Choosing the right veneer option for a home is about balancing natural beauty and functionality, especially given that many areas in India will see extreme heat, moisture, high humidity levels and seasonal temperature variations throughout the year.
Choosing a Type of Veneer for the Indian Climate
The most popular type of wood species used to create furniture in India is:
- Teak (Sagwan): Due to its natural oils that help reduce water damage, fungal decay and termites, teak has been designated as one of the best types of wood for use on furniture within the country. Its rich golden brown colour and straight grains will provide elegant ageing to your furniture.
- Oak: Available in a wide variety of finishes, oak can provide an overall strong,g modern look while remaining one of the strongest options for wood in use today. The prominent grain patterns of oak will also assist in hiding any minor wear and tear detected on the furniture. Oak represents one of the best options in wood for contemporary homes constructed with modern architectural features.
- Walnut: If you seek an upscale wood option which creates a rich, dark-colored environment in any room of your home, walnut represents an excellent selection. Although walnut possesses a higher vulnerability to moisture when compared to teak, the finished look of high-quality walnut veneer has created a strong demand throughout the retail sector for premium residential furniture and wallpanelling.
Identifying the Different Types of Veneers
When searching for ways to enhance your home’s environment, understanding the different types of veneers will play a major role in your designs:
- Natural Veneers: Made exclusively from logs cut into thin sheets without the application or use of chemicals, natural veneers (100% natural wood) are ideal for those seeking a true ‘natural’ look within their furnishings. In addition, since there are a variety of colours and grain patterns that will appear on natural wood, each piece created from natural wood will be unique (since no two logs are identical). Therefore, natural wood is best suited for individuals seeking a ‘soulful’ type of product made from natural (real) wood.
- Engineered (Reconstituted) Veneer: Reconstituted (engineered) veneers are created from a fast-growing wood species, dyed, glued together and cut after the glue has dried into sheets of veneer. Factory-produced engineered veneers provide a uniform appearance without signs of knots or defects, which makes reconstituted veneers ideal for large projects (i.e., office buildings, modular kitchens, etc.) where the primary
Conclusion
In conclusion, while teak represents the best all-around option to be used for construction in India, both oak and walnut will continue to be excellent alternatives for architects and manufacturers producing a wide variety of styles and designs under today’s modern construction code. When selecting veneers, select from only the top-tier manufacturers (like Royale Touche to provide you with beautiful pieces of furniture in your home that will provide you with both aesthetics and functionality through the many different environmental challenges India faces today.
