When I first had an office I didn't even have any filing cabinet and as such my office was a complete mess! These days you can buy wooden filing cabinet for fantastic prices and there really is no excuse for not getting one as your office will look so much more professional than with regular metal or plastic ones. But how do you choose the right one? The easy answer is just find one that matches the decor of your office well and isn't too much money, but in reality filing cabinets come in many different sizes and quality levels so you need to make sure you get one that is up to the job.

In this article I'll be talking a little bit about the different styles of wood filing cabinets you can buy, as well as how much you are likely to spend on them. For example, oak filing cabinets are a good choice. Before you start you should try and work out how much you have to spend, has a fixed budget will more easily allow you to plan what you are going to buy in the future. Also, just because a particular type filing cabinet woodwork for some businesses doesn't mean it won't necessarily work for yours, so you should take into account your own circumstances before buying a piece of office furniture.

For the traditional rolling two-door filing cabinet you can expect to pay around $60 if you buy it made of wood. If you are looking to buy many units as you are stocking an office full of them then you may be to negotiate a better price from a wholesaler.

However if you want to go for a more expensive wood such as maple you may have to spend up to $1000. This is obviously only for people who are looking to decorate their home with a filing cabinet rather than those who are looking to use it in an office as it simply isn't worth the cost of a  thousand dollars for something that you could get much cheaper and would work just as well.

If you buy a low quality filing cabinet then you will probably have to build it yourself. You should also avoid those that say they are made from wood but in fact made of a low quality material and hence won't last very long in day-to-day use.

If you're buying a single cabinet for your own office then you can find cheap wooden filing cabinet on the Internet or in furniture store such as IKEA. For example a 3 drawer wooden filing cabinet might set you back around $200 or around £150 which is pretty good considering the amount you use it.

On the other hand if you're trying to buy an antique wooden filing cabinet then you may have to extend your search to different places as they aren't usually stopped in regular shops. The best way to buy any kind of antique is to go to a dealer that is renowned for their quality. If you buy from someone without knowing their reputation, then you're much more likely to get scammed than if you buy from somewhere that is known for its quality of service. Like buying any kind of antiques, you should make sure that you get a proper valuation from professional before buying otherwise you may end up with a very nice replica, but not what you paid for.

Like with any piece of office furniture it is much more important to get something that is functional and something that looks good, but if you can get both the matter is an added bonus. If you buy the cheapest possible wooden filing cabinet you will probably be disappointed by its quality so make sure you buy one that will at least do the amount of work you require of it.