Brown, red and silver maples are fine textured, straight grained hardwoods similar in density to cherry wood. These so-called “soft” maples readily take stains and have a smooth finished appearance. Maple had fallen out of favor after many years of being used in “colonial style” bedroom, living room and dining room furniture. With the introduction of more contemporary, clean-lined styles, maple has made a resurgence in popularity. Maple furniture is now available in almost any finish you can imagine, letting the customers express themselves in new, and creative ways. Hard rock or white maple is an extremely durable hardwood that finishes very smoothly. This is the hard maple that is also used for higher quality butcher blocks and counter tops. While usually not available in as many stain colors as the softer varieties of maple, its beautiful grain is best shown in lighter finishes.