There was a time when bare human hands made furniture possible. This went on for hundreds and hundreds of years when craftsmen used their individual artistry and skills in creating those passionate, intricate designs known to furniture of that era. Each piece was never exactly alike any other and that added to the mystique that came with each finished masterpiece. By the 1800’s, however, factories went into mass production of furniture and allowed huge savings for manufacturers since it only took simple machines to do the job and a few human positions. As a result, prices went down, much to the delight of the buying public. But they found out later that the quality had gone down as well. This probably explains why hand-crafted pieces made from solid wood and natural fabrics now are seldom produced and often expensive.

These days, furniture makers combine diverse materials and techniques in generating dissimilar furniture genres. Some construct furniture with solid wood such as pine or cheap hardwood varied with artificial materials such as hardboard and plywood. Some build theirs using very thin layers of solid wood known as hardwood veneers with plastic sheets permanently attached to them.

Usually, processing wooden furniture involves the use of artificial stains and finishes to create a desired look for the outer wood parts. The upholstery is also in general exposed to chemical treatment, either to slow down its ability to catch fire or merely defend against stains or both.

As a result, potentially damaging gases are emitted into the air, often causing allergic reactions from sensitive users. The fumes are not only exasperating. They’re harmful as well, especially when they come from within your bedroom and even from within your bed while you try desperately to get a good night’s sleep.

If you’re looking for a better option, try solid wood furniture. While they’re not that great in number, manufacturers who specialize in solid wood furniture are actually there just waiting for you give their merchandise a shot. They do have a whole range of choices from bedroom furniture collections to dining room collections.

Once you start looking, you’ll find that pine and oak are the most normal types of solid wood furniture, although their natural terpenes and tannins could be quite irritating to sensitive individuals. Solid maple, beech, birch or cherry could be more preferable in that case. If you are tremendously sensitive, you might call for your furniture custom built as finished products would still generally have drawers and backings made of plywood which emits both formaldehyde and terpenes.