Red birch is a truly American, warm colored type of hardwood. It is quite common and versatile, which means it can be used for a number of things, such as furniture, cabinets and tables, as well as hardwood flooring, which is probably what it is most famous for.
PROS AND CONS
The fact that this wood, which comes from the inside of the yellow birch tree, thus featuring the same uniformity and fine grain is what gives it the beautiful reddened brown color, but also what makes the width of the boards less consistent in size, thus making the furniture from this particular type of wood slightly rarer than yellow birch’s.
On the other hand, the fact that this wood is heavy, strong and hard, combined with the beauty of its natural color, makes it highly desirable and sought after.
WORKING WITH IT
While this wood isn’t always consistently readily available, and is thus a little pricier in some areas than others, those who work on projects which feature this type of birch seem to find it easy and enjoyable to handle.
Also, due to its color, which is one of the main attractive features of this birch wood, most would leave it natural, only sealing, or taking a shiny coat to enhance the finish and the fine grain of this beautiful red wood.
FURNITURE PROJECTS
As it often happens with hardwoods, this kind of birch is very popular for making furniture, from kitchen and bathroom cabinets to decorative tables, which work really nicely with a number of color schemes and other materials.
Due to the ease of working with it, red birch is also something that experienced and amateur DIY aficionados choose to work with, when they opt to make and remodel their own homemade wooden furniture.
While flooring and cabinetry are the main uses for this type of birch, instantly giving warm and a distinctive look to any setup, the fact that this wood is quite stable also makes it a nice choice for bedroom furniture, both insert a clean, light kind of décor and a dark, indulgent one, where the warm, red tones of the wood will add a cozy feeling, which will be inviting for those who sleep inside the room, especially if the furniture is complemented by a matching floor.
HARDWOOD FLOORING
What separates birch from other hardwoods, and perhaps makes it such a popular flooring choice, is not how hard and strong it is, or even its very beautiful and particular color, but rather the distinctive texture and grain.
Birch wood features a smooth, uniform texture, which makes it an ideal flooring choice, while its fine, mostly straight grain, which rarely features a curly shape, gives it the easily recognizable look, which it is known for.
A FINAL WORD
All in all, while the color might be what catches the eye first, it isn’t just the fact that it is red that sets this birch wood apart from its kind and others, but also the grain and texture, which are the main aspects which make this such a desirable material to work with, for a number of different projects, from cabinets to flooring.
