Wood has been used in the home for centuries, from some of the earliest chair designs to tables, flooring and more. Yet wood is not just one material, there are many different types available and it’s important to know the qualities of each to decide which is best for your home style. Whether you’re looking to create a farmhouse aesthetic in your kitchen with the best items from Furniture Plus or seeking a new floor for the living room, these are the best types of wood to use in your home.

Pine

One of the most popular choices for use in the home as everything from a dining table to children’s beds is pine. It’s one of the cheapest woods available and can be easily painted, which makes it great for kids furniture if you want to let them get creative. The brown knots give it that natural, farmhouse look and it can appear very rustic as it grows older. As a softwood though, it can get easily scratched and dented.

Oak

Long-lasting, durable and highly resilient, it’s no surprise that oak furniture and flooring is found in almost every home at some point. Whether it’s the centrepiece as your dining room table or used throughout for that impressive flooring, it’s resistant to warping and ages well. A clear finish can highlight the grains and add a wonderful aesthetic to any room. Light and dark oak can be used and as a hardwood it’s not that susceptible to scratches and stains.

Cedar Wood

For a more modern design in your home, cedar wood can offer the ideal solution. Its light tone can brighten any room and while it’s usually used for cupboards and chests, cedar wood stools bring a contemporary touch to any breakfast bar. Great dexterity and versatility means you can find it in every room if you desire, or stick to the common purposes of storing clothes as it is known to act as a deterrent to moths and other insects that might destroy them.

Maple

This creamy white hardwood is most commonly used for heavy-use items such as bedroom dressing tables and kitchen cabinets. Despite the pale colour, it takes dark stains surprisingly well and can last for decades (if not longer). You might think these great qualities will increase the price, but maple wood furniture is actually relatively inexpensive. The light colour also means it can be easily coloured, so in the future you could freshen it up by tinting that old maple dresser with a red or cherry shade.

Teak

The national tree of the Philippines, add something exotic to your home with the hardwood teak. Green, yellow and brown tones enable it to be used for a range of different options, from doors and window frames to furniture for the living room or garden, for example. It’s not the best at aging though, and will get a silvery-grey tint on its surface after a few years, so look after any teak furniture and other such items well.

There are many more woods you can use in your home but these five should give a good introduction to the varieties available.