Wood Selection
This page is under construction, awaiting photos of our wood selection.
If you'd like to see some examples of our woods please feel free to reach out.
Bollinger house exclusively uses 100% hardwood for our chess boards.
Hardwood, yes the same that is used for flooring and cabinetry, is a category of wood that has been used for millennia for strong, beautiful carpentry. Hardwood is not only "hard" - but also durable, and gorgeous. Softwood, by contrast, is cheap and grows fast, and is great for framing houses, but it does not hold onto details well, looks plain, and changes shape easily (more on this later).
Bollinger House can source almost any hardwood species. If you have something in mind, or want to learn more, please feel free to reach out.
Here is an overview of our favourite woods.
Sugar Maple
Light Wood
Sugar maple is the star of light woods. It is as popular for the floors of a bowling alley as it is for the quilted-grain top of an electric guitar. Maple's grain is quite subtle, and the tone is very consistent and smooth,
Ask us about Flame Maple, Quilted Maple, and Birds Eye Maple!
Oak
Light Wood
Oak is the most classical looking light wood available. It reminds us of sturdy cabinets and beautiful midcentury-modern furniture.
Ash
Light Wood
Ash give a rustic feel to any project. This wood has a pronounced yet relaxed grain pattern, giving a more casual appearance while still being gorgeous.
Walnut
Dark Wood
Walnut is the most classical looking dark wood available - and for good reason. This wood is a STAPLE of both classical and modern furniture making. Black walnut has some of the most unique grain patterns, rich, deep brown tones, and a certain glimmer in the light that is unmistakable.
Walnut is so diverse in figure that even regular walnut boards often have quilting and curling patterns. Walnut lightens over time to a golden-brown colour, but starts with a semi-sweet chocolate colour for the first few years of its life.
Cherry
Dark wood
Cherry is a wood that gets more beautiful the longer you look at it. This is a copper-toned dark wood with soft wavy grain patterns that remind us of the first splash of milk in your coffee. Cherry has a dazzling shimmer when finished, like walnut, but unlike walnut, this wood becomes darker and richer with time. Expect your 5-year old board to surprise you when you discover it's taken on a rich red hue.
Purple Heart
Dark wood
Yes, this is PURPLE. It is also extremely hard, and quite heavy compared to other woods. Purple heart has all of our customers saying one thing: "COOL". Purple heart will darken over a long period of time, but will always be striking and lovely. Consider this as your primary dark wood, or to add accents in a custom design.
Jatoba
Dark wood
This is Brazilian Cherry. One of the hardest woods we've ever worked with. It's like cherry but darker, with more pronounced yet straighter grain. This is our favourite wood to work with. Like cherry, expect more richness and depth with time.
Wenge
Dark wood
Wenge is the "100% cacao dark chocolate" of the world of hardwoods. The only wood more black is genuine ebony. Wenge is very porous, so much that if it is cut thin enough light will shine through the pores. Expect milk chocolate striping and a very determined straight grain pattern in the truly awesome wood.
The following woods are all wonderful all-stars. We are still learning about their unique properties, but we stand by their legacy as high quality woods for high quality projects:
- Bloodwood
- Bubinga
- Mahogany
- Sapele
- Padauk
- Leopardwood