Wood Species & Finishes Used in Avocado Furniture

At Avocado, we build our furniture on the same values that guide our mattresses: quality, sustainability, transparency, and long-lasting performance. Every piece is made from solid wood, never veneers, and finished with either a low-VOC, water-based coating or a hand-rubbed, plant-based oil finish. Both cure fully before shipping to protect the wood and bring out its natural character. This guide covers the woods we use and the finishes applied across our furniture collections.

We use five primary solid wood types across our collections: Alder, Walnut, Maple, Oak, and Poplar, plus reclaimed wood. We select each kiln-dried solid wood for durability, beauty, and responsible sourcing.

Note: Our kids' furniture is made from FSC® certified poplar and alder (FSC 156318), in clear or white-painted finishes.

Each wood species we use offers a different balance of hardness, character, and finish. The Janka hardness scale measures how well a wood resists denting and wear — the higher the number, the harder the wood. We use it here as a general durability reference across our five primary species.

A higher Janka rating means greater resistance to surface dents and scratches, but it doesn't measure overall quality or lifespan. We choose softer woods like alder for how beautifully and evenly they take a finish, while denser woods like oak and walnut offer exceptional wear resistance. All are solid wood, sourced from North America, and built to last with proper care.

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We use three primary finishes across our collections. We chose them for their safety, performance, and ability to enhance the wood's natural character. Explore these finishes in our Wood Swatch Kit, also available for sale.

As of October 2026, maple furniture is finished with Renner® clear coat. Some maple pieces from earlier production carry a hand-rubbed Walrus Oil® finish and may ship while we sell through that inventory. Both finishes are fully cured before shipping. If you'd like to know which finish your maple piece has, contact us.

Note: We previously used an ECOS® spray clear coat on some walnut pieces. All new walnut and oak furniture now ships with a hand-rubbed Walrus Oil® finish, which brings out the depth and grain of darker hardwoods. Our maple, blonde, reclaimed, and cedar pieces are finished with Renner® water-based clear coat.

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Every piece is made from solid wood, never veneers. We use alder, walnut, maple, poplar, and oak across most of our wood furniture collections, with reclaimed wood in select items. We source all our wood from North America and select it for durability, beauty, and responsible sourcing.

No. Every Avocado piece is built from solid wood, with no veneers, particleboard, or MDF cores. For example, our walnut pieces are made from solid walnut throughout, creating heirloom-quality furniture designed to last.

We use professional-grade finishes chosen for performance and safety. We finish our clear pieces with a Renner water-based clear sanding sealer and clear topcoat, applied by spray. Our white-painted kids' furniture uses a Renner water-based white primer and white topcoat. And our walnut and oak pieces receive a hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish. We name our actual finish suppliers because we believe you should be able to see exactly what goes on your furniture.

Our kids' furniture is finished with professional-grade, water-based coatings that are sprayed and fully cured before each piece ships. Once cured, the finish forms a hard, stable surface in which the coating components are locked into the film. We use water-based rather than solvent-based formulas, and our clear and white topcoats are not classified as hazardous products. As with any factory-applied coating, the handling precautions on the manufacturers' safety data sheets apply to the wet product during manufacturing, not to the finished, cured furniture you receive.

Yes. We use water-based coatings that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), rather than solvent-based finishes. Our clear and white water-based topcoats are not classified as hazardous products, and our Walrus Oil® finish is
a plant-based finish of oils, waxes, and rosin, made with food-grade ingredients. We professionally apply and cure all finishes before we ship the furniture.

Our Renner® clear topcoat and our Walrus Oil® finishes contain no substances listed under California Proposition 65, according to the manufacturers' safety data sheets. If you'd like documentation for a specific piece or finish, including our sanding sealer and white paint system, we're happy to share the manufacturer's information on request.

Both, depending on the piece. We spray-apply our clear and white finishes in a controlled, professional setting for an even, durable surface. Our walnut and oak pieces receive a more labor-intensive, hand-rubbed Walrus Oil finish that brings out the wood's depth and character.

Our Walrus Oil-finished pieces are easy to maintain and can be reconditioned over time to refresh their appearance. For step-by-step instructions, see our guide on caring for your Avocado furniture.