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Furniture Types and Terms Last Updated: 06/29/2009 |
Furniture Types and Terms Upholstered furniture has fabric covered cushions or padded sections such as sofas. Case goods refers to furniture that is not upholstered such as tables, chests, cabinets and shelves. Both upholstered furniture and case goods can be constructed of a variety of woods or wood-composition materials. Furniture woods are either hardwood or softwood. Hardwood is used to describe such woods as mahogany, walnut, maple, oak, cherry, birch, teak and pecan. Softwood describes such woods as pine, redwood and cedar. Softwood is less expensive than hardwood and is often used in ready-to-finish and outdoor furniture. In general, it is more subject to dents and deep scratches than hardwood. Veneered, bonded woods Veneered Wood - The use of "veneering" is a time-honored technique in furniture construction. It involves using thin layers of decorative woods "bonded" on the top and bottom of "ply" construction. Veneering allows manufacturers to match fine grain wood sections and to use inlays of various woods to create beautiful designs that cannot be found in solid woods. Ply construction increases the strength and resistance to warping, and is found in all price ranges including very expensive furniture. Bonded Wood - Bonding is used to "build" large sections of wood from several smaller pieces. There are four basic types of bonding:
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