We can all be misled to believe that the furniture we are buying is made of real wood.
This is because most of the products used to build furniture, are made from real wood like,
Paper, Things like shelving paper with a wood grain stuck to most any surfice. Thickness may vary.
Card board, used for a back panel, a drawer bottom, or as a door panel insert. Thickness may vary.
Plywood, This is one of the better products for them to use. It is made of multiple layers of real wood veneers glued together. Thickness may vary.
Masonite, This product is like a card board saw dust and glue pressed together real hard to form a real dense sheet product. Then glued and pressed into layer. Thickness may vary.
Particle board, This is made from fine wood chips about the size of rice, it is glued and pressed together. Thickness may vary.
MDF, Medium Density Fiber board. This is one of the newest products out it is similar to Masonite, but pressed as one layer. Vary heavy and dense. Thickness may vary.
These are all products made from real wood.
So when some one tells you it is made from real wood they are not lying to you.
You say that it looks like real wood, most of the products used above can be covered with what is called a veneer.
A veneer is a vary thin piece of real wood sliced as thin as paper and then glued to one of the products above.
When it comes to buying real wood furniture, I would look at it like I was buying an antique.
I would look to see the ends of all the shelves, the back, under the bottom, and on the sides of drawers.
These are the spots less seen to a buyer, and areas where the manufactures do nothing to to hide, whether or not it is real wood.
It can look and feel like real wood, but most furniture builders will use real wood trim moldings on the front and use less expensive products like above in spots you will not look.
The end grain of a piece of real wood will have the look of the round of a tree, and you should be able to see the growth rings of the tree.
See pictures below for real and fake!
It will be harder to tell if the furniture is painted.
This picture shows two wood grains on one board.
Are you looking to buy real wood furniture?
If you are looking to buy real wood furniture I would recommend that you buy antique furniture. Items built before 1970. But even those can have veneers or Masonite.
Most furniture built these days, is built using plywood, Masonite, particle board, MDF, plastics, metals, paper, and even card board.
These types of products can be made to look and feel like real wood.
Have you ever bought an entertainment center or a bookcase, and after one year your shelves start to sag?
This is because the shelf or whatever is made from, one of the products listed above, not made from real wood.
Humidity, weather, and moisture all affect, all of the products listed above.
Real wood is not affected that same way.
If a piece of real wood furniture was to get left out in the rain. It may warp or come unglued or mess up the finish. Not recommended!
But repairing it may be possible.
If a piece of furniture was built using the products above, if it where to be left out in the rain. You may as well throw it away!
Furniture built from these products are not bad, they just do not hold up to a long life time of use.
I do believe these products can be used, when used proper.
But furniture should not be called real wood furniture, when it is not built from all real wood.
If you want real wood furniture you have to have it custom made or you have to buy antiques.
Show me a real piece of all wood furniture and I will show you, it must be antique or has been custom made.
You can save a lot of money, by buying fake wood products and still have a nice piece of furniture.
But if you want it to last a life time!
Buy real wood products.
Vary few places even sell real all wood products.
If you are looking for all real wood products, have them custom built! Or buy antique!
They will cost you more money!
But there is nothing like having real wood.
Real wood products hold there value over time!