| So you want to build a hutch or put down wood | | | | Cherry is just about in the middle of the hardness |
| flooring in the living room. The question is which | | | | scale at 950 pounds of pressure to mar. |
| hardwood lumber is the best for the job. The answer | | | | How Hardwood Can Change |
| is not difficult if you learn a little about the | | | | Hardwood contracts and expands depending on |
| characteristics of hardwoods and what gives them | | | | temperature and moisture. This is because it tries to |
| their unique qualities. | | | | adapt to its environment. It was once a living thing |
| What is Hardwood Lumber? | | | | and continues to have a life of its own to some |
| Hardwood is defined as wood coming from broad | | | | degree. In order to minimize the amount of change |
| leaf trees or those that produce nuts. It is the | | | | to wood it is kiln dried to remove much of the |
| hickory, oak, Walnut, Maple, and cherry trees that | | | | moisture and stabilize it. This helps keep the finished |
| are most popular in North America. This is because | | | | wood product truer to the size and shape of when it |
| the climate is just right for large production of such | | | | was manufactured. |
| species of trees. The lumber that is created from | | | | Leading manufacturers of hardwood lumber take into |
| these strong trees is given the generic name of | | | | account changes in wood and the purpose for which |
| "hardwood." | | | | it will be used in designing the lumber. For example, |
| Not all hardwood is the same. Industry groups have | | | | the Windsor plywood is often used as sub-flooring |
| made great strides in standardizing wood by strength | | | | and for exterior wall bases. Dunn, Carter, Lowes, and |
| and grade. This helps consumers know which are | | | | Siegel lumber all stock their lumber rack with rough |
| truly the hardest and which are right for specific | | | | cut lumber for any job. Online retailers such as |
| woodworking jobs. | | | | Lumber Liquidators have a huge supply of hardwood |
| For example, the hardest of the hardwoods is | | | | lumber mostly for finished flooring applications. |
| hickory and Pecan. It is measured by how many | | | | Careful consideration needs to go into the right type |
| pounds of pressure is needed to mar the wood. In | | | | of lumber for your hardwood project, but equally as |
| the case of these two woods it is approximately | | | | important is the finished look. Many hardwoods vary |
| 1,820 pounds of pressure before the wood is marred. | | | | only slightly in their strength and durability, but as a |
| On the other end of the hardwood scale is Aspen. It | | | | consumer, you need to decide to you like the grainy |
| is classified as a hardwood, but requires only 350 | | | | look of white oak or the smooth finish of maple. Any |
| pounds of pressure to mar its surface. In between | | | | type of hardwood lumber can be stained and finished |
| are hard maple at 1,450 pounds and white oak at | | | | with several colour variations, so look more at grain |
| 1,360 pounds. This give you a comparison of which | | | | than colour when choosing what wood looks best to |
| woods are best for flooring (the harder woods) and | | | | you. |
| which make better material for building furniture. | | | | |