Is Walnut Wood Expensive? The Features and Reasons

Last updated on September 29th, 2022 at 07:41 pm

Yes, I am often asked this question. Is walnut wood expensive? Walnut is an excellent and popular straight-grained hardwood that comes in various colors. It ranges from a lighter, pale brown to a dark chocolate brown. This color often combines dark brown streaks that run through the wood.

Looking closely at the wood, you will notice that the grain is often exceptionally straight. It is blessed with a texture that is not very hard and not very soft, so it feels very moderate and natural.

Cost of wood: How expensive is walnut wood?

This is a prevalent wood and comes in the highest price range. Generally, this will cost you around $9 to $10 per square foot. Considering a high-end veneer, it can even go beyond that and reach $12 per square foot. This makes it a costly wood.

The walnut tree

The walnut tree is native to a range of climates and will produce excellent wood for your furniture. It can grow well in the southern regions’ warmth and the north’s coolness. This is despite the range of environments in which it can grow and thrive. 

It has substantial growth qualities, meaning you can get your wood from a young adult or an old tree. The older trees produce more impressive features, like their age rings, but that is really up to you.

Walnut Species

Several kinds of species that walnut trees grow to. They are named after their respective colors, so you have the black walnut tree, the yellow walnut tree, and the pecan, a less common type. 

The black and yellow types are the most popular options for woodwork and furniture. Their wood is very straight-grained, and their color sometimes has a reddish hue.

Black Walnut Trees

Why is black walnut so expensive? These trees will produce the darkest walnut wood and are a prime choice for those who want that dark look. They are one of the most sought after variants of walnut wood.

Yellow Walnut Trees

This produces moderately dark wood but still with brown tones in it. This tree is slightly different in quality than the black walnut, but both are still very popular and well used.

Some specifications to consider before buying this wood for your home: 

Walnut is strong and durable, which makes it ideal for most uses.

Pecan

Pecan wood does not have the same appeal as the other types.

Pros And Cons

Consider many pros and cons before buying this wood for your home. Since you will be cutting it yourself, you must be thoroughly familiar with all its properties before making any choice. 

This includes marking cut lines with a pencil or chalk and carefully following them as you cut through each section.

Usability

Easy to work with:

One of the reasons you will find that this product is priced relatively high for this market of Timbers is because it typically provides easy work. Due to the grain being entirely straight and often consistently regular, there is very little tear-out. 

Tear out is a term that can be used to define the wastage of wood during work hours. The common theme among this problem is that when surfacing pieces of wood with an uneven grain, it is likely that cracks and warps will begin to form. 

Another feature that is particularly excellent about walnut is that it provides you with an easy finish. Issues such as using glue to piece the wood together or staining it with color become relatively straightforward. When this occurs, you can no longer continue to work on the wood; therefore, it will need to be disposed of. 

Non/Toxic Smell

it is also a much healthier wood within the workhouse since it does not have a strong odor. Strong and toxic wood odors will require the management to prescribe breathing devices because inhaling toxic chemicals can worsen over time. 

Another advantage is for employees who suffer from allergies; severe reactions are very uncommon with this type of wood. The worst level of irritation that you can expect is mainly for the skin and eyes. 

Durability

Walnut wood has immense durability even when faced with intense humidity and heat. It is fully able to resist rotting, but like most wood you find worldwide, it is not necessarily Superman when it comes to fighting various weather elements. 

Therefore, you shouldn’t buy or create Walnut furniture with the plan of leaving it outside. If you are settled on this idea, it would be vital that you know the extensive care routine required to preserve this wood if it remains out. 

Maintaining the finish will become a priority on an almost yearly basis. You will have to purchase the appropriate chemicals and polishing cloths required for this process. If you look in-depth at this situation, it is not necessarily the expensive walnut; however, what will cost you more is the consistent maintenance necessary for the wood.  

What to know when buying Walnut Furniture

The 1st and most important thing you should be on the lookout for when purchasing a piece of Walnut furniture is the product’s authenticity. This is a common problem worldwide that many consumers face due to the increase in eCommerce technology allowing for online purchases.

People cannot thoroughly inspect the wood they are buying, placing all their faith in the hands of an online reseller. Many retailers will try to hoodwink the consumers into believing products that are not walnut by adding the term into the title. 

Avoid Online Clickbait

If you are a seasoned online shopper, you will notice that resellers can use walnut to describe the product’s colour. This might be all the while there is not any walnut wood within the item of furniture. 

Therefore, it is essential that, if possible, when purchasing furniture, you do it in person. Shopping around at your local furniture stores will give you some idea of what natural walnut looks like. 

Educating on this information will allow you to judge the craftsmanship of the product you end up purchasing. The craftsmanship you will be looking for is the best-in-class technique, which is done to extend and preserve the life of the item of furniture. 

Warranty Package 

A common feature of genuine and authentic Walnut wood would be a lifetime guarantee from the supplier. When the product has been preserved with an excellent and well-tested preservation technique, it is guaranteed to last almost forever. 

The wood will often be 100% rot resistant and able to survive extreme weather changes if indoors. 

Maintenance Routine 

You will also need to be aware of the level of maintenance required to keep this table at its most sparkling. In this regard, it can become quite expensive when you purchase a pricey Walnut table because you will have to buy certain products to look after it.

Carbon Footprint

The last feature that you should be on the lookout for when purchasing Walnut wood furniture is that it must be eco-friendly. You will discover that sustainably harvested wood companies help fight climate change by planting trees yearly. Finding wood like this helps to preserve the craft and its appropriate beauty. 

Conclusion

In summary, walnut wood is expensive given its relative price compared to many other neighbouring wood species. The price was set this way because it has a high processing rate. This is mentioned because it has a relatively soft texture, which allows easy cutting and few tearouts.

If you plan to paint or varnish this wood, its surface is entirely sustainable and easy to stain. If you want to use it in a production line, it is an excellent option for workers, as they do not have to perceive any chemical or toxic odour.

If the wood has been stored for an extended period, it can be dangerous to the human nose. Walnut wood does not cause severe reactions. It is a well-made and high-quality wood that should last you a lifetime, which is why it is expensive.