Wood Species

Cherry

The wood species Chilton Furniture items are most frequently shown in the showrooms and on chiltons.com, is also one of the most sought after hardwoods.

Cherry wood begins as a light straw color and, through a natural aging process, darkens to a warm, rich reddish brown. The grain pattern is smooth and close grained. Common characteristics include dark pitch and moments of stunning curly figuring. 

As Seen on Furniture 

Maple

Maple is one of the only woods where sapwood (the newest tree growth) is the most commonly used, which begins light and bright with a few pink and grey tones, and gradually darkens to a golden honey color through a natural aging process. The grain is very smooth and uniform. 

As Seen on Furniture 

Walnut

With its dark, rich tones, walnut is a very popular option to make your furniture stand out in a space. The color ranges from chocolate brown with tints of purple, grey and red to a lighter pale brown or blonde in the sapwood. The natural aging process isn't quite as dramatic as other woods we offer, and rather than darkening over time, walnut will gradually lighten, taking on notes of honey throughout. Walnut is straight grained with wavy moments that enhance the character of the wood. 

As Seen on Furniture 

Ash

Ash is a beautiful, lightweight, coarse grain wood, however, only a few pieces at Chilton are offered in ash. The wood is a light beige to medium brown color that will slightly darken overtime from the natural aging process. The color is fairly consistent between heartwood and sapwood and ash can often resemble white oak. We offer a few of our pieces in black painted ash in order to showcase the strong grain visible through the paint.

As Seen on Furniture 

White Oak

White oak is all about the unique grain pattern which makes it fairly recognizable. The grain is coarse and uneven with rays that run alongside that can look like elongated pencil markings. The color is beige to brown, often picking up an amber or olive hue. White oak is dense, heavy and durable. 

As Seen on Furniture 

Quarter-Sawn White Oak

From the same tree as flat-sawn white oak, quarter-sawn oak (QS white oak) is simply a reference to the angle at which the wood was cut. QS white oak will have even finer and straighter grain lines and prominently displayed ray fleck patterns (the lines cutting across the grain at an angle). QS white oak has the same beige to brown color as flat-sawn white oak and is often associated with mission style furniture.

As Seen on Furniture 

Janka Hardness

In addition to color and texture, another factor that some consider is durability. Each Chilton piece is protected with a durable clear finish, however, the wood itself is comparatively more or less dent resistant depending on its Janka rating. View the graph below to see where each of the woods Chilton Furniture offers ranks. The higher the Janka Score, the more dense and durable the wood. Keep in mind that we provide this chart to compare relative hardness. Every piece we offer is crafted using wood classified as hardwood, which is well-suited for home furnishing.