Wood Selection Guide for Corbels and Wood Carvings
InvitingHome.com offers a wide variety of
are all made from select hardwoods, which are durable but also pliable
enough for woodworking. Our Wood Selection Guide takes a look at seven
hardwood species: alder, beech, cherry, hard maple, oak (red and
white), poplar, and white hardwood. Which is the right wood species for your corbels? Â Â Â
It’s not always an easy choice. But our Wood Selection Guide can help
you pick the best wood for your home improvement project, with a
particular eye toward corbels. Whether you’re a homeowner, designer or
builder, we hope you find this guide to be a valuable resource.Alder:Â Â Â
Alder, a hardwood grown in the Pacific Northwest, is a common choice
for corbels as well as cabinetry and furniture. This wood is prized for
its consistency in color and ability to take stain well ? two factors
to keep in mind if you’re considering alder wood corbels.   A
beautiful wood that is growing in popularity, alder is relatively soft
compared with other hardwoods and thus easy to work with. It features
graining and rich tones that are similar to cherry, but at a much lower
price tag. (Note: Alder wood corbels are a new addition to the
InvitingHome.com catalog.)Beech:Â Â Â
Beech is a cream-colored hardwood that grows primarily in North America
and in parts of Europe. Perhaps best known as the wood used in baseball
bats, beech is also found in wood corbels and hardwood floors. Three
factors that make beech a popular choice for corbels: it takes stain
well, is easy to work with, and has an excellent finish. (Note: Beech
wood corbels are a new addition to the InvitingHome.com catalog.)Cherry  Â
A perennial favorite among homeowners, cherry has been used by
furniture-makers for literally thousands of years. This beautiful
hardwood brings a classy touch to corbels, flooring, cabinetry, butcher
block countertops, and other home furnishings. Strong and relatively
hard, cherry is known for its durability. But its beauty is the primary
reason it’s so often chosen for corbels. Initially light brown in tone,
cherry gradually darkens over time to display warm, reddish-brown hues.
If you’re looking to add a special touch to your cherry corbels, this
wood looks spectacular when finished with a clear polyurethane varnish.
Hard Maple  Â
Whatever your family can dish out, hard maple can take it. This wood is
used in flooring and even cutting boards, so you know it’s more than
tough enough for corbels. Its hardness and stiffness make hard maple
more difficult to carve, but these features also enable crisper detail
and more intricate carving motifs.   Hard maple generally has
interesting graining that adds life to corbels. A relatively clear wood
that ranges from light brown to creamy tan in color, it takes nicely to
natural or light finishes. Honey brown stain tends to complement hard
maple corbels particularly well. Oak (Red and White)Â Â Â
Oak, the most abundant hardwood species in the United States, has been
a favorite of craftsmen for hundreds of years. Very hard and durable,
oak is a popular choice for corbels, cabinets, floors and many types of
furniture. The species comes in two basic varieties: red and white. Â Â Â
Both red and white oak stain beautifully in most any color and sport
distinctive grain patterns ranging from straight lines to wide arcs.
Red oak, the more common of the varieties, has a pinkish tint and open
grain pores. White oak has a slightly greenish hue and smaller pores. Poplar  Â
Poplar trees can reach heights of 150 feet, making them the tallest of
all U.S. hardwood species. Prized for its durability, the wood is used
in corbels as well as kitchen cabinets, mouldings and doors. You’ll
also find poplar in many musical instruments. Â Â Â Poplar is
pale yellow to white in color with a greenish tint in the sapwood and
open grain pores. It stains well across a range of colors (including a
honey tone with darker colors) and holds paint quite nicely too. A
reasonably priced option when choosing a wood for your corbels. White Hardwood  Â
White hardwood, or basswood, is used for corbels, mouldings, furniture
and even Venetian blinds and shutters. In terms of appearance , this
wood is fairly plain: very light cream in color with little to no grain.  Â
What makes white hardwood stand out ? particularly for crafting corbels
? is that it’s so easy to work with. The softness and straight grain of
white hardwood make it the ideal carving wood. It also takes well to
paint or a polyurethane finish.
About the author
is committed to providing exquisitely designed handcrafted home
furnishings, architectural products and unique decorative elements
manufactured to the highest quality standards. Our extensive selection
of corbels and other home decor products allow interior designers, decorators and homeowners to create a home decor of their dreams!
Tags: alder alder, alder wood, baseball bats, beech wood, butcher block countertops, classy touch, easy choice, furniture makers, hard maple, hardwood species, hardwoods, home improvement project, new addition, pacific northwest, rich tones, selection guide, white poplar, wood corbels, wood selection, wood species
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