Alder is a hardwood from the Pacific Northwest. It is very consistent in color and takes stain well. It ranks third behind oak and pine as the wood most commonly used for ready-to-finish furniture. Alder gives the look of many fine hardwoods at a reasonable price.

Aspen is a softer, light-colored, even-grained hardwood. It accepts most stains well, but may need a sealer or a coat of mineral spirits to achieve an even stain. Nonpenetrating stains work best on this wood.

Maple is especially abundant in the eastern U.S. It is a very light-colored hardwood with a very even grain texture. Eastern maples are generally harder than western maples because of the colder winters and shorter growing seasons. Both are very durable and take any color of stain well.

Oak is the wood most commonly used for ready-to-finish furniture. It is a very hard, open-grain wood and stains well in any color.

Parawood is a hard wood that comes from the great rubber plantations of Malaysia. The density of parawood is comparable to that of birch or ash. Its strength is rated the same as maple. Parawood is easy to finish and matches well with a variety of other woods. Once a rubber tree is no longer able to produce sufficient quantities of latex, it is cut for the process of furniture making and a new tree is planted in its place. This is and example of man's ability to fully utilize our natural resources, without harming the environment.

Pine is a softwood that comes in many varieties from various parts of the world. Pine has a yellow coloring with brown knots and is excellent for staining. With some stains, a sealer helps prepare the wood to achieve a more even look.