Table of Contents
About Fireside Lodge
Our Sustainability Pledge
Product Lines
Barnwood
WoodShop
Cedar Log
Hickory Log
Appalachian
Wood Species
Reclaimed Oak Barnwood
Northern White Cedar
Hickory
Circle-sawn & Smooth Pine
Stains & Finishes
Furniture Care Tips
Features & Build Methods
Cosmetic Standards
Field Guide & Standards
3
4
5
8
12
15
16
19
The purpose of this publication is to help you learn more about Fireside Lodge’s product
lines and what makes our rustic furniture the best in the industry! Whether you are a
dealer carrying our furniture, or just plain old curious, you should find answers to the
most common questions within.
If you can’t find the answers within or have product specific questions, please contact
customer service or your account manager.
Main Office
Toll free: 877.568.6188
Fax: 218.568.8222
info@firesidelodgefurniture.com
Customer Service
218.568.2450
Mailing Address
PO Box 665
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
From regional to international...
In 1998, Fireside Lodge began as a manufacturer of handcrafted cedar log furniture that supplied a regional market.
Over the next several years, our reach and variety of product offerings increased to include everything from hickory log
to reclaimed wood, and incorporate styles ranging from our “rustic” roots to transitional, industrial, modern, and beyond.
Today, more than 20 years later, our products are found in hotels, resorts, lodges, stores, and homes across North America
and as far away as New Zealand. With more than 4,000 standard item choices, Fireside Lodge is North America’s most
comprehensive builder of rustic furniture.
◊ Our furniture is made in the USA and handcrafted by
expert craftspeople
◊ Every piece is unique and built to order – we do not
warehouse
◊ Perfectly suited for rustic, modern, industrial, and
transitional decors
◊ We offer custom furniture design services
◊ We take sustainability seriously – from our choice of
building materials to our operations
◊ We stand behind our products: All of our furniture
comes with a limited lifetime warranty against
manufacturer defects
At a glance:
Our sustainability pledge
As a builder of solid wood furniture, we rely on good
old Mother Nature for everything we create. That
makes it our duty to pay special attention to making
environmentally-responsible decisions. Whether that
is choosing low VOC and non-toxic stains and finishes,
building with renewable or reclaimed materials, or
operating as close to zero-waste as possible, we have
made a commitment to work with the future in mind.
Reclaimed history...
Barnwood Collection
Substantial, durable, and environmentally friendly –
the Barnwood Collection combines Old World charm
with modern sensibilities.
Not manufactured, but benchmade, every piece is
unique and crafted from re-purposed, hand-selected
oak timbers and planks from deconstructed 1800s
tobacco barns.
Made with reclaimed red oak from American
tobacco barns (see page 9).
Comprehensive offering: more than 100 styles of
beds, nightstands, dining tables, chairs, casegoods,
vanities, and more.
Rich in character with a mixture of saw marks, nail
holes, checking, and natural patinas.
Perfectly suited for almost any decor.
Custom pieces and design available.
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New in 2020, the WoodShop Collection by Fireside Lodge Furniture allows
your customers to create a customized look for their bedroom, dining room, or
gathering room that spans nearly any style from transitional to rustic.
With multiple stain colors, two textures, and more than a dozen hardware
choices, the number of options is staggering!
Customize every piece.
Made from responsibly-sourced pine in two styles: smooth
or circle-sawn (see page 11).
WoodShop Collection
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Pictured: WoodShop Carriage House Bed
Great coordinating stain choices in two textures each.
Every piece is custom: hundreds of possible
combinations.
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Pick from more than a dozen hardware
choices to complete your look.
Pictured: Barnwood Americana Bed
Cedar Log Collection
Timeless ... rugged ... environmentally responsible.
Whether you want to highlight the picturesque setting of your mountain retreat or bring the peacefulness of the north
woods into your home decor, nothing says “rustic” like the natural beauty of Fireside Lodge cedar log furniture.
