Why buy solid wood furniture?
Solid wood is the only furniture material you can repair. A scratch, a heat ring or a water mark in solid timber sands out and the finish goes back on, because there is real wood underneath rather than a printed layer over board. That is the honest argument for it, and it holds up better than the usual claims about strength.
What solid wood is not is indestructible. Timber moves with the humidity of a room, so a table left in a conservatory or pushed against a radiator can cup or bow over time. Kept in normal living conditions it stays flat for decades, and when it does mark, you can put it right.
Two kinds of solid wood here
This collection splits fairly cleanly in two, and knowing which half you are shopping saves disappointment at the delivery stage. The waxed pine ranges are flat-pack and fast: the Panama Waxed Pine Dining Table Set with 4 Chairs is a compact 90cm set in solid pine with a natural wax finish, and the Coxmoor Extending Oak Dining Set runs from 80cm to 120cm in solid oak. Both need building and both can move quickly.
The hardwood ranges work the other way round. The Acadia 2 Door 2 Drawer Sideboard arrives fully assembled in grey-washed solid oak at 90cm wide, and the Aspen Reclaimed Solid Wood 1 Door 4 Drawer Sideboard comes built in reclaimed hardwood with four drawers and a cupboard. They take longer to reach you and they are heavy, but nothing needs constructing on the day.
Where solid wood is worth the money
Put it where things get used. A dining table is the clearest case, because it takes daily wear and is the piece you can genuinely restore. Drawers are the next, since a solid box and runner outlast a stapled one by years. Smaller pieces are an easy way in: the Woburn Solid Oak Large 3 Drawer Bedside puts chunky oak grain right beside the bed at 45cm wide, and the Panama Natural Waxed Pine Nest of Two Tables pulls apart beside a sofa when people come over.
Reading the specification
Not everything sold as solid wood is solid the whole way through. Several pine pieces pair a solid frame with a plywood top or back, which is sound construction and quite normal at this level, but it is not a solid slab. The material is listed on every product page, and the material filter on this collection lets you narrow to solid wood before you start browsing.
Delivery and assembly
Order before 12pm to get thousands of our products delivered next day, with free delivery on thousands of products. The pine ranges are the ones that move at that speed. Solid hardwood pieces are built before they ship and run to longer lead times, which is stated on each product page along with the expected date, and you choose your delivery date at checkout.
Explore more: solid wood dining tables, sideboards, wardrobes, chests of drawers, bed frames, bedsides, coffee tables and TV units.
Solid wood furniture FAQs
Is everything in this collection solid wood?
Not every piece is solid timber the whole way through, and it is worth knowing that before you buy. Some pine ranges pair solid frames with a plywood top or back panel, which is normal construction and perfectly sound, but it is not the same as a solid slab. Every product page lists the material, so read that rather than judging from the photograph.
How can I tell solid wood from veneer or wood effect?
Look at the edges and the end grain. On solid timber the grain runs over the edge and continues down the side, and the pattern on the top will not repeat. Veneer shows a thin seam at the edge, and printed wood effect repeats its pattern across a wide surface. The specification on the product page is the reliable answer.
Does solid wood furniture warp?
It can, and anyone who tells you otherwise is overselling. Solid timber takes on and gives up moisture with the humidity of the room, so it can cup or bow if it sits in a conservatory, against a radiator or in a damp room. Keep it in normal living conditions and out of direct sun and it stays flat.
Can solid wood furniture be repaired?
Yes, and this is the real argument for it. A scratch, a heat ring or a stain can be sanded out and the finish reapplied, because there is timber underneath rather than a printed layer. The same damage on a foil or veneer surface cannot be sanded, so the piece is either lived with or replaced.
How do I care for waxed pine?
Wipe it with a barely damp cloth and rewax it once a year or so, more often on a table in daily use. Do not leave wet glasses standing on it, and use a mat under anything hot. Waxed pine darkens gently over the years, which most people come to like, though it happens unevenly if half the piece sits in sunlight.
Does solid wood furniture arrive assembled?
It depends on the range. The pine collections are mostly flat-pack, which is part of why they cost what they do and why they can go out for next working day delivery. Much of the solid hardwood, particularly the sideboards, arrives fully built and takes longer to reach you. The product page states which, and our in-home assembly service can be added there.
Which rooms should I buy solid wood for?
Anywhere it gets used rather than looked at. Dining tables, chests of drawers and bedsides repay it most, because those are the pieces that take daily wear and can be restored. A bathroom or a conservatory is the one place to think twice, since sustained damp and big temperature swings are what solid timber likes least.
Can I spread the cost?
Flexible finance and buy now pay later options are available at checkout, subject to status. The plans show on the product page and again at checkout, which is useful if you are buying a table and chairs together rather than one piece at a time.
