“Solid wood” is the most abused phrase in furniture. In practice, it can mean anything from genuine solid timber to a paper-thin veneer over particleboard. The difference isn’t cosmetic — it decides whether your table survives a decade or a single season.
Reading the label
- Solid wood: the piece is milled from real timber. Expect natural grain variation, seasonal movement, and honest weight.
- Veneer: a thin slice of real wood glued over an engineered core. Not automatically bad — but it must be stated, not implied.
- “Wood finish” with no species name: treat as a red flag. Ask for the tree, the grade, and the source.
What we put in the spec
Our specification sheets name the species and grade — FAS North American walnut, oak, ash, cherry — plus the joinery (mortise and tenon, dovetail) and the finish (natural oil, matte lacquer). No mystery cores, no “wood-styled” panels.
If a supplier won’t write the species on the quote, it’s because the material won’t survive the sentence. We write it on every line.