Our Wood Selection
In keeping with the tradition of our business, the woods we offer are the woods "at hand" in our town and region. Historically, Tappan Chairs were predominantly combinations of hard maple and white ash--choices reflective of the need for rugged durability in primitive household furniture. In recent times, we have responded to popular calls for fancier local furniture woods, which take the smooth and simple lines of our historic chairs and give them an elegant turn---for a beautiful and surprisingly contemporary feel.
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Wood Options:
Hard Maple Red Maple White Ash Black Cherry Red Oak Black Walnut Figured varieties (tigered, curly, and birdseye maple) are also available for slats and arms. For a closer study of our various wood options, or to try your hand at mixing various combinations, you can view Our Woods in Detail!
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Historically, the durability of a Tappan Chair has come not only from the woods chosen in its build but also from their pairing: a slower-drying wood, such as maple, was used for the posts, while a quicker drying wood such as ash was used for the rungs. To this day we continue to employ this tool of disparate moisture, utilizing air-dried lumber for our posts and kiln dried dowel stock as the basis for our rungs and seat rails. The higher moisture of the post wood causes them to gradually shrink and tighten around the rungs, making each chair even sturdier over time...another small part of the local Tappan Chair legend.
Our Finishes
Odie's Oil is an all-natural oil and wax combination that is non-toxic both in use and finish. It hardens and achieves an even greater luster over time, and is highly resistant to stains and moisture. Dings and scratches from wear are easily sanded out and all it takes is a dab of Odie's to blend everything back in seamlessly. It makes any wood look incredible--maple, ash, and red oak glow and cherry and walnut move to a higher plane. We can't recommend it enough!
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Old Fashioned Milk Paint is a safe, organic, and all-natural paint made with the same basic ingredients used for hundreds of years--milk protein, lime, and earth pigments. They carry an extensive and beautiful line of historic colors--we are happy to use any of them on any traditionally-made hard maple and white ash Tappan Chair.
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