White Pine
White Pine
Why Solid Pine Furniture Remains a Popular Choice amongst Designers and Consumers
The fact that pine has a significant role in the modern world is hardly a point that is going to be challenged. Think for a moment of the range of solid pine furniture available in furniture stores around the world, or the flooring in a home or even the homes themselves, and it is not hard to grasp its place. This abundant and fast growing breed of tree has been vital to societies around the globe. Pine has long been a favourite wood for many people across the world.
It does not matter whether it comes in the form of a simple pine sideboard or in the decidedly more elaborate form of an antique white dressing table of the revolutionary France period, pine furniture adorns hallways, living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens.
What might come as a surprise, however, is the fact that pine wood has been a significant commodity throughout history. For instance, the city of Venice, famed for its canals, architecture and political intrigue, is a city said to be built on the trade of pine. Many of its original building were of pine, and the city itself sprawls a group of islands that once hosted pine forests.
Pine has always been used by man to make weapons, tools and dwellings, while its cones were reputed to have been the favourite fuel amongst cavemen for fire. Its needles, meanwhile, were the main ingredient in herbal medicines, a fact supported somewhat by the popularity of vitamin rich pine needle tea in Sweden.
The history of pine wood as a desirable furniture material, as opposed to a practical local material, goes back to the 17th century when it became a popular wood for bedroom furniture. The prevalent dark hard woods of the time were too expensive for many people, but pine offered a more affordable option, and over the next 200 years, pine furniture spread out of the bedrooms and into the living rooms and dining rooms. Again, cost was the principal reason for its continued popularity, but with the advent of staining in the latter half of the 19th century, the selection of pieces produced from pine increased, strengthening its place in the market further.
Of course, even today, furniture made of solid pine remains one of the most popular on the market, and for many of the same reasons. Its attributes make it so, with this soft wood easy for craftsmen to work with and yet durable. This means that, as a long lasting material, items made from it are known to retain their good condition for decades. They do pick up a lot of dents and nicks over time, but these marks tend to blend better with the light colour of the wood, as opposed to darker, hard woods which show visible signs of chipping and scratching.
Solid pine also works well in unison with other woods and finishes, like with a white or ivory paint finish under a solid ash top. Fine examples of such a combination can be seen in the Camden range of painted pine and ash, which features a double pedestal dressing table with solid pine legs and frame and panelled drawers. These are painted white so as to add a contrasting, though nonetheless bright, colour to that of the flooring or walls, as well as a striking contrast with the lightly lacquered ash table top. The coloured finish makes the dressing table suitable for contemporary and well as more traditional decor styles.
The durability of painted furniture is increased by the use of knock resistant paint, which protects the wood from the wear and tear of everyday living. This makes it ideal for the bedroom or playroom of children, where banging, knocking and scratching can happen so easily.
The pine sideboard, meanwhile, has long been a characteristic in kitchens and dining rooms, as additional storage space for crockery and utensils inside, and perhaps decorative fruit laden bowls and wine decanters on top. Sturdy and practical, the sideboard can also enhance any style of the room, either as a brightly shined piece or as a darker stained, distressed piece.
Whichever piece is required, from a sideboard or kitchen table to a stained bed or crisp white dressing table, there is a stylish and quality made option in solid pine furniture. From history, it is clear we have always had a confidence in pine trees, a confidence which sprang from millennia using pine was reliable as a building, heating and healing resource.
About the Author
Kathryn Dawson writes articles about Your Furniture Online, where you can browse and shop for some of the most beautiful solid pine furniture in the UK, at a fraction of high street prices. Pine wood is a rising popularity for young families, and it is not hard to see why. An entire collection of pine furniture from a white dressing table to a lovely pine sideboard can really enhance your home with its clean and simple finishing plus well appointed fixtures and handles.
What type of tree should replace a 45' tall white pine?
