Making a piece of ecological wooden furniture not only makes the planet feel better, but your health as well. Obviously, nobody wants to be surrounded by harmful material. Environment-friendly furniture can be as good-looking as that bought in superstores. The difference mainly lies in the material selection! Here are 5 tips that will guide you when making 100% ecological wooden furniture!
1. CHOOSE ECOLOGICAL WOOD AND MATERIAL
To make ecological wooden furniture, you should first consider the different materials that you are going to use. You should preferably select wood that has been environmentally tested. This type of wood is easy to identify thanks to the FSC or SFI certification. These mention that the wood comes from forests worked in a sustainable way. Making smart decisions avoids contributing to deforestation and water pollution. Besides choosing ecological, select a durable species, which will stand endurance trial.
Oak, for example, is resistant and well known for its durablility. You may as well save old wood planks. Pallet wood allows you to design fashionable furniture and decorations without having to cut new trees. You can as well choose recycled material for other parts of your furniture. Vintage door handles, for example, add an original touch to your wooden furniture!
2. BUY LOCALLY
Buying the material is undoubtedly the most important step in making ecological wooden furniture. If you have taken our first piece of advice, you must be considering getting durable wood that has been certified ecological. However, if this wood comes from the end of the world, you will lose your ecological gains, right? To reduce your impact on environment, you should buy locally! Favor wood species from Canada, such as maple or yellow birch.
3. CHOOSE NON TOXIC FINISHING PRODUCTS
Once your furniture assembled with non toxic material, you must protect the wooden surfaces. Among the many existing finishing products, very few are environmental safe. For the finishing touch, forget synthetic varnish since it contains volatile organic components. Inhaling these products is harmful for your health. Besides, if the list of the ingredients is not complete, it does not sound good!
Made from renewable natural ingredients, ecological oil is the best option to reduce your impact on environment. These oils do not contain chemicals harmful for your health or that of the planet. When applying them, you will not have to wear a mask! The ecological aspect is not the only asset of finishing oil. It also has high coverage power and protects better than other finishing products.
4. USE YOUR IMAGINATION AND RECYCLE WOOD RESIDUES
When you make your furniture, you will surely end up with wood residues. Instead of throwing them away, save them for your next DIY project. Saving these remnants will allow you to design decorative objects which cannot be found in any store. Get inspired by projects designed for ecological wood!
5. CONSIDER THE TRASH MADE BY MAKING FURNITURE
When you get a product or some material, consider the way you will get rid of it. Some substances may take years to decompose. When you buy the material for your wooden furniture, think of the life span of the parts. Some of them will have to be thrown away once the project is over. For example, you will have to get rid of the containers used for the finishing products. The asset of ecological finishing oil is being biodegradable. So you can get rid of the container without worrying about the environment.
To sum up, to make ecological wooden furniture, you must above all think of the materials, that is their origin, their durability and their life end. To learn more about different finishing products, consult our comparative guide on indoor wood surfaces.
