Custom Millwork Materials: Choosing the Right Wood and Finishes for Your Project

As a property owner, you may think that custom millwork simply means decorative construction designs. However, the applications and implications of millwork are much larger than that. Millwork can be the crown molding accenting a living space, the window trim framing the room’s light source, the mantels displaying the family’s history, or any touches that define a space for its visitors.

Millwork can set the tone or even the value of a room. In other words, millwork can be far more than decoration when properly customized to a unique vision. Yet, with the wrong material choices, millwork can also fade indistinctly into the backdrop or contradict the core design intention. For designers, decorators, and owners, this guide to choosing the right millwork materials can help you properly define your space with the materials that match your vision.

Is Hardwood or Softwood Better for Millwork?

The first question designers should ask when choosing millwork materials is whether they’ll use softwood or hardwood. While softwood tends to be less durable than hardwood, designers need to take a more nuanced approach to understand how specific wood types impact their final product.

For example, even though hardwood typically resists damage better, that’s not always the case. Brazilian walnut has practically the highest hardness rating of any wood on earth. Like other flowering trees (which all produce hardwood), walnut, hickory, rosewood, maple, and white oak are all expensive but extremely long-lasting. Yet, chestnut trees, another hardwood, are actually softer and less durable than many types of pine, such as Yellow Heart and Douglas Fir.

Choosing the right wood comes down to the cost objectives of the designer, the composition of the wood, and the way the grain, color, and pattern will look in the space. If you have custom millwork ideas, you may not be able to execute them with all types of wood equally, which is why it’s important to consult experienced custom furniture designers about how the choice of wood will influence the results.

The Qualities of Common Wood Types

Here is a brief breakdown of some of the most common types of wood used in millwork, including some of the general traits that impact its value and effectiveness. Though not a comprehensive list, designers can use this information to begin their search for the right wood for their custom millwork:

• Cedar: Cedar is a common furniture and exterior design wood, red in appearance with an iconic outdoorsy smell and a straight grain. It is considered a luxury softwood in the world of millwork compared to more durable options.
• Mahogany: The number one millwork wood, mahogany is dark brown to red in color, straight-grained, and evocative of a warm, old-fashioned interior. Finishes and polishes work beautifully with this hardwood.
• Pine: Perhaps the easiest wood to work with, pine is a softwood with a wavy grain that can be easily carved into unique designs, perfect for imaginative custom millwork on a budget.
• Walnut: Walnut is a sturdy hardwood that comes in numerous shades and colors from deep browns to light tans. It’s straight or wavy-grained with attractive decorative qualities and holds up very well to being painted, stained, finished, and polished.
• Maple: Maple wood is beautiful straight or wavy-grained hardwood that tends to be light in its natural color but responds well to being stained. Though more commonly used as flooring for its durability, maple can also be used to make durable custom millwork.
• Cherry: Cherry wood is smooth, straight-grained, and silky wood. Being hard and stable under normal conditions, the rich tones of the wood can be easily brought out with stains and polishes, making it a common choice for furniture. Due to its low stiffness, it can also be bent and shaped under the right conditions.

When choosing the right wood for custom millwork, it’s important to account for not only the current appearance and durability of the wood but also its intended use. Complex, stained, or polished millwork may be easier or harder with certain types of wood.

Sixth Avenue Creates Custom Millwork Tailored to Your Needs

The choice of millwork materials has wide-reaching implications on the price and viability of your project. At Sixth Avenue, our custom artisans proudly offer unique millwork solutions for residential and business clients in the DC Metro area. Our seasoned woodworkers can create custom millwork designs for any room to achieve the intended experience for consumer brands and homeowners alike.

Customer satisfaction is our top priority. We take great pride in our designs, our materials, and our ability to exceed customer expectations with bespoke millwork designs customized for your spaces. Contact the team at Sixth Avenue Custom to learn more about how we can elevate your home or business with unique millwork tailored to your needs. You supply the vision – our artisans will take it from there.