Are all of your items made of solid oak?

This is a great question and we get asked it quite often, so here's the scoop:

Some items are solid oak while many others use oak veneer over plywood or oak veneer over MDF (medium density fiberboard). We offer dining chairs in solid oak as well as certain dining tables. Most desks, entertainment centers, hutches and buffets, and bookcases will have solid oak doors, drawer-fronts, and trim, but the large, flat areas of the top and sides will be real oak veneer over a substrate, such as plywood or occasionally, MDF. We also offer a budget-friendly variety of items with solid oak doors, drawer-fronts, and trim over a substrate of particleboard. Substrates vary by manufacturer, and are often used to provide stability where a single solid piece of wood may have a tendency to warp or split. In addition to oak, we also offer items made in alder, walnut, and Asian hardwoods such as rubberwood (funny as it sounds, rubberwood is in fact a hardwood).

If you're not sure, never be afraid to ask. At our stores, we're happy to answer any questions you may have about the quality and construction of our furniture.

Next, I'll explain about using solid wood vs. veneers...