Types of Wood Used

We currently work with 3 different types of wood, depending on the product and its uses. We use Finnish Birch Plywood (for the single and sibling learning tower, Montessori bookshelves), Beech Pine wood (for the sensory tables, adjustable learning tower) and a combination of wood for some of our products (The Swedish ladder for example is a combination of Beech wood and Beech pine wood, the Pikler triangle is a combination of Finnish Birch Wood and Beech Wood)). We decide on the type of wood depending on the use and design/finish of our products. Products that are likely to be exposed to water are coated with oils to provide protection. For details about cleaning your Eftekassat products, please visit our FAQ page here.

NATURAL IMPERFECTIONS IN WOOD

It’s important to keep in mind that wood materials were once trees; breathing organisms that worked to survive. Every warp, knot, or mineral streak is a testament to a tree’s life and the years it lived through.

We use imperfect wood for a couple of reasons. First, it is more cost effective than “premium” wood which won’t have any patches in it. That means we can help to save you money! It’s our goal to make high-quality REAL wood furniture accessible to families.

Imperfect materials help reduce waste. We could order material made only from the perfect parts of trees. But then imperfect wood ends up in a landfill. Perfect wood wastes materials. (That being said, we do take special care to cut our materials with the least amount of patches on the surface. We examine each piece of wood and decide which should be the outside and inside of your furniture, so the bottoms of tables and insides of shelves may be more patchy than the surface.)

We prefer real, natural wood. If we wanted totally uniform perfection, we would go into plastic furniture. Real wood has beautiful imperfections, just like real people!

Not every piece of furniture will have patches or streaks, but that doesn’t make it better or worse than parts that do. The patches do not affect the integrity or quality of the wood, just how it looks. This wood still stands up to our high quality standards, and is completely unique.

So when you see that patch on your table, don’t say, “How ugly!” Instead, say, “This is real wood! It’s natural, and its flaws make it more beautiful.” This imperfect wood reduces waste, helps save you money, and makes your environment more simple, natural, and ready to be lived in!