Is Rubberwood Good For Furniture?

Is Rubberwood Good For Furniture?

Rubberwood is an eco-friendly hardwood belonging to the maple wood family that appears lighter in color. It is used as raw material for furniture due to exceptional qualities like stability.

Is Rubberwood Good For Furniture? Rubberwood is good for furniture due to its long lifespan, minimal shrinkage, and cost-effectiveness. Moreover, it has good flexibility and resistance to damage like dents and scratches. In addition, it is an eco-friendly material and is easier to paint and stain. However, it is prone to decay and can be damaged due to less resistance against moisture.

It is widely used in home furniture production, including tables, dining chairs, drawers, cabinets, and benches for outdoor areas.

However, it is not considered a good option for outdoor furniture due to susceptibility to moisture, as you have to take extra care for patio seats.

Why is rubberwood good for furniture?

Rubberwood is a good construction material for furniture due to its stability, ability to absorb stains, and high flexibility.

Easier finishing and staining

It allows you to choose your favorite paint colors, which can be stained in different colors. In addition, it has a good absorption property and quickly removes stains on the surface.

Moreover, you can also apply finishing material on the wooden material according to your choice to make it attractive and suitable for outdoor usage.

In addition, staining and finishing material decreases aging time and stops the darkening of the wood.

However, it needs more time to get stained as the straight grains are tightly packed, that do not allow the stain to enter deep into the wood.

You will not get excellent results after staining due to less absorption, but it will retain the stain on the surface for a long time.

Furthermore, you can apply conditioner or sealer in addition to stain for a glossy finish.

Resistant to damage

It has good flexibility that does not affect its strength and ability to resist damage. As a result, this hardwood can efficiently resist scratches, dents, and fire.

According to the Janka scale, its hardness is almost 990 pounds, which indicates improved density and strength. Moreover, it is suitable for use in hot places as it remains cool inside and resists fire.

Moreover, it is a lightweight material with medium density, which means it is not affected by stress to a maximum extent. Still, it gets surface dents that can easily be repaired.

However, it is not resistant to moisture as excessively humid conditions will affect its quality; that’s why you cannot use it for bathroom-related items.

Less maintenance

Rubberwood furniture looks beautiful that can maintain grace for years as it retains the natural blonde shade over time.

It does not require much maintenance like other wood types, as it has good stability and resistance to air elements and environmental stresses.

You do not have to clean it frequently, even if it remains good when you clean the surface after 8 to 10 months. There is no need to treat the material to make it look presentable later.

You do not have to buy costly cleaners and shiny solutions to clean and add shine to dirty surfaces.

A soapy solution can clean the dirt and debris, and a wax adds shine to it.

Longer lifespan

It is a durable wood due to its hard texture and strength, as it belongs to the maple family. It can remain intact for almost 15 to 20 years if you take proper care and maintain it frequently.

The grains are tightly packed within wood material, making it strong to resist damage. In addition, it is naturally resistant to fungus due to the humid environmental conditions where it grows.

Moreover, its hardness is almost 300 to 500 pounds, and its strength is around 9520 to 9585 psi. It has a medium density and stiffness is about 1.2 to 1.3 million psi.

So, you can use rubberwood to manufacture products without worrying about frequent replacements, as it can remain intact for many years.

Sustainable wood

The rubberwood tree secretes a viscous fluid or latex from wood when it becomes 8 to 10 years old and keeps releasing the latex until it matures.

The natural rubber material is extracted and used to manufacture latex paints, gums, bands, balloons, etc., and tree wood is employed in furniture manufacturing.

These trees cannot release latex after maturity and are good to use in the furniture industries instead of being burned in the forests.

The primary purpose of growing it is to get its latex material that is used for different purposes, and the tree wood is considered waste.

However, the manufacturers use wood materials to construct durable furniture without posing a risk to the environment.

Cost-effective

Most commonly, manufacturers prefer to use cost-effective wooden materials to reduce the product price as customers demand high-quality products at low cost.

Rubberwood is an excellent option to manufacture furniture as you can get 10 feet long and 2 feet wider sheets for almost $300 to $330. So, you can get each foot of the sheet for $15 to $18.

It is cheaper than all other wood types due to less value of wood because it is obtained as a by-product when the tree is of no use and close to the end of its lifespan.

Distinguishing features of this hardwood make it an affordable option for constructing items like dining sets and bar stools that can fulfill needs at cheap rates.

Minimal shrinkage

The wood material contains almost 10 to 20% moisture content that can vary according to the wood type and external humidity level and helps keep it in the desired shape.

Almost 10 to 12% moisture is present in the rubberwood material contains moisture that can evaporate quickly when the air is dry, leading to furniture shrinkage.

However, the good thing about this material is that it will lose only a small percentage of moisture, leading to minimizing shrinkage.

The processed or kiln-dried woods are stable and reduce the overall shrinkage rate. You will not find cracks in tables and chairs as it will not contract or expand due to changing conditions.

What are the disadvantages of rubberwood furniture?

It provides multiple benefits, including resistance against scratches, easier cleaning, and better strength, but there are a few disadvantages that need to be considered.

Warping and twisting is a common problem that causes changes in rubberwood furniture shape and forms twists due to changes in internal moisture content.

Moreover, the latex material is known to cause allergies to those directly exposed to it. Finally, it has the potential to decay due to susceptibility to insects attack.

Many insect species can damage it as this wood material cannot resist boring insects like beetles and termites forming tunnels deep in the wood.

Furthermore, it has good moisture absorbing capacity and gets damaged quickly when exposed to excessive moisture as water seeps through the material.

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