Our white oak doors and panels are made with real wood veneers. We chose white oak for our collection because it's durable and timeless, and it is at the core of the Scandinavian design. It also grows in the US, which is essential to us, as we always try to source material that is kind to the planet and minimizes the environmental footprint.

Wood is a natural material and may always vary in texture, color, and wood grain (meaning texture and appearance of wood fibers). Due to the current supply chain issues the world faces, we no longer have the same access and control over the raw material for the white oak doors. We still buy the highest grade (yes – wood comes in different grades) of white oak, but you'll see a bigger variation in the pattern created by the wood grain's orientation than our pictures displayed on the website and our samples. The shade of the wood is still the same, but the doors will display a more vivid figure than in our product photos. 

Here is a close-up of how the wood grain can differ:

And some examples from our customers:

Photo source: @raisingfivekind on Instagram 

 

Photo source: @katekamm on Instagram 

Natural wood is one-of-a-kind and truly unique, which is why we hope you'll still consider adding a white oak piece to your home. We do our best to give your doors and panels a homogenous look, and we hope you'll love this natural look as much as we do! 

 

GO BACK TO WHITE OAK FRONTS & PANELS 

Still curious about wood grain?

The most characteristic feature of real wood furniture is the presence of wood grain. Real wood furniture will always have a grain that varies in pattern across the piece. 

Wood grain refers to the arrangement of a wood's fibers resulting from the growth of a tree. It is created when longitudinal cells align with the trunk, root, or limb axis. When the tree is cut, these fibers reveal a visual pattern of darker and lighter wood, known as the grain or the "figure."

Oak wood is generally straight-grained and is unique when it comes to water resistance, for instance, due to having pores sealed off by tyloses. 

Photo source: @dreamingofdecor on Instagram

 

If you want help designing your custom wood piece, our design advisors are ready to hop on a 1-on-1 call to disucss design configurations, product questions, IKEA shopping lists, and more. Book a consultation at time that works for you and reimagine IKEA with us.