Bring in some wood

wood is good Reams can be written about wood and its various uses. Ruth Dsouza Prabhu looks at this versatile material from the perspective of home

Dreams can be written about wood and its various uses. Ruth Dsouza Prabhu looks at this versatile material from the perspective of home interiors and furnishing .

Take a cursory glance around your home and you will find several parts, in your line of vision, made of wood. In fact, there are certain homes where the emphasis lies strongly on wood, especially for interiors. With the range of wood available today, and their versatility, understanding where wood may be used with an equal focus on aesthetics and functionality is important. 

Jatin Hukkeri, a principal architect based in the city, lists out some common generic uses of wood such as: 

l Wall claddingl Flooringl Ceiling claddinglPartitionsl Railingsl Staircase or step cladding or ladders.l As an accentuation element in the form of a ledge. This may be to rest or to place objects or for landscaping.

l Doors and windowsl Structural members such as columns, beams or roof trussesl Furniture

The use of wood is extremely subjective. It depends on a number of factors such as personal choice, budget and the availability of wood among other things. How does one go about making a choice, especially with so many factors involved?“By and large, Burma Teak is the best species of wood that you may find anywhere, and for every purpose,” says Jatin. “Burma Teak, though expensive, is extremely versatile. It is a pleasant wood to look at. At any point, if you find yourself stuck for an answer, Burma Teak may be safely used.”

Here are some tips from Jatin on how to select wood for a few common purposes in your home interiors: 

Doors and windows: Burma Teak is your best choice because it warps the least with variations in temperature. It is a beautiful wood to work with in terms of colour, grains, smell, as well as mass. It also remains borer-free. This wood is available in larger sizes, something that is difficult with other species. Salwood, Ashwood and Rosewood do measure up to Burma Teak for the above mentioned reasons.Flooring: Java Teak is a good option as it provides you with the best density, colour as well as grains. It is durable, irrespective of weather, and works ideally when used on the exteriors of your home. 

Wall or ceiling cladding: Pinewood is the cheapest and the most cost-effective option you have. It is the same wood that is used in the making of boats and ships. This wood may be stained with any colour polish to match other wood being used in your home. Rubberwood, is another option. It is extremely durable and reasonably priced. This also can be stained to any colour.

Partitions: Here too, Burmawood is the best. If not available, you may consider Jungle wood which is reasonable, durable and easy to work with. Pinewood and Silver Oak are also good choices.

Wooden furniture for your home 

Juhi Santani, Principal Designer, Retale Design says, “I would broadly classify residential furniture into wood and wood-like construction materials such as plywood, MDF, blockboards.

She goes on to elaborate, “Traditionally, seasoned hardwood such as teak, mahogany and rosewood have been used for furniture-making and construction in the tropics. These woods are known for their strength, colour and beautiful grain. With skilled craftsmanship, such furniture may well be considered as heirlooms, to be handed down generations.”

The Scandinavian countries are known for their gorgeous pinewood and oak furniture — with the light wood tones and simplicity of lines. Even today, most quality furniture makers rely on the above-mentioned seasoned woods to create their masterpieces. However, wood being a depleting, and an ever-expensive, resource, much rationalisation has been brought into furniture -making with wood. 

A combination of different woods may be used for different parts of furniture — seasoned hardwood for the exposed parts such as legs, and local woods for internal structure, say that of the seat. Local seasoned woods are also used for framework for partitions.  Increasingly, wood-like materials have been replacing wood panels in furniture, especially in creating cabinetry. Plywood is available in commercial and marine grade, where marine grade is better resistant to humidity and high temperature, such as in kitchen and toilets.

A lot of machine-made furniture is made in MDF (Medium Density Fibre board) as it is an easy medium to carve and shape. Standard joinery such as nails and screws are short-lived when used for MDF. As a material, it is less resistant to water absorption and may be used in specific areas of the house. Wood veneer sheets are used to make furniture look as if made completely in wood. Alternately, laminate sheets with wood prints are also used to create a ‘faux-wood’ effect. Laminates are simply printed paper, reinforced with resin through a heat-press process, where any colour, print or pattern may be turned into furniture cladding.

Wood, though a depleting resource, is versatile and aesthetic in its use. Selection of wood and its translation into a beautiful, functioning piece of your home has to be done under expert advice.