Dark colored woods are known for their unparalleled beauty and robustness. Most of the dark colored woods are hardwoods which are dense and durable. Ebony, Walnut, and Wenge are some of the most popular dark woods.
If you are looking for the most beautiful kind of wood for your next interior project, welcome to the world of dark woods. While wood is a great object for practically every construction project, we particularly love dark colored woods for their superb hues, textures, and patterns. Here’s everything you need to know about different types of dark woods including their properties and uses.
Let’s start with the question you’re probably wondering the most about.
Why Choose Dark Colored Wood Over Alternatives?
Well, in my opinion, dark woods beat all other kinds in almost every aspect. They’re beautiful, strong, hard, and durable and will give a stylish touch to whatever you build using them. If you’ve already read our post on the types & properties of pale wood, you’ll love this one more because dark woods are even better than pale woods. Here’s how.
Unique Appearance
Each dark wood is unique with no repeating patterns. Whether it’s walnut or wenge, the unique appearance, hue and grain pattern will stand out. No matter which dark wood you choose, it would surely give a stylish, premium appearance to the place
It gets Better with Age
The colour and hue of the dark colored wood will only get better (darker) with time, at least this is the case with most species, especially if they are in constant contact with the sun and the environment.
Versatility
Dark hardwoods are versatile and can be used for a wide variety of projects, ranging from flooring and furniture to heavy construction. This is because these woods are both strong and good-looking. Dark woods are used for both interior and exterior applications.
Strong & Durable
Most dark wood species are very strong and durable. This makes them resistant to a variety of things, including insect attack and moisture. Therefore, they are suitable for exterior uses such as flooring, boatbuilding & many more. Some dark woods are extremely strong, which makes them perfect for heavy-duty applications
Also because dark woods are hard and robust, they do not get dirty or wear and tear easily. This makes them perfect for applications of flooring, furniture and others.
Types of Dark Colored Wood & Their Uses
When it comes to dark colored woods, the options are many. There are literally hundreds of species of dark woods. However, not all dark woods are equally popular or useful, so we will only talk about the most popular types of dark colored woods here.
American Black Walnut
Black Walnut is primarily sourced from the Eastern United States. The trees are about 100-120 ft (30-37 m) tall and have a 2-3 ft (.6-1 m) trunk diameter. The average dried weight of walnut is 38 lbs/ft3 (610 kg/m3) and the Janka hardness is 1,010 lbf (4,490 N).
Black walnut is chocolate brownish-colored with darker streaks. It has a pale yellow sapwood. The wood grain is generally straight with a medium texture.
Black walnut is naturally very durable and resistant to decay and moisture, though it can be prone to insect attack. It is generally easy to work with.
The wood, though widely available, is considered premium in terms of price. Uses of black walnut include furniture, gunstocks, veneers, cabinetry, panelling, turned items, and speciality objects.
Wenge
Wenge is a medium brown with almost black streaks. It is found mainly in Central Africa. The colour of the wenge can be darkened with the application of oil or another wood finish, however, it becomes lighter when exposed to sunlight. It has a straight grain with a coarse texture.
Wenge is considered very durable and is resistant to termite attack. Due to high density, wenge can be difficult to work with. It generally comes in veneer sheets and boards and is priced high. Uses of wenge include furniture, veneering, panelling, musical instruments, and turned items.
Utile
Utile is found in West and Central Africa. It is also known by the name of Sipo. The wood is hard and heavy. It has a medium reddish brown heartwood and a pale yellow sapwood. The grain is interlocked and the texture is medium uniform.
Utile is moderately durable and can be resistant to some insect attacks. It can be difficult to work with, especially with machines, due to interlocked grain. Uses include furniture, cabinetry, flooring, veneer, turned objects, and boatbuilding.
Mahogany
Mahogany, also called Honduran mahogany, is a very popular hardwood. The heartwood colour ranges from pale brown to dark reddish-brown and becomes darker with age. It has a straight but sometimes interlocked or wavy grain with a medium-uniform texture.
Mahogany can be durable to very durable, depending on the source of the wood. Plantation trees are not very durable. It is resistant to termites. Mahogany wood is easy to work with and turns, glues, and stains well.
Mahogany is an expensive wood. It is used for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, veneering, musical instruments, turned objects, boat building, and carving.
Black Ebony
Ebony, or African Ebony, is jet-black in colour. It has a straight grain with a fine even texture. Ebony is a very hard and dense wood, probably the hardest of all. It is very durable in terms of insect resistance. Due to its hardness, it can be difficult to work with.
Black Ebony is also one of the most expensive hardwood timbers in the world. Uses include speciality applications including musical instrument parts, piano keys, ornamental items, carvings, and small items.
Teak
Teak is another very popular and widely used hardwood. It is native to southern Asia but is also grown on plantations around the world. Teak is a hard and heavy wood, with outstanding durability in terms of resistance to decay and termites.
Teak has a medium golden-brown heartwood that becomes darker with age and a straight grain with a coarse texture. The wood is easy to work with.
Teak is very expensive. It is used for furniture, lumber, boatbuilding, ship making, veneer, construction, carving, small objects, and turnings.
Looking to Buy Dark Colored Wood?
If you are looking for the best place to buy dark colored woods at the right price online, please get in touch with us to explore our wide collection of top-quality dark hardwoods that we sell throughout the UK and in other countries across Europe.
All our wood is sustainably sourced and carefully processed by our trained woodworkers and technicians who take great care in making sure that you have the best quality wood for your project. As the best wood supplier in the UK, we can provide you with all types of dark wood products at the most competitive price online.
If you’re ready to order or need help selecting the right wood for your project, contact our team right away.