Crafted from responsibly-sourced northern
white cedar (see page 8).
Built using strong mortise-tenon joinery.
Custom tenonizer gives each log a unique,
hand-hewn look.
Available in two standard color options.
100’s of standard items in all room categories
and custom furniture design available.
Cedar Log is where we began almost 30 years ago, and
to date, no one can boast a more solidly-built, beautifully
natural piece of Cedar Log furniture!
Pictured: Cedar Log 7-Drawer Dresser
An American classic.
Hickory log furniture has long been a mainstay of American rustic
furniture with its strength, durability, and distinct bark-on look.
Built using time-tested techniques, Fireside Lodge’s Hickory Log
Collection boasts a rustic appeal while hearkening back to a bygone
day providing a unique end result.
Hickory furniture is dense, tough, and durable.
Available in four great stain choices.
Bark-on hickory logs provide amazing rustic
character.
Every piece is unique and built to order specifically
for you.
Standard items in all room categories and custom
furniture design available.
Hickory Log Collection
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Pictured: Hickory Log Sunburst Bed
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Authentic reclaimed red oak from American tobacco barns.
Rich in character with a mixture of saw marks, nail holes, checking,
and natural patinas.
Hickory log accents and legs add a distinctly rustic flair.
Barnwood & hickory were made for each other.
Appalachian Collection
Stretching from southern New York to northern Mississippi, the Appalachian region
is the birthplace of so much American history – and Fireside Lodge Furniture’s
Appalachian Collection captures the romance inherent in the region’s rustic simplicity
and cultural wealth.
The two predominate woods used in this collection are both sourced from the
Appalachian region in the United States and combine to create truly unique and
timeless furniture.
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Pictured: Appalachian Windowpane Bed
Standard items in most room categories (custom
available).
Every piece is unique and built to order specifically
for you.
Our Website
Along with having a more complete listing of
our product offerings, our website is a great
place to find out more about Fireside Lodge,
our services and products, and who we serve.
Visit us at:
www.firesidelodgefurniture.com
Sustainability
Color Variation
Hardness
All of Fireside Lodge’s Cedar Log Furniture is crafted using northern white cedar. Indigenous to Northern Minnesota,
Eastern Canada, and the Northeast United States, Fireside Lodge harvests its cedar locally from its Minnesota location.
We even operate our own cedar saw mill that produces the lumber for our furniture!
Cedar Log is Fireside Lodge’s most complete collection, and one of our most popular lines of furniture. Seeing as
we have more than 20 years experience building it, we have it down to a science – as such, no one can boast a more
solidly-built, beautiful natural log furniture.
Not only is northern white cedar prolific in its population and locally
sourced, we also use every bit of the tree down to the last twig and
speck of saw dust. All of these factors make it rank very high on the
sustainability chart.
The heartwood is a pale brown or tan while the narrow sapwood is
nearly white often becoming more golden with age and sun exposure.
Small knots are common in the wood adding to the variety in color.
Northern white cedar is extremely light and quite soft, but boasts
excellent decay resistance and strength despite these characteristics.
For heavily used surfaces, we also offer an optional Armor or Liquid
Glass finish to increase its lifespan!
Interesting Facts
◊ White cedar plays an important
role in traditional Ojibwe culture;
named “Grandmother Cedar,”
it was used for medicine, canoe
ribs, crafts, and was considered
a sacred gift to humanity.
◊ White-cedar is very long lived
growing to ages in excess of
1,650 years!
◊ With foliage rich in Vitamin C,
it is said Jaques Cartier and his
party used white cedar to cure
scurvy in the mid-1500s as they
explored the Great Lakes.
Character
By hand-peeling our logs, we expose all the knots, beetle galleries,
checking and so much more to add to the character-filled rustic appeal
of northern white cedar.
Northern White Cedar
Found in these product lines...
