For years the darker stains have been winning the day with their sophisticated look with a nice contrast with lighter colored walls. So, using dark-colored wood types for flooring gives an elegant look to your home. Red oak is a great hardwood, especially for flooring; it has been quite eminent in Chicago. Some of them include ash, birch, cherry, used for carpentry, mahogany, and maple.
Dark redwood
Dark redwood types come from a very dark and long tree, mostly from Northern California. They are about 360 feet high and are called the tallest trees in the world. They extend their roots for 50 ft around them to increase their stability. Redwood is mostly found near the ocean, where the soil is damp. It is reddish and also known as dark wood. Redwood has very highly resistant to moisture and external weather conditions; it is soft and has reddish grains. It can be used for making strong furniture.
Final Thoughts
To sum up everything, that has been discussed so far, the wood types need to be studied before you buy them; not all the woods are good for furniture, neither flooring; they have the specific characteristics which needs to be taken care of while using them, some woods don’t have nice grains. Hence, they need to be painted instead of polish, while some only need a slight polish coat to enhance their elegant look.
This article consists of different types of wood and their usage, so I hope the article was helpful to you.
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