Oak Furniture

Quality oak furniture is built to last.

Oak is one of the most popular woods used in furniture in the US, with the two most common subspecies being Red Oak and White Oak. It’s often found in traditional, craftsman, and mission style furniture and is the wood of choice for our expert Amish craftsman. Oak is highly durable, easy to work with, and looks great stained or with a clear, natural finish. 

Heavy oak has been widely used over the past several decades for many reasons including the beauty of the grain pattern, durability, and relatively low cost in comparison to other American hardwoods. Because of the trees’ slow growth, the wood is extremely dense, adding to its quality. 

Though popular in the traditional design world, Oak furniture suits almost any interior design. Quartersawn White Oak has become a hallmark and wood of choice for accurately recreating the Mission and Arts and Crafts style.

Red Oak Versus White Oak Furniture

Both Red Oak and White Oak are dense, heavy, and hard-wearing, making them ideal for furniture, especially noted for their resistance to dents and scratches.

Quartersawn White Oak is renowned for its durability as well as its distinctive grain. Quarter sawing involves cutting the tree’s growth rings at a 90-degree angle to produce a uniform and vertical pattern. The end result produces tight, parallel lines running the length of the board. Unique, wavy lines are evident in the wood ensuring no two pieces will ever be the same. With a finer texture than Red Oak, Quartersawn displays a unique component known as fleck or flake. This is due to the internal rays of the wood being exposed. Depending on the piece of wood, this flake pattern can be very dramatic giving it a three-dimensional appearance. 

As far as durability is concerned, solid white oak furniture is more stable than plain sawn wood and is less likely to be sensitive to environmental changes such as temperature and humidity. Additional structural benefits include a reduced chance of warping or cupping. Considered a harder wood than Red Oak, Quartersawn White Oak gets a 1360 on the Janka Hardness Scale. Quarter Sawn White Oak is moderately expensive and Red Oak is usually less expensive than White.

A piece of natural Oak wood can take on virtually any hue.

White Oak tends to look more beige-to-brown and Red Oak looks rosier. Moreover, most trees show a significant color shift between the heartwood (the innermost portion of the tree) and the sapwood (layer closest to the bark).

Oak is gorgeous in its natural state, particularly because it has bits of character like rays. That said, Oak wood’s light coloring makes it a great candidate for staining as well. A wide variety of options are available, so it’s easy to customize your furniture to look the way you want it to based on your personal style or the décor of your home. If you’d like to get a better feel for what a specific hue will look like in person, you can order complimentary wood samples.

For many years, heavy Oak was almost exclusively finished in natural, light, golden, and medium finishes. While these tones are still the preference for most customers, we are seeing a prominent trend towards the medium to dark color tones on this wood type. Countryside’s finish favorites on Oak include Spiced Apple, Burnished Honey, and Cafe Americano.

The wood adapts to a variety of finishes, which makes it ideal for both modern and traditional furniture. It’s also often used for Mission and Arts & Crafts furniture design. It has a long history of use around the home dating back to pre-colonial times and remains every bit as popular today. While this makes it a mainstay in traditional design, its versatility means that it can also make a modern piece come to life.

Before identifying Oak, let’s first discuss how to identify real wood.

While there are several ways, the truest test is how heavy the piece is. Hardwood furniture weighs significantly more than its artificial counterpart. Other telltale signs include the wood grain, construction, use of ornate details, and cost of the piece. The most characteristic feature of real wood furniture is the presence of wood grain. Real wood furniture will always have a grain that varies in pattern across the piece. 

When it comes to solid Oak, the most common way to identify Oak furniture is by its wood grain. Oak wood comes in several hues, but its grain pattern is quite unique, which makes it one of the easier species to recognize. Red Oak has a swirling wavy grain, and White Oak, depending on its cut, has rays or flecks.

Run your hand across the furniture piece - if it’s completely smooth, chances are it’s not Oak.

Create an intentional look with different hardwoods.

Variations in tone, grain, finish, and scale should all be considered when mixing different species of wood in a space. When it comes to wood grain, larger, more pronounced wood grain (Like Oak) generally lends itself to having a more rustic, rugged look. On the opposite end of the spectrum a more delicate and less noticeable grain, like Maple or Walnut, can appear transitional or even contemporary. 

While the grain is important to consider, the finish on top of the grain should be given equal thought. Pay attention to whether your dominant wood tone is warm, cool, or neutral, and stay in the same family to create a coherent look. Trying to decide whether to contrast or match new heavy furniture to the existing wood undertones in your home? Browse this helpful guide about mixing different stains to learn more.

Follow our top tips for looking after your oak furniture.

As Oak is a heavy, dense hardwood, it doesn’t scratch or damage easily and is intended to be used for generations to come. Nonetheless, Oak is still a natural product and needs to be appropriately looked after and cared for to maintain its aesthetics. To help ensure longevity in your solid Oak furniture consider the following tips:

• Place Amish Oak furniture away from radiators, fireplaces, and heating ducts.
• Position your Oak table and chairs out of direct sunlight or adjust blinds to avoid long hours of direct sunlight.
• Control humidity in your home as best you can. We recommend aiming for a year-round 35-45% relative humidity.
• Store table leaves near the table or in the same humidity.
• Use coasters with non-scratching bottoms.
• Use padding under all sharp, hot, or cold objects.
• Avoid using nail polish remover, alcohol, and other solvents near or on the Oak furniture.

The most effective way of keeping your furniture looking beautiful is to clean it regularly. Simply dampen a soft, microfiber cloth with water and wipe over, making sure any spills are cleaned up.

Solid Oak furniture should be sustainably sourced, carefully made, and built to last. At Countryside Amish Furniture, we partner with expert Amish craftsmen who share our vision for creating beautiful, heirloom-quality pieces that can be loved for generations.

• Quality: We stand behind our time-tested craftsmanship, materials, and finish.

• Authenticity: We use solid American hardwood.

• Craftsmanship: Our furniture is built to last by Amish artisans.

• Eco-Friendliness: Our hardwood is sustainably-sourced.

• Options: With thousands of products and designs, every piece is handmade to order - just for you.

• Exceptional Service: We are invested in making sure you feel welcome and satisfied every step of the way.

Begin your design process by browsing these Oak wood furniture pages, or contact our dedicated sales team for assistance:

• Solid Oak Dining Sets - Our 2023 Favorites
• Red and White Oak Cribs and Nursery Furniture
• Oak sideboards and buffets
• Shop White Oak wood furniture
• Oak Pub Tables
• Solid Oak End Tables
• White Oak Dining Tables
• Oak Dining Room Chairs
• White Oak Wood Desks
• Oak Wood Desks
• White Oak Wood Bookcases
• White Oak Dining Benches
• Oak Wood Benches
• Solid Oak Bar Stools
• Oak Wood Coffee Tables
• Quartersawn White Oak Coffee Tables