◊ Cedar Log Collection
Watch videos
Making a Cedar Log Bed
Making Cedar Log Unique
Reclaimed Oak Barnwood
Sustainability
Color Variation
Hardness
We are proud to use reclaimed barnwood that has been repurposed from deconstructed tobacco barns. Unlike other
“barnwoods” that are comprised of soft woods like pine or manufactured using chemical and stain processes, Fireside
Lodge only uses authentic oak barnwood: a far superior choice due to not only its strength and hardness, but also
because its beauty and character is naturally obtained.
With a complete set of offerings in every room and the ability to transcend decorating styles from rustic to industrial-
modern, our solidly-crafted Reclaimed Barnwood is an extremely popular choice and has been a top seller year after
year.
Every plank and timber of our barnwood has been repurposed from
deconstructed 1800s tobacco barns. As these barns would normally be
torn down with the remnants dumped in a landfill, our furniture gives
the reclaimed oak a new life.
From rich golds, to warm auburns, to pitchy black graining and saw
marks – the natural patina of our barnwood is replete with a variety of
colors making it draw the eye and create a unique look for every piece.
“The mighty oak” is aptly descriptive. Strong and resilient, this hardwood
becomes even more dense through our kiln-drying process. It is hearty,
heavy, and durable.
Interesting Facts
◊ Yes, squirrels are noted for
their acorn gather abilities, but
blue jays aren’t far behind. On
average, one blue jay can plant
more than 110 acorns per day!
◊ Ancient druids considered the
oak tree sacred and used it
as a symbol of strength and
longevity.
◊ The oak was voted America’s
National Tree in 2001 and is the
most widespread tree species
in the temperate zones of the
Northern Hemisphere.
Character
Our Barnwood is absolutely filled with character making every piece
unique. Hand-selected by our craftspeople, the graining, saw marks,
nail holes and more come together to provide furniture rich in character.
Found in these product lines...
◊ Barnwood Collection
◊ Appalachian Collection
◊ Custom Furniture
Watch videos
Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture
Hickory
Sustainability
Color Variation
Hardness
Hickory is an excellent choice for furniture due to its innate strength, density, and character. Fireside Lodge sources its
hickory from the American southeast where it is harvested in late fall and through mid-winter when its moisture content
is low. From here it is kiln-dried to further remove moisture and the bark tightens around the logs during the process
providing a truly beautiful texture and a time-tested look.
Our Hickory Log Collection also features live-edge bark trim around its tops to further accentuate the piece. When
added to the gorgeously complex graining patterns, it creates a timeless look that furthers its rustic appeal.
Our hickory is harvested using a coppicing technique where wood is
cut when it is at the appropriate diameter. Once harvested, saplings
regenerate from the stump in a fraction of the time it takes for a full tree
to grow (6-10 years and they are ready for reharvest)!
Hickory is distinguished by its dramatic contrasts of dark and light.
Colors can vary from coffee, to caramel, to blonde with prominent grain
patterns and burls.
Ever heard the saying “tough as hickory?” Hickory is strong, hard, heavy,
and dense. In fact, it is just about the toughest and densest hardwood
that natively grows in North America.
Interesting Facts
◊ Hickory is sometimes called
pecan, and pecan is sometimes
called hickory. Though they are
both members of the walnut
family, they are different!
◊ Andrew Jackson (7th President
of the United States) was
nicknamed “Old Hickory”
because of his toughness on the
battlefield.
◊ Some hickory species produce
edible nuts just like its cousins
the walnut and the pecan.
Character
Hickory sports a high to moderate amount of character with its color
streaks, knotting, and prominent grain patterns. Add the textures of live-
edge tops and bark-on legs, and that is one distinct piece of furniture!
Found in these product lines...
