Light Colored Wood : Types, Properties & Uses

    light colored wood guide

    A wood that is naturally light coloured, from white to yellow or pale brown, is considered a pale wood. There are hundreds of types of light colored woods, each with its own advantages and disadvantages & unique properties. If you are looking for the best pale wood for your next project, here’s everything you need to know about these light colored woods along with their properties and uses.

    As a top UK-based timber supplier and exporter, let us take you through the exciting world of light colored woods.

    Light colored woods are generally used for interior applications as they can give a lighter & brighter feel to the place and will complement all types of decor. Pale woods are also strong, beautiful, easy to work with, and generally very easy to maintain. There are hundreds of pale wood options available to suit every budget and need.

    What are Light Colored Woods?

    Light colored or pale woods are wood species that have a naturally light colour. Most types of softwood are light colored, while hardwoods are generally dark in colour, but there are exceptions such as maple and oak that despite being hardwoods are light in colour.

    Some of the most popular light colored wood species include ash wood, hard maple, hickory, beech, basswood, white oak, birch, pine, spruce, and hemlock.

    Benefits of Light Colored Wood

    Light colored woods are available in many colour options, ranging from creamy white to almost brown and everything in between. This gives you many options to choose from when looking to complement your decor with the perfect light colored timber.

    Beautiful: There is no doubt that light colored woods are among the most attractive types of wood. And they fit every style and setting, especially contemporary styles in an urban setting. While dark colored wood will give your place a deeper and dense look, the pale wood decor is perfect for ensuring a lighter and more calming environment.

    Strength: Many pale woods, particularly hardwoods such as maple, are quite strong and remarkably durable and are naturally resistant to all sorts of bad things, which makes them suitable for a wide array of projects.

    Workability: Most of the light colored woods are softwoods, which are known for being very easy to work with. These woods are easy to glue, machine, bend, and screw and can be used for whatever project you want.

    Availability & Price: Light colored softwoods are generally easily and widely available and cost moderately. If you’re on a tight budget and prefer a lighter interior in your place, pale woods are just the perfect option for you.

    Types of Light colored Wood

    Here are some of the most popular types of light colored woods along with their respective properties and uses.

    Ash Wood

    ash wood

    Despite being a hardwood, ash is light colored. The ash heartwood is light to medium brown and the sapwood is light brown or beige colored. Ash is native to America. The wood is known for its exceptional strength, attractive appearance and good durability. It is mainly used for domestic purposes.

    Ashwood has a straight, regular grain. Though the wood is naturally durable, it is not resistant to rot or insect attack. It is easy to work with, easily available and generally affordable. Ash is used for domestic flooring, millwork, and turned objects such as baseball bats, boxes, crates, tool handles & more.

    Beech

    beech wood

    Beech is also a hardwood tree, which produces a pale cream-coloured wood with white sapwood. The heartwood of beech sometimes has a pink or brown hue. Beech trees are native to North America, Asia, and some parts of Europe.

    Beech is strong and dense and has a straight grain with an even texture. Beech is not resistant to insect attack or decay. It is easy to work with and is available at a moderate price. Beech is often used for veneer, lumber, furniture, flooring, boxes, decorative items, turned objects, and railroad tires.

    Hard Maple

    hard maple

    Hard Maple is found in North America and has reddish-brown heartwood with nearly white sapwood. It is also called sugar maple because the tree is used for making maple syrup.

    Maple has a fine, straight grain with an even texture. It is not resistant to rot or insect attack, though it is easy to work with and is also easily available at a low price. Maple is used for flooring, cutting boards, veneer, decorative items, musical instruments, and pulpwood.

    Pine

    pine wood

    Pine is a softwood but is often used as an alternative to hardwoods for its superior strength and versatility characteristics. Pine has a light brown heartwood and a pale yellow or whitish sapwood. The grain is straight with an even texture. Pine is generally easy to work with, available at a moderate price and has decent resistance to rot and moisture.

    Pine is widely used for furniture, flooring, plywood, crates, boxes, carving, boatbuilding, lumber, and interior millwork.

    Spruce

    spruce wood

    Spruce is also a softwood that is mainly sourced from North America, Europe and Asia. The heartwood is creamy white while the sapwood is almost white. Spruce has a straight grain with a fine, even texture. The wood has a low density and is easy to work with. It has moderate durability in terms of decay resistance. It is easily available at a cheap price.

    Uses of spruce include pulpwood paper, millwork, construction, and crates.

    Hemlock

    hemlock wood

    Hemlock is a softwood species that is found in North America and East Asia. It has light brown heartwood and nearly white sapwood. The grain is straight with an even texture. Hemlock is easy to work with and glues and finishes well. It is not durable in terms of rot resistance. It is easily available at a low price.

    Hemlock is often used for boxes, crates, framing, plywood, pallets, decking, and framing.

    White Oak

    white oak

    White Oak is a hardwood that is native to the Eastern U.S. It is a light brown-coloured wood with a lighter colour sapwood. White oak is known to be strong and durable and is naturally resistant to rot and moisture. It has a straight grain with an uneven texture. The wood is easy to work with.

    White oak is used for furniture, boatbuilding, cabinetry, plywood, flooring, veneers, and barrels.

    Looking for the Best Place to Buy Pale Wood at the Right Price?

    If you are looking for the best wood for your next project, light colored woods can make a really great option depending on how and where you want to use them.

    If you need professional help selecting the right wood type for your project or want to buy top-quality pale woods at the lowest price, contact us to talk to one of our experts.

    At White Knight Consulting Ltd,we have been providing the best quality light colored wood/timber products and wood consulting services to our customers for more than a decade now. We have built and now maintain a strong reputation by providing the highest quality products and services to our hundreds of customers across the UK and many other countries. Feel free to visit our website to explore our wide collection of sustainable woods and timber or call us for instant help and advice.

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