The Best Kind of Wood for Dressers

For long-lasting durability, avoid composite wood dressers and select solid pieces of furniture.

Hardwood Dressers

Trees classified as hardwoods have wide, flat leaves and wood that strengthens as it ages. Some variety of hardwoods include ash, birch, maple and oak. Hardwoods are one of the best kinds of material to use for a dresser because of their heaviness, carving ability and attractive wood grains. Hardwoods, such as teak and mahogany, cost more due to their limited availability and high demand. A hardwood dresser can last for generations if it is cleaned and polished regularly.

Softwood Dressers

If you want lightweight, bright woods, softwoods are the best dresser materials. These wood types come from evergreen and conifer trees, such as spruce, cedar and pine. Cedar is especially insect-resistant and has a pleasant, spicy fragrance. Pine dressers are often sold unfinished and unpainted. Home decorators like painting these plain dressers with a variety of paints and finishes.

Exotic Wooden Dressers

Exotic wood choices are expensive but worth the investment. If you'd like a dresser that makes a good conversation starter, choose one made from exotic woods, such as burl, Bird's-eye maple, rosewood and olive. Other exotic woods include harewood, black palm, Carpathian elm and snakewood.These woods offer exceptional flexibility, and artisans can shape them into curved pieces that many interior decorators prefer. Exotic woods are strong, beautiful and can be used in many rooms of your home.

Cherry Wood Dressers

Deciduous trees, including cherry wood, are the source of many high-quality furniture pieces. Cherry wood is durable and has a moderate hardness. It was a popular choice during the early American and Colonial periods and is often used for reproduction pieces. As a dresser, cherry has built-in, natural shock absorbers, meaning it can endure general use without showing much wear. Cherry wood may have a reddish or pink tint, and the finish has a smooth look.