◊ Hickory Log Collection
◊ Appalachian Collection
◊ Custom Furniture
Watch videos
Rustic Hickory Log Furniture
Circle-sawn & Smooth Pine
Sustainability
Color Variation
Hardness
Circle-sawn is all the rage with its added depth, distinct character, and rustic look – and Fireside Lodge uses only the
best circle-sawn pine in its WoodShop Collection of furniture. Harvested locally in Northern Minnesota, we mill the
pine and follow up with a kiln-drying process to ensure the moisture content is just right for your furniture.
With Fireside Lodge’s WoodShop Collection, you can vary your customized look with choosing a smooth texture or mix
and matching the two for a truly unique result.
We locally source all the pine timbers we use in our furniture. As a fast
growing species, it renews quickly as well. Furthermore, we only use
low VOC and non-toxic stains and finishes.
Circle-sawn pine relies on the variation in texture from the saw marks
to create variations in color, while smooth pine relies primarily on the
graining patterns to achieve a mix of dark and light coloring.
Though pine itself is a soft wood, our finishing process provides an
added measure of durability and longevity. For heavily used surfaces,
we also offer an optional Armor finish to increase its lifespan!
Interesting Facts
◊ There are more than 100
different species of pine trees
that grow across the globe.
◊ Pine trees distribute their seeds
via pine cones, and some pine
cones will stay on a tree for up
to ten years! Other pine cones
require a hot, fast fire for them
to release their seeds.
◊ White pine, the type Fireside
Lodge uses, is a long-lived
species, able to grow for 200
years or more. With age, white
pine can become 150 ft high
and over three feet in diameter.
Character
Pine has a moderate amount of character naturally, but when using
circle-sawn textures, the pine takes on a completely different look that
is similar to our authentic reclaimed barnwood.
Found in these product lines...
◊ WoodShop Collection
◊ Custom Furniture
Watch videos
WoodShop Collection Overview
WoodShop Stains & Options
WoodShop Ordering
Cedar Log Collection
Hickory Log Collection
It’s amazing how just a change in color can affect the overall look of a piece of furniture. Fireside Lodge
has curated a number of exclusive stain offerings across our collections that not only help highlight
the unique characteristics of each wood type, but are also low VOC and non-toxic making them as
environmentally responsible as possible.
And when it comes to finishes, we offer three different potential options - though not all finishes are
available on all items.
Stain & Finish Options
Reclaimed Barnwood Collection
ArtisanAntique Oak
WoodShop Collection
Laminate Options
CressidaCake Batter
Mountain
Passage
Fireside Lodge uses a clear coat, catalyzed lacquer with a satin finish.
The finish draws out the natural colors in the wood and will seal and
protect your furniture.
Treat the surface with any level of care that you would with any fine
furniture (see Care Tips).
Finish Options
Fireside Lodge Furniture offers three different finish options. Though most of our furniture uses our standard finish, some items will
come standard with a harder Armor or Liquid Glass finish. Still yet other pieces that are used in high-wear areas (like dining room
tables, coffee tables, and others) have the option of upgrading to the Armor or Liquid Glass finishes.
If a piece of furniture uses one of the optional finishes as standard, it will be called out in the product’s specifications.
Standard Finish
Providing a medium satin sheen, this premium quality, post-catalyzed,
alkyd-amino varnish is formulated to offer superior durability, and UV
protection. It helps prevent scratching and denting, but does not all
together eliminate the possibility, especially on soft wood products
like found on the WoodShop and Cedar Log Collections.
This finish offers additional protection on high-use surfaces like
dining table tops.
Though the Armor finish holds up to frequent cleaning, avoid using
cleaners that contain ammonia or bleach.
Armor Finish
With a high gloss sheen, this upgrade finish is made from a two-part
epoxy. Equivalent to 50 coats of polyurethane, the finish is tough, yet
flexible and not prone to shattering from impact.
With outstanding moisture resistance, Liquid Glass is an ideal coating
for bathroom vanities, bar tops, coffee tables, desk tops, and dining
tables.
