Specialty Woods: Selecting the Best Wood Species for Your Building Project or Remodel

How to Select and Source the Best Wood for Your Project

In the construction industry, there is great demand for specific wood types which lend character and interest to your home or building project. Some woods are quite commonplace and are used as a matter of course, but for more high-end projects, many people choose to source more unique woods with specific characteristics relating to color, longevity, markings and strength.

Oak is the most common hardwood used for home molding, especially if it is to be stained. It’s widely available at most home improvement stores and its cost is usually very reasonable. Oak goes well when used with hardwood flooring due to the fact it is easily stainable to match with flooring seamlessly. Oak is also a beautiful wood because of its natural wood finish and rich grain.

Pine is the most inexpensive real wood molding and is popular with do-it-yourself homeowners. Because pine does not have consistent wood density, the varying hard- and softwood areas make it difficult to stain smoothly. It is much easier to cut and install over other hardwoods and accepts paint well while still allowing wood grain to be seen through it.

MDF is short for medium density fiberboard and is very popular in construction especially when painted. It is the least expensive option for molding available on the market and so ideal for contractors as a cost-effective way to complete home molding. It is a completely smooth surface and has no wood grain. It doesn’t stain well at all due to its nonporous nature, but it covers very easily with paint and is especially good with high-gloss coatings.

High-end Specialty Woods

Besides the common woods, crown molding is sometimes made from red oak, mahogany, white oak and poplar. For baseboard, crown and other types of molding, fir, cherry, cypress, bamboo and ash are popular. It is considerably more expensive to use these specialty woods if they are sourced new, but for homeowners who want finer wood molding, there are other choices. Deadhead cypress, antique oak and TimberSIL are all outstanding options for discerