Buying Hardwood Lumber

Hardwood provides a smooth durable finish.

Unlike the soft white pine and yellow pine lumber used in framing materials, most hardwoods appear in exterior trim work and cabinetry where they resist dents and dings without suffering damage. Although there are many types of hardwood, the lumber industry uses only a few on a regular basis. The most popular are oak, ash and walnut, although you will find cherry, poplar and mahogany on a lesser scale.

Instructions

1. Choose hardwood lumber by its grain. Since most hardwood will be visible, it’s imperative to choose pieces with a similar grain if they will be in the same room. Oak, for instance, has a lot of variation in the grain from one board to the next.

2. 

   Look for a similar pattern and density of grain. There are two basic types of grain; one is knotty, and one is fine. Knotty grain works well in rustic applications, such as log cabins or country-style homes, while a fine grain adds a touch of uniformity to casual homes.

3. 

   Match your hardwood plywood to your trim. When you’re installing custom kitchen cabinets or any other built-in shelving, your hardwood plywood should match the grain of your trim lumber. Hardwood plywood has a smooth face on only one side of the wood, with the other side featuring pressed plywood.

4. Check out the hardwood lumber, and choose only the straightest boards. Do this by standing the piece of lumber on the floor and looking down the long side. Although some bowing is natural, boards with less bowing or warping are easier to cut and will fit together better in mitered or coped corners. Warped wood may reveal tiny gaps after installation.

5. Resist choosing hardwood with a lot of circular grain if you will be using a belt sander. When sanding any wood, you must sand only in the direction of the grain or risk leaving scuff marks on the wood.

6. Purchase all of your hardwood lumber from the same batch, if possible. Trees, like humans, have slight variations in tone, density and hue from one tree to the next. Although it may be nearly imperceptible until you add stain, at that point, the areas of softer grain will absorb the stain at an increased rate, creating a variation between the boards.

Tips & Warnings

• Measure accurately before you purchase hardwood to reduce waste. These woods are much more expensive than soft pine.

Resources

• Order common and rare hardwood online.