When you’re looking to buy new wooden furniture, it can be tricky to tell what’s real wood and what’s imitation. Buying real wood furniture is important because it lasts much longer than furniture made of other materials. You could even purchase heirloom-quality wood furniture, which can last for decades to come. With the popularization of shorter-lived furniture pieces, finding a truly quality solid wood furniture piece for your home can be hard. Check out this guide to learn how to tell if wood furniture is real or fake.
Investigate the underside
If you’re shopping for an item such as a vintage kitchen island, you may wonder if the wood is real, as it’s not a brand-new item. The best way to get a picture of the furniture’s makeup is by looking underneath it. If you see a piece of unfinished wood, then it’s most likely a solid wood piece. If you see laminate, it’s most likely a fake wood or composite blend piece. Laminate is often used to cover the furniture when it’s not made of solid wood. This doesn’t mean the piece doesn’t contain wood—most likely, it’s a composite wood and plastic blend.
Feel the grains
In solid wood furniture, you should be able to see the grains if you look closely, even if it’s stained or painted. The grains should be varied if it’s truly solid wood. Real wood has imperfections and natural patterns that make it beautiful. If you have a piece of “wooden” furniture that doesn’t have grains at all, it’s most likely made of laminate. Other wood blends may have manufactured “grains” that are all the exact same pattern, repeated. Pay close attention to the grains, and you should be able to accurately identify the material the furniture piece is made of.
Try to lift the piece
Solid wood furniture is known to be really heavy. A large piece of real wood furniture, such as a dresser, would be nearly impossible to move without at least two very strong people. Fake wood furniture, on the other hand, is much lighter and often easier to carry.
For all your vintage solid wood furniture needs, check out our collection at Vintage Mill Werks, or contact us for our custom furniture options.