NZ Timber Options for Custom Dining Tables

Choosing timber is one of the biggest decisions in a custom dining table. Shape and size decide how the table fits the room. Timber decides how it feels under your hands, how it catches the light, and how it will age in a New Zealand home.

For finished surfaces, we also make custom timber benchtops and panels in timbers such as Rimu, Tōtara and West Coast Beech.

At Innate, our main native timber options for custom dining tables, boardroom tables and timber tops are West Coast beech, Cyclone-salvaged West Coast rimu, and Northland tōtara. Each has a different colour, grain and story. None is the right answer for every room.

Start with the room, not the species list

A timber sample in your own home tells you more than a screen can. Put it beside the floor, cabinetry, chairs and natural light. The same timber can feel pale and quiet in one room, then warmer or heavier in another.

• Colour: pale honey, warm red, golden brown, darker brown or blackwashed.
• Grain: calm and even, or more figured and expressive.
• Use: family dining, boardroom, hospitality, desk, benchtop or occasional table.
• Provenance: where the timber came from and why it deserves to be used well.

If you are still working out size and proportion, use our Dining Table Size Guide for NZ Homes first, then come back to the timber decision.

West Coast beech: clean, dense and practical

West Coast beech, also known as tawhai, is the most practical-feeling of our three core timbers. It is dense, fine-grained and well suited to daily-use furniture: dining tables, desks, boardroom tables and other pieces that need to work hard without feeling heavy or fussy.

How it looks

Beech tends to sit in the light-to-medium range: pale gold, warm honey and soft brown depending on the board and finish. The grain is usually fine and even, which makes it a good choice when you want the table to feel calm rather than visually loud.

Where it comes from

Our beech is harvested on the West Coast under Continuous Cover Forestry. Instead of clear-felling, selected trees are removed under strict management plans, the canopy remains intact, and the forest keeps regenerating naturally.

Best for

• Everyday dining tables that need to feel durable but not bulky.
• Modern homes, offices and boardrooms where a quieter timber works best.
• Customers who want a local timber option without heavy colour variation.

Cyclone-salvaged rimu: warm, figured and unmistakably New Zealand

Rimu has a different kind of presence. It carries the warmth people associate with old New Zealand villas, halls and homesteads, but our current rimu is not recycled flooring or demolition timber. It is Cyclone-salvaged West Coast rimu.

How it looks

Rimu ranges from golden honey through to deep red-brown. It often has a fine, close grain that catches light beautifully, with quiet figure that becomes more obvious once the table is oiled and lived with.

Where it comes from

Our rimu was salvaged from trees brought down by Cyclone Ita on the northern West Coast. The timber was selectively extracted from the Little Wanganui area under Department of Conservation and Ministry for Primary Industries oversight, then milled and dried locally.

Best for

• Dining tables where warmth and character are part of the brief.
• Homes with older timber floors, villas or natural-material interiors.
• Customers who want the provenance of Cyclone-salvaged West Coast rimu clearly carried into the piece.

Northland tōtara: soft warmth, cultural depth and natural durability

Tōtara is one of Aotearoa’s most significant native timbers. Historically prized by Māori for waka and carving, and later used by early builders for posts and construction, it has a long record of being chosen when durability and workability mattered.

How it looks

Northland tōtara usually has warm golden-brown to reddish tones, a straight grain and a softer visual texture than beech or rimu. It can feel gentle and grounded rather than dense or formal.

Where it comes from

Northland tōtara comes from regenerating tōtara on private land in Te Tai Tokerau. Used well, it can support better native timber value from land that has often been treated as scrub rather than a long-term resource.

Best for

• Pieces where the native timber story matters as much as the surface.
• Warmer interiors that suit softer colour and texture.
• Custom work where the design can respect the timber’s softer character.

Which timber should you choose?

The simplest way to choose is to decide what job the timber needs to do visually.

• Choose beech if you want clean, strong and practical.
• Choose rimu if you want warmth, movement and a recognisable New Zealand feel.
• Choose tōtara if you want a softer native timber with cultural and ecological depth.

Questions we get about choosing timber

Which timber is best for a dining table?

There is no single best timber for every table. West Coast beech is a practical, calm choice for daily use; Cyclone-salvaged West Coast rimu gives more warmth and movement; Northland tōtara has a softer feel and a strong native timber story.

Can I see the timber before choosing?

Yes. Timber samples are the safest way to compare colour and finish in your own light, especially beside flooring, cabinetry and other furniture.

Is Cyclone-salvaged rimu the same as recycled rimu?

No. Recycled rimu usually means reclaimed timber from old buildings. Our current rimu is Cyclone-salvaged West Coast rimu, recovered from storm-felled trees rather than demolition timber.

Do different timbers change the price of a custom table?

They can. Price depends on timber, size, thickness, finish, base style and current stock. The best next step is to choose the look and use case first, then ask us to quote the right option.

Which finish should I choose?

Clear finish keeps the timber closest to its natural colour. Country Bark and darker finishes add weight and contrast. The right choice depends on your room, flooring, light and how much visual warmth you want.