Solid Wood Office Furniture in Houston, TX and Katy, TX
Solid Wood Office Furniture Vs. other construction methods
Solid wood office furniture is a phrase that carries a lot of positive connotations. It seems to be common knowledge that solid wood office furniture by definition is sturdy and of superior quality. With regards to solid hardwood furniture, built by skilled manufacturers that can be true. However, most people not in the office furniture industry are surprised to find out that the solid wood office furniture that they bought might not be what they thought it was.
One term used frequently in the office furniture industry is “all wood construction”. For example “mahogany conference table of all wood construction”, this does not mean that the conference table is solid wood office furniture, in fact it is likely mahogany veneer over particle board. All wood construction means that both the substrate, in most cases particle board and the overlay, in this case a mahogany veneer are wood. And particle board is wood. I use the example of the all beef patty, it did not all come from the same source, but it is all beef. The same is true with particle board. A wood veneer is a sheet of wood over a core, in this example it was particle board.
So what if something explicitly says solid wood office furniture? Surely that must be one solid plank right? For example “solid wood bookcase”. Solid wood bookcase in this example simply means that both the veneer and the core are solid wood. It does not necessarily mean hardwood or any particular kind of wood. If it is a good quality thick mahogany veneer over a good quality piece of oak, which is unlikely these days, then it might be of exceptional quality and durability. If it is instead a paper thin veneer over whatever cheap wood core the manufacturer could source at the time, you might expect more mileage from the packaging. Solid wood office furniture does not necessarily mean quality.
The two most common office furniture manufacturing techniques with regards to wood office furniture are all wood veneer construction, and laminate. Solid wood office furniture not common, expensive and not necessarily superior. We have all bought the bargain kit desk at the big box store or online, only to have it shake apart the first time we try to move it. Or seen the finish bubble and peel the first time we didn’t use a coaster. That type of laminate is a melamine over particle or even fiber board, and is not worth the paper your receipt was printed on. For this reason many of my clients who ask about solid wood office furniture because they want a more durable product are surprised when I recommend laminate vs. wood.
Call one of our associates in Houston, Texas or Katy, Texas today at +1 713-461-1277 to ask about solid wood office furniture and alternatives.
English
Arabic