Real wood, fake wood: antique oak wins on paper

02 Dec Real wood, fake wood: antique oak wins on paper

Wood is a product of nature and it is normal that it has knots, irregularities and defects that derive from having been living matter, exposed to cold, wind and the ravages of time. Each wood carries with it its own story that returns through the emotion aroused by the appearance of the artifacts made with it.  

“There is no perfect wood, every log, every cut is unique – says Alberto Seralvo -. The true admirers of wood today seek and appreciate the cuts with irregularities that make the realizations unique rather than those with the most uniform aspect “. This is especially true for oak, a wood that was once sought after for its striped and regular appearance, while today it is preferred with flamed designs from old beams. 

What made the preferences change? “It is in my opinion an effect of the diffusion of wood imitations – explains Seralvo -. Imitations made by placing paper prints that reproduce the surface appearance of a precious wood on low quality artificial supports “. Same and repeated photos of the same essence that allow the industry to offer low-cost products, identical to each other and with catalog images. Products that very often purchased by the consumer without the knowledge of buying fake wood.  

The uniqueness of real wood constructions is the characteristic on which furniture makers such as Riva 1920 and Valcucine have focused: “Companies that over time have succeeded in making people appreciate products that are never the same, as it is not will never to be the starting wood and to have communicated the fact that the wood in this way is unique and not repeatable and therefore precious ”specifies Seralvo.  

For those not of the trade, we explain that when we talk about doors, boiserie, furniture or real wood parquet does not mean that the entire building must necessarily be of the same essence, that is solid wood. The solid wood tends to deform with variations in humidity and temperature, for this reason the veneer is used in many realizations, that is wood in layers of a few millimeters applied on supports able to guarantee the required stability and elasticity.  

The ancient oak wood (from beams) is today among the 170 essences available in the Seralvo warehouse, both as boards and as veneers.