You do not need to know your species before you contact us. Still, most people want a sense of what they are choosing between, so here is the short version of the conversation we have in every consultation.
Birch
Hard, tight grained and the best value of the four. Birch takes stain well, though it can blotch without proper preparation, which is a shop problem rather than a wood problem.
A good choice for painted work, bunk beds, drawer boxes and built-in carcasses where strength matters more than dramatic grain.
Maple
Very hard, pale and quiet. Maple is our workhorse for pieces that take a beating: dining tops in busy houses, kids furniture, mudroom benches.
Left natural it stays light and modern. Stained darker it reads as a calm, even surface rather than a grain heavy one.
Oak
Strong, open grained and full of character. Red oak is warmer and more affordable, white oak is denser, cooler in tone and more water resistant, which is why it shows up so often in current design.
If you want visible texture and a table that looks handsome as it ages, oak is usually the answer.
Walnut
The premium option, and the one people fall in love with in the shop. Chocolate tones, wide boards and no need for stain, just oil and let the colour do the work.
It costs more per board foot than the others and it is worth budgeting for it deliberately rather than being surprised by it.
Finish matters as much as species
Hardwax oil looks and feels natural and can be repaired at home with a cloth. Conversion varnish is tougher against spills and is what we usually recommend for houses with young children.
We will suggest the pairing that fits how your family lives, then show you samples before anything is sprayed.
Send us a photo of your room and the flooring you have. Nine times out of ten that tells us more about the right species than any list can.