The Ultimate Secret Of Walnut furniture (Link Roundup)
You have probably heard someone rave about the beauty of the walnut wood before, how it is a durable material to use on furniture making. The walnut tree derives its name from the Latin word Juglans which means Jupiter’s nut. This genus comes from the Juglandaceae family in which the pecans and hickories are also a part of.
The walnut tree is monoecious, meaning, it can reproduce on its own. It has a toxin known as juglone that are known to be harmful to plants in different degrees.
There are many different species of the walnut tree. These are the Andean walnut, the Arizona black walnut, Brazilian walnut, California black walnut, Japanese walnut, English walnut, to name a few.
Walnut as Timber Wood
Walnut wood that is used for furniture making is mostly harvested in farms. These farms are encouraged by the government to produce timber and are protected from hefty property tax rates.
Timber experts point out that black walnut trees can grow as much as three to four feet every year in the best environments. It could reach a mature height of 100 feet and a diameter of about 30-40 inches.
The black walnut tree is native to the eastern and central U.S. though there are also some that grown in other parts of the nation. This tree is grown both for its nuts and for timber. A full orchard produces about 6,000 pounds of nuts and about $100,000 USD worth of timber per acre.
Apart from the black walnut, the common walnut is also grown for its wood. This is also called the English walnut.
This fine-grained wood is often used for furniture, gunstocks, and veneers. There are even homes with walnut molding and flooring.
Walnut on Furniture
Not a lot of species are able to provide the same warmth and beauty that walnut is able to give. Its color ranges from cream to the beautiful brownish black of the tree’s heartwood. When it is kiln-dried, it becomes more consistent in its brown color. Leave it to air-dry and it would become a purple-brown hue.
Just like all woods, walnut has varied looks. It is a dense hardwood which can manage to be the focal point in a room or it can emphasize the assigned central piece.
Walnut is beautiful yet it is not the type of material that would instantly catch your fancy. Its classic beauty becomes visible the more that you stare at it. Add some exquisite woodwork and you would surely fall in love with any walnut furniture.
Staining a walnut cabinet is also a common technique to make this material pop out. The darker the stains used, the more even the natural dark tones of the wood would become. Try to visit some of the most formal homes and you would surely find a walnut piece or two there.
You can play up the beauty of walnut furniture if you use purple accents in its surroundings. This combination can also lighten the mood of, say, the kitchen.
For those who are patient and who have ample time, having walnut furniture can be a living legacy for their posterity. Their children and their children’s children will surely still be able to see the beauty of walnut furniture pieces. If they put every ounce of care needed, these pieces can even be handed down to more generations in the future – that’s just how durable walnut really is.