How to Judge Wood Furniture Quality Before You Buy

Anything can look pretty in a showroom. Before you decide whether a piece belongs in your home for decades, look at how the parts fit together, run your hand along the edges, and ask what happened to the wood before the maker began building.

In brief: Ask where the lumber was kiln-dried, how long it took, what temperatures the maker used, and how they checked the final moisture content. Then inspect the joinery, follow the edges and trim, and step back to see how the grain flows across the piece.

Ask how the wood was prepared

A polished surface tells you how a piece looks today. The drying process helps explain how the wood is likely to behave after you bring it home. As a board dries, moisture travels from the interior toward the surface. When the surface dries too far ahead of the center, stress can build and cause checks, cracks, or distortion. A controlled kiln schedule manages that process by adjusting conditions to suit the lumber. Species, board thickness, and starting moisture all matter. USDA Forest Products Laboratory, ⁠Wood Handbook⁠

At Martin & MacArthur, we kiln-dry our koa in our own temperature-controlled kilns for at least two months, targeting about 8 percent wood moisture content before building. Think of it like making wine. Patience is part of the process. A moisture reading tells you where the lumber ended up. The drying schedule tells you how it got there.

Ask the retailer these four questions:

1. Where was the wood kiln-dried?
2. How long was it in the kiln?
3. What temperatures did the maker use during drying?
4. How did the maker verify the wood’s moisture content before building?

Give the sales associate a chance to check with the workshop. If the retailer still can’t explain how the wood was prepared, shop elsewhere. 

Look closely at the joinery

Start where two parts meet. Look for joints that fit cleanly, with even seams and parts that line up as intended. Then look underneath or behind the piece. A quick look under a table, for example, lets you see how the legs connect to the base and how the top is attached.

Ask how the maker allows a wide solid-wood panel to expand and contract across the grain. Wood continues to respond to indoor humidity after drying. A home with winter heating in Boston or Chicago can expose furniture to different conditions than a home in Honolulu or Miami. Careful drying and construction that allows for seasonal movement work together. USDA Forest Products Laboratory, ⁠Wood Handbook⁠

Follow the edges and trim

Run your hand along an edge and follow it around a corner. A simple flat edge can be beautifully executed. A shaped profile gives you another detail to inspect. Look for a consistent shape and finish along its length.

Where trim is mitered, look at the corner from both sides. The joint should meet cleanly, and the profile should carry through the corner without an unintended step or gap. These small details tell you how much care went into fitting and finishing the piece.

Step back and read the grain

Look at the piece from across the room. Notice how your eye travels from one board to the next. Then move closer and see where the grain changes direction or the color deepens. Does that variation feel deliberate?

Koa can vary in color and figure from board to board. A maker can pair quieter boards around a striking panel or arrange neighboring boards so the grain flows across a broad surface. The point is to see whether the boards work together as a whole.

At Martin & MacArthur, we use certified koa from previously fallen trees and never cut live koa trees for our furniture. If you’re buying koa, ask what documentation comes with the piece, including its origin and whether the tree had already fallen.

Before you buy

Use the showroom to see how the furniture looks, feels, and works. Use the conversation with the retailer to learn how it was made. Ask about the kiln schedule, inspect the joints, follow the edges, and look at the grain from a few steps back. If you’re buying a piece you hope to hand down, take the time to do both.

Frequently asked questions

1. What does kiln drying do?
It removes moisture from lumber in a controlled environment. A kiln schedule regulates conditions so the wood can dry while limiting drying defects.

2. What does 8 percent wood moisture content mean?
It means the water in the wood weighs about 8 percent of the wood’s oven-dry weight. It measures moisture in the lumber itself. Martin & MacArthur uses about 8 percent as its target for koa before building.

3. How does kiln drying differ from air drying?
Air drying relies on ambient conditions and airflow around stacked boards. A kiln gives the operator direct control over temperature, humidity, and airflow. A maker can use both methods in sequence.

4. Why does the drying schedule matter if the final moisture reading is the same?
Two boards can reach the same reading through different drying schedules. If one dried unevenly, it may already have developed stress or damage. Ask how the maker managed the schedule and checked the lumber before using it.

5. Can wood still move after kiln drying?
Yes. Wood takes up or releases moisture as its surroundings change. Wide solid-wood panels need room to expand and contract across the grain.

6. What should I look for in a furniture joint?
Check that the parts meet cleanly and align as intended. Where you can see the underside or back, look at how the parts are secured and ask how the joint works.

7. What is an edge profile?
It’s the shape you see in cross-section at the edge of a tabletop, shelf, or trim piece. It may be square, rounded, beveled, or more elaborate. Look for consistency along the edge and through the corners.

8. How can I tell whether the maker selected the boards with care?
Compare neighboring boards for color, grain direction, and figure. Look for a composition that makes sense across the whole piece, including where the maker chose to use contrast.

9. What can I learn by looking underneath?
You can often see how the legs are secured, how the top is fastened, and whether the construction gives solid wood room to move.

10. What if the salesperson can’t answer my questions about the wood?
Ask them to check with the maker and get back to you. If the retailer still can’t explain how the wood was prepared or how the piece was built, keep shopping.