The 45' tall white pine is three feet from the left corner of the house it is very large out of porportion to the rest of the landscape and needs to be removed. The tree towers over the house. What type of tree will be a good exchange? This is zone 6b
A nice black walnut or elm would be but put it farther away from the house. A good 20 feet should be enough for the walnut. The elm could go 15 feet
White Pine
White Pine
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White Pine $114.99 Susan Clickner White Pine - Framed Art Print |
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White Pine 1 Oz with Alcohol $10.4 White Pine(White Pine by Eclectic Institute Inc.). |
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White Pine 2 Oz with Alcohol $20 White Pine(White Pine by Eclectic Institute Inc.). |
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Chickadee in White Pine $17.99 Janet Mandel Chickadee in White Pine - Art Print |
What happens to all that blue-stained pine wood?
It is no mystery that the recent outbreak of mountain pine beetle has affected British Columbia forests and will continue for the following years as it continues to consume many more millions of hectares of forest lands.
Mountain pine beetles successfully kill trees by laying eggs into pine bark and transmitting blue-stain fungi. This blue-stain fungus in the tree's sapwood prevents the tree from fighting back the beetle using pitch flow. Ultimately the fungus blocks nutrient and water flow within the tree until the tree turns red and eventually dies. The beetles then move to other trees and the cycle starts all over again. Pictured above are British Columbia lodgepole pine trees killed by the mountain pine beetle. Without new products and technologies that drive demand for wood products made from blue-stained wood, these trees are just left to rot, carbon stored in the wood is released back into the atmosphere, and the resources are lost.
Although many customers frown upon the appearance of a blue or grayish stain on their wood, fortunately the wood's strength is not adversely affected by the blue-stain fungi. If the wood is harvested sufficiently on time, the wood quality is just as good as a harvested ‘healthy tree' that was harvested normally. Many companies try to recover the value from this pine beetle wood, mainly because it is perfectly good wood and because by doing so, the carbon is trapped in the wood for decades in the form of products instead of being released back into the atmosphere as it rots. . Blue-stained fungi carried by mountain pine beetle does not adversely affect wood strength but wood must be harvested early enough. Pine beetle wood story
SeasonWood utilizes a new European technology that is called thermal modification. Originated in Europe because wood in Europe is expensive and longevity is imperative, this technology works by subjecting wood to steam and high temperatures to produce a darker, more durable, and more stable wood product. Thermal modification has been used in mountain pine beetle killed trees to produce many products. The blue-stain left by the fungi is virtually masked by the darkening from thermal modification, and the enhanced durability and stability properties of thermally modified wood seriously challenge the properties of species such as western red cedar. By taking commodity lumber and modifying it using green technologies, SeasonWood provides customers with a sustainable, chemical-free, and affordable alternative for great wood products.
How can thermally modified softwoods be used? SeasonWood has utilized thermally mountain pine beetle stock to produce beautiful lumber for thermally modified decking, siding, and various other outdoor products requiring durability, stability, and a visually appealing characteristic. Thermal modification can be used for outdoor products which are exposed to the elements such as decking. It is often used to modify lower value wood such as pine to compete with traditional species like western red cedar.
Thermally modified wood for decking Thermal modification has been used to manufacture products such as high-end cabinetry and musical instruments by using species like aspen, birch, alder, elm, ash, red oak, poplar, maple, white oak, and hickory. Some enhanced wood properties are masking of blue stain in pine beetle wood, darker wood color, and increased dimensional stability through less shrinkage and swelling. This allows lower value species to be enhanced to compete with more expensive tropical woods.Softwoods have been thermally modified to produce outdoor products such as millwork and fascia. Those thermally modified species include lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, douglas fir, mountain pine beetle wood, southern yellow pine, hemlock, larch, white spruce, engelmann spruce, and black spruce.
About the Author
Manuel is a 3rd year university student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC. He is working towards his Bachelor of Science in Wood Products Processing while also participating in his program's co-op program. He has experience in design and manufacturing of wood products as well as marketing of wood products in North America.
White Pine