Pledge furniture polish will prolong the life of the surface and clean
smudges. Impressions will often disappear over time (depending on
room temperature), but light surface scratches may appear with use.
Liquid Glass Finish
Available on...
• All standard items
• All product lines
• Dining table tops
• Occasional table tops
• Most product lines (minus Barnwood)
• Dining table tops
• Vanity tops
• Bar tops
• Desk tops
• Coffee tables
• Available on Cedar Log Collection items
• Lift items rather than dragging them across the floor.
• Don’t place hot items directly on your furniture. If something is too hot to hold in your hand, it is too hot for your
furniture.
• Every effort should be made to keep your fine furniture away from direct sunlight and heat sources such as radiators,
hot air outlets, or wood stoves. These conditions will cause the wood to dry out and subsequently split.
• Humidity between 35 to 45 percent guards against shrinking and cracking or expansion. Humid environments such
as basements should be avoided. You may choose to dehumidify or humidify depending on your environment.
Extreme temperature and humidity fluctuations can damage wood.
• Fireside Lodge does not recommend the use of glass tops on solid wood surfaces which restricts the normal
exchange of moisture and could damage the wood surface. The use of glass tops will void the product warranty
should structural damage occur.
• IMPORTANT: Like all wood surfaces, do not leave any liquid for a period of time on table tops.
• If you are installing a sink in a vanity top, please be sure to seal the freshly cut wood edges with a lacquer or
polyurethane to properly seal the unfinished wood grain.
• Solid wood is like nature: please, no chemicals (i.e. bleach and Windex) or polish; for cleaning, simply use a damp
cloth only followed by a dry soft cloth.
• Please note that all Fireside Lodge Furniture is designed to be kept indoors unless otherwise noted. Being exposed
to the outdoor elements (i.e. temperature and humidity fluctuations, and direct sunlight) will impact the furniture’s
finish and longevity.
General Care Tips...
A note on cleaning vs. disinfecting
Cleaning refers to the removal of germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. It does not kill germs, but by removing
them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
Some options include:
• Use a detergent solution specifically designed for wood floors. Make certain all moisture is wiped fully dry or to a
level that will evaporate rapidly.
• Use a 0.5% solution of a dish washing soap designed for hand washing dishes, and again make certain all mois-
ture is wiped fully dry.
Disinfecting refers to using chemicals (i.e. EPA-registered disinfectants) to kill germs on surfaces. This process does
not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further
lower the risk of spreading infections
• We recommend using hand wipes such as Clorox or Lysol disinfecting wipes.
• We do not recommend the use of bleach, alcohol or disinfectant cleaners which are applied by spray.
Furniture Care Tips
Build Glossary & Features
Our premium line of casegoods utilizes aromatic cedar drawer
bottoms. But why use such a beautiful piece of wood on the
bottom of a drawer?
Along with being a traditional application in handmade furniture,
the answer is in its name: aromatic. The woodsy scent is not only
easy on the nose, it also naturally wards off pests and moths
keeping your contents safe.
Aromatic Cedar Drawer Bottoms
It would take an encyclopedia (remember those?) to highlight all of our build methods and cover the applicable
woodworking terminology; but below are some of our highlights and product features that set Fireside Lodge apart
from many other rustic furniture builders.
Now that’s a table top! Our artisan tops are made from solid 8/4
reclaimed red oak planks that have been straight-line ripped
and glued. They are then banded (the edge piece) with solid
reclaimed oak timbers and utilize exposed dowel joinery to attach
the banding to the edge of the joined planks.
Gorgeous and filled with character, these table tops are truly a
conversation starter.
Artisan Tops
By harvesting hickory only in the late fall and winter, our hickory is
able to retain its bark thereby adding a rustic texture to its character.
Fireside Lodge then kiln-dries the logs which compresses the bark.
Add some light sanding and two coats of lacquer, and you have a
rustic piece that will last and last.
(See the cosmetic standards section for more information).
