Types of Wood Ceilings

Veneer

• Veneer is an economical type of wood. Besides ceilings, it is also used in lower-end furniture. To make veneer, a thin layer of wood is sliced from a larger, more solid piece and then glued to fiberboard or chip board. Veneer looks like solid wood. It has a natural wood grain finish, but the majority of the piece is made from a composite material. One benefit to veneer is that it is usually cheaper than solid wood. But veneer has a downside. Dents and dings cannot be sanded out of veneer, as the sanding can tear away at its finish.

Plain-Sliced Wood

• Unlike veneer, plain-sliced wood is a solid piece of real wood. Plain-sliced wood is a cost-effective cut. It is cut by a slab being cut off the log first, then the boards are cut one after the other. When it gets to the heart of the wood, the log is rolled so the opposite face is ready and positioned for another series of cuts.

  Woods available in this type are red oak, white maple, white oak, white birch, beech cider, poplar, black walnut, white fire, carbonized bamboo, white ash, cherry, flat-grain hemlock, khaya mahogany and alder.

Quarter-Sliced Wood

• Quarter-sliced wood is also a solid piece of wood and is a pricier cut. To get this cut, woodsmen first cut the wood into quarters. Each quartered piece is then cut so that the rings in the wood are as close as possible to 90 degrees. Oak is the most popular quarter-sliced wood used for ceilings. Other woods available in this style are white birch, white oak, sycamore, black walnut, white maple, bamboo, vertical-grain hemlock, cherry and vertical-grain Douglas fir.