WoodDigest.com |

Trends in solid wood change gradually. The differences from year to year are minimal, as the industry is not fad driven, unlike the electronics industry in which high-tech advances are being made almost constantly, explains Susan Regan, executive vice president of the Hardwood Manufacturers Association

In recent years, birch, maple and cherry have grown in popularity. Although all three were popular 10 years ago, their popularity has increased, Regan says. Oak remains as the most abundant American species, and is widely used, she adds.

Some of the exotic species have also picked up in popularity as well. “They’re still a very small portion of the overall pie, but they’re chipping away at the main species,” says John Kestly, vice president of Boehm-Madisen Lumber in Waukesha, Wis. “Right now the exotic species are available and competitively priced. When you have a customer specify mahogany they may change their mind when they get the price. Fortunately, there are substitutes that look much like mahogany at a fraction of the cost, such as sapele, sipo and African mahogany,” he says.

For the past few years darker finishes have been becoming popular. There has also been a move from open grain to closed grain.

“What people want now are closed grain, temperate hardwoods. They don’t want the open, porous woods like ashes, white oaks and red oaks; those are going out of style,” says Doug Martin president of sales and marketing at Pollmeier.
Although oak may be becoming less popular, it is still the most widely available and widely used species, Regan says. It also remains to be the top choice for hardwood flooring.

“It’s part of an inevitable long-term cycle of performance and taste,” she says. “What’s needed, and what people are working on, is a new look. It has become associated with certain looks and uses.”