You may think you know everything about wooden furniture, but I am often surprised to find that many clients have misconceptions about what defines a quality piece of wood furniture and how to properly care for it.

Source: Richard Oedel

With this in mind, I wanted to take a moment to clear up some of these common myths about wood furniture. Anyone considering commissioning a piece of furniture in the near future should give this list a quick read:

Myth #1: Older furniture is typically much better quality than the wood furniture built today.

True and false. Many people equate the mass produced furniture that we often see today in furniture stores to be of lower quality than the handmade goods of the past. Furniture production has come a long way, though, and the current methods for joining and fitting furniture have greatly improved. When you commission a piece of wood furniture to be made by a fine furniture craftsman, however, you will still typically get the superior quality furniture that your great-grandparents have spoken about.

Myth #2: Wood furniture needs to be fed.

Over the years, the finish of wood furniture (whether “fed” or not) will wear down. Using a wax or polish on the wood furniture can be beneficial to prolong its beauty, but this does not need to be done regularly. For a piece of wood furniture that gets heavy use, think about giving it a good wax just 4 times a year.

Myth #3: Engineered wood is poor quality.

While engineered wood is typically less expensive, it does not always mean subpar quality. It’s not uncommon to see five and seven ply boards used in quality furniture production.

For more things you should know before commissioning a piece of furniture, contact me, Richard Oedel, Fine Furniture Master.