Furniture Materials – Cost And Durability

But of course, every household needs to have some furniture.The type of furniture each house owns varies widely in terms of its material,design and cost. Some will have a few and simple ones and some others may havevery costly furniture sets. The requirements and taste vary considerably acrossvarious sections of society. You have to identify the furniture most suited toyour tastes and needs to get it right.

If you visit a furniture store you can find differenttypes of furniture. Most common materials used are wood, steel and plastic andaccordingly these are called wooden furniture, steel furniture, and moldedfurniture. This article will provide you an idea about the different types offurniture depending on the material used for manufacturing and theirsuitability for various purposes.

The most common, versatile and oldest material that is usedfor making furniture is wood. Almost all varieties of furniture can be made ofwood. Wood is a soft material and can be easily shaped. The finish obtained isvery good and occasional polishing can make it look like new at all times. Itcan be carved easily and beautiful objects can be created. Carved living room furniture can give a royallook to your living room. Wooden furniture can be cheap or very costlydepending on the type of wood and carving work involved. Furniture made ofcertain types of wood like oak, teak and rosewood are very durable and so, arecostlier than others. Wooden furniture is best suited to homes as these provideelegance and lifelong service.

Metals are being increasingly used for making contemporaryfurniture. Earlier, among metals, only iron was used to makefurniture. It was to be painted or electroplated in order to avoid rusting.Even then, on most occasions, rusting would occur. So lately aluminum andstainless steel are being used extensively. We may be tempted to believe thatthese are highly durable, but practically are not so. These are commonly usedfor making chairs and other light weight furniture. Such furniture isspecifically suited to offices and waiting halls.

Another material used in furniture making is plastic fiber.Since it is made by molding, these are also known as molded furniture. Eventhough plastic can be molded to any shape, as far as making of furniture isconcerned its use is mostly limited to making chairs and light tables. Suchfurniture is best suited for small time restaurants. Molded chairs generallyfind their way to auditoriums and other public gathering areas due to ease ofstorage by stacking up into one another.

Some of the other materials used are cane and reeds.Recliner made of a combination of cane and reed can be seen in the portico oftraditional homes. Such furniture should be used carefully and delicately andso are suitable only for homes. These materials are available only in certainpockets of the country. Even if they are available, do ascertain if the climateof your home is suitable to these natural materials.

During the period of rule by kings and monarchs, ivoryfurniture was also used. These are extremely costly and highly durable.

All these kinds of furniture, except that made of ivory, areavailable in most furniture stores. One can also get to know about moderntrends in furniture making at an organized furniture exhibition. As ivory tradeis banned in most countries, it is not easy to find a piece of furniture madeof it. A museum near you may be having one as an exhibit.

Whatever be your choice, take a firm decision and then stickto it. Do not regret later having chanced upon something else that you like.There are innumerable designs and styles available, so take your time to pick.