The Advantages and Disadvantages of 6 Major Materials for Solid Wood Stairs_Qingdao Wedding Photography Studio

by lovea6o4 on 2012-02-24 15:07:06

Which type of wood is more suitable for solid wood stair material? Nowadays, the materials used in the solid wood staircase market are varied. High-end staircase brands generally use precious woods such as oak, beech, rosewood, huanghuali, and ash; while small staircase enterprises with family workshop styles mostly use common woods such as rubber wood and lauan. We will make a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of these woods.

Oak: Also known as Quercus, it belongs to the Fagaceae family. The genus Quercus has 600 species, of which 450 come from the subgenus Quercus and 150 from the subgenus Cyclobalanopsis. They are distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, mainly in North America. Oak is considered a precious hardwood. Wood characteristics: long growth cycle, high density, high hardness, often used in high-end furniture, expensive price.

Rubber wood: Rubber wood is a plant that produces latex, which is the trunk of the rubber tree, a subtropical species. After the rubber tree matures, it is tapped every year by making horizontal slightly downward half-circular cuts on the trunk with a knife. The sap that flows out is the raw latex, which is the raw material for manufacturing rubber. When the tree gets old, its trunk can be used to make furniture. Usually found in tropical regions, tropical plants generally have shorter growth cycles, insufficient density and hardness, so they are easily deformed by humidity and temperature. Many merchants use rubber wood as staircase material due to its short growth period and low cost. As everyone knows, rubber wood is used for extracting rubber, and after continuous extraction, the wood quality is greatly affected.

Ash: Ash, an endangered species, is an ancient relic plant. Although its distribution area is relatively wide, it is mostly scattered sparsely. It is a national Grade I key protected wild plant (approved by the State Council on August 4, 1999). Due to excessive cutting, the number has been decreasing, and large trees are now rarely seen. Ash wood is tough, with beautiful grain patterns, and is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30 meters. It is a valuable timber species in Northeast and North China, suitable for making various furniture, musical instruments, sports equipment, vehicles, boats, machinery, and special construction materials. At the same time, it has scientific significance for studying the flora of the Tertiary period and the climate during the Quaternary Ice Age. The characteristics of ash wood are larger pores, and it is also easily affected by environmental weather conditions.

Huanghuali: According to "Bencao Shiyi", "Huanghuali comes from Annam and Hainan, used for beds and tables, similar to rosewood but reddish in color, hard and good." In the early Ming Dynasty, Wang You revised "Ge Gu Yao Lun": "Huanghuali comes from Nanyue and Guangdong, purplish red in color, similar to sandalwood, also fragrant. Its pattern with ghost faces is adorable, coarse and light patterns are inferior." In the Qing Dynasty's published "Qiongzhou Fu Zhi • Wuchan • Mulei": "Huanghuali wood, purplish red in color, similar to sandalwood, slightly fragrant, produced in the Li mountains." Modern people consider Huanghuali to be "Hainan Padauk", and some name it "Xiangxiang Huigou". According to "Guangzhou Plant Catalogue": "A specialty of Hainan Island... a forest plant, likes to grow in damp valleys, excellent wood, lighter in color at the edges, slightly loose texture, reddish-brown heartwood, hard, delicate and beautiful grain patterns, suitable for carving and furniture." Huanghuali also grows in the tropics, with larger wood pores, insufficient hardness and density, easily affected by weather conditions. High-end solid wood stairs emphasize overall and detailed uniformity, requiring smooth and fine surfaces on the tread, avoiding black wood pores. Therefore, Huanghuali is generally unsuitable as a material for treads and other staircase components.

Beech: Beech, also written as "ju mu" or "jiumu". Found in southern China, it is called nan yu in northern China. Though not considered a luxurious wood, it was widely used in traditional furniture during the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially among the common people. This kind of beech furniture is mostly in the Ming style, with shapes and production methods similar to those of huanghuali and other hardwood furniture, having considerable artistic and historical value. Beech is heavy, strong, resistant to impact, easy to bend under steam, suitable for shaping, and performs well with nails. It is a unique wood in the Jiangnan region, with clear grain patterns, uniform wood texture, soft and harmonious tones, and smooth flow. It is heavier than most ordinary hardwoods and ranks in the upper-middle level in terms of hardness among all woods. Beech has a long growth cycle, high density, good hardness, less prone to deformation from environmental influences, fewer knots or blemishes, and fine panel textures. Therefore, beech is an ideal material for solid wood stairs.