Bark-on
How does Fireside Lodge ensure your casegoods are built to last?
Our craftspeople use up to 14 extra braces on the interior of the
frame that other builders don’t even consider. Those braces are
dadoed into the sides of the dresser/cabinet thereby providing
added strength and stability.
Overkill? Perhaps, but like we just mentioned... we build our
furniture to last.
Bracing
Fireside Lodge uses these decorative frames in many of its Cedar
Log and Hickory Log casegoods.
It refers to a type of construction where all the members of the
door frames are given a decorative profile on the edge. The frame,
in turn, is then joined to the inset panel.
Cope & Stick Frames
A dado is a slot or trench cut perpendicularly into the grain of the wood. By cutting across the grain instead of with the
grain (then called a groove), it further strengthens the joint. Rabbet joinery is similar but simply differs in the placement
of the slot.
Dado & Rabbet Joinery
All of Fireside Lodge’s drawers are dovetailed. An heirloom
technique used since before written history, dovetail joints are
perfect for drawer boxes.
Our drawers have a high tensile strength (a resistance to being
pulled apart), thus adding quality to the build of our casegoods
and ensuring that your furniture will last despite the thousands of
pulls that are bound to happen during its lifetime.
Dovetailed Drawers
A European-style hinge is a concealed hinge that you can’t see
when the cabinet door is closed. This helps to keep the exterior
profile of your piece clean and uncluttered.
Furthermore, it helps to keep it clean in general! A European hinge
collects less dust, dirt, grease and moisture than the knuckle/
barrel of an exposed hinge.
European-style Hinges
A number of Fireside Lodge furniture pieces incorporate a live
edge in their design. This is where the craftsperson incorporates
the natural edge of the log into the design of the piece creating a
rustic, character-filled result.
Examples include our Cedar Log and Hickory Log collections.
Live Edge
This type of joinery is one of the oldest forms of furniture
construction dating back thousands of years. Why do we still use
it? Simple: it is a strong joint that allows for just the right amount
of swelling, contraction, and movement.
The mortise (the hole part) accepts the tenon tongue and locks in
place. The joint itself is strong enough on its own, but builders
today use glue and fasteners to further ensure it is built to last.
Moreover, we use unique tenonizers that create a rustic tenon that
looks hand-hewn unlike others in the industry that produce results
of cookie-cutter, bell-shaped tenons.
Mortise & Tenon Joinery
Fireside Lodge uses full-extension ball bearing guides rated at
100 pounds on all of our drawers.
Furthermore, our nightstands and premium line of casegoods
also feature soft-close mechanisms that prevent drawers from
slamming shut.
Soft-close & Drawer Guides
Many log furniture builders use machine peelers to get their logs ready for construction resulting in smooth logs devoid
of character.
Fireside Lodge hand-peels our logs to retain all the natural beauty of the log (knots, beetle galleries, inner-cabium, natural
bends, etc.), ensuring no cookie-cutter results and making every piece of furniture distinctly unique.
Hand-peeled Logs
For many of Fireside Lodge’s cabinet doors and other pieces, we use a joined framework around wood panels that are
inserted along a tongue and groove.
This is an essential element of constructing heirloom furniture because wood panels must have room to breathe. The
panel “floats’” within the frame structure (no glue or nails) which prolongs the life of the piece while preventing cracking.
Floating Panel Construction
Cosmetic Standards
Is it an imperfection, or beauty mark? Part of the appeal of rustic furniture is its innate character. That
means our furniture has all sorts of different aesthetic features that are naturally occurring. So before you
wonder if that “crack” or “mark” is a defect, check out the following description of some of the more
common occurrences with reclaimed and natural wood furniture.
What are all these strange marks on my cedar furniture?
Those, my friend, are bark beetle galleries. Gorgeous, aren’t they? When our
craftspeople hand-peel the outer bark from the cedar logs, they get excited
when they reveal the intricate little mazes below. The added designs are not
only natural, but can be downright artistic, thus the name “gallery.” And don’t
worry... those little buggers have flown the coop and are long gone!
Bark beetles bore straight tunnels into the inner bark (i.e. the phloem) to find a
safe place to nest for the winter, and when spring comes, the little larvae spread
out creating the branched-out tunnels and finally exit the tree upon maturity.
An interesting fact: when a tree is overrun, the beetles release a pheromone
that is like Mother Nature’s “No Vacancy” sign, thereby deterring more beetles
from nesting there.
Why does my barnwood furniture have little holes?
No, the wood wasn’t used as a backdrop for dartboards. These are real nail holes. This feature
is found exclusively in our reclaimed barnwood furniture.
As the planks and timbers have been repurposed from deconstructed tobacco barns, they
carry the distinct markings of their prior use. Dark spots around the nail holes become more
pronounced due to minerals leeched from the metal nails over the years, thus adding to the
wood’s character and beauty. So don’t think of them as holes — think of them as history marks.
Cracks? What the heck! This is a new bed!
Don’t worry – that is called “checking.” It is completely natural and should be
expected in most solid wood and log furniture and will not affect the structural
integrity of the furniture.
Due to the innate characteristics of wood, as it seasons and dries over time, it
shrinks and swells at different rates. Because the stress is unequal across the
wood fibers, it splits and creates those cracks, or “checks.” Some might see a
crack and question the structural integrity of the wood; however, it is actually
becoming stronger as its density increases through the seasoning process (less
moisture = denser).
Checks are most common in softer woods like cedar and pine and is less common
in barnwood; however, it is possible in all solid wood furniture.
In log furniture, the checks will not surpass the center of the log and will, at times,
have a secondary check. With solid woods like our barnwood or pine furniture,
the checks should be hairline-sized in width and only a few inches long.
“This part of my dresser is darker than other parts...
What gives?”
All wood, depending on species, can display all sorts of variation in color.
Because Fireside Lodge uses natural and reclaimed woods, it is common to have
color variation due to grain patterns, saw marks, and the way the wood has aged,
or accepts finishes and stains. These variations are truly a key element in the
beauty of the product, and make each piece of furniture a unique work of art. As
such, these variations are desirable and should never be considered defects.
Since every piece is bench-built, our craftspeople individually select each piece
of the furniture to create an end-product that highlights these characteristics,
resulting in an aesthetically pleasing blend.
What is this whitish stuff on my hickory furniture?
If you find portions of hickory logs that appear to be discolored or have “white
spots,” what you have noticed is lichen.
Lichen grows naturally on almost all barks, and with bark-on furniture (like Fireside
Lodge’s Hickory Log collection) it becomes one with the furniture as it has literally
become part of the tree itself! This is part of the natural appeal of rustic furniture
and has been sealed underneath the finish that keeps your furniture protected.
I was looking REALLY closely at my furniture and I saw...
...and you saw wood filler.
No natural or reclaimed wood is perfect, but to help finish your furniture, our
craftspeople may use wood putty and filler to deemphasize imperfections inherent
in the materials. We try to limit this to table tops and desk tops only because items
like these have a higher need for flatness. It ensures there are less areas for crumbs
to collect and provides a smooth writing surface.
Since Fireside Lodge furniture is hand-made from natural materials, this is a
necessary step to help maintain consistency in finish, smoothness, and aesthetic.
Some of the places didn’t have this “wood filler” stuff.
My goodness... picky, aren’t you? No worries, we are too. Not all knots need to
be filled –especially when they add to the furniture’s character and appeal without
compromising its integrity, or on areas of the furniture that won’t collect undue
debris (like table tops).
Knots are natural imperfections in the wood where tree branches were enclosed
within the trunk. Much of Fireside Lodge’s furniture uses the entire tree, therefore
knots of varying sizes and shapes will be present.
