Hardwood

Tulip is another hardwood that appears predominately very light in colour ranging from white to pale olive green to brown. It has a straight grain and is generally low in weight. This timber is easy to work with and machines well. Common uses are in construction, furniture, doors, panelling and interior joinery.

American White Ash is very light brown, occasionally tinged with pale yellow, in colour and can be almost White (especially in sapwood). The grain of the timber is usually straight and among its most popular uses are for furniture, flooring, doors, architectural interiors and other high class joinery.

This African hardwood is golden-orange to brown in colour and is an excellent timber to use externally due to its high durability and low chance of movement. This hardwood is great for ship and vehicle building, garden furniture and related external joinery, although it is not entirely restricted to outside use as internal flooring and panelling are among its usable attributes.

Black Walnut is a popular choice for use in high class joinery that requires a timber full of character. Its colour can vary from a light greyish brown to deep chocolate brown with a purple tinge on occasion and is well known for its slightly open and wavy grain. Sap and Knots can occur quite frequently in this timber and often this is accepted as part of its character although this can make it more difficult to achieve joinery sizes.

This variety of hardwood is often used to give a ‘mahogany-like’ effect to internal and external joinery and timber products. Appearance varies from a light reddish pink to a darker red colouring with the density of the timber following suit in its’ consistency. Meranti is generally easy to work with and machines well making it a popular choice in general construction.

At E Roberts we stock both sawn European Oak and American White Oak. Both varieties share many of the same characteristics and are used in high class interior joinery, although European Oak tends also to be used in exterior joinery more so than its American counterpart. Colouring and grain appearance can vary depending on growth conditions with a light tan to biscuit colour seen in European Oak and a pale-yellow brown in American Oak (sometimes White in sapwood).

Sapele is dark reddish-brown in colour and generally has an interlocking grain, although some parts of the Sapele log will produce a straight-grain or ‘quartered’ effect. This hardwood is often used to give a mahogany-like effect to products such as conservatories, door frames, windows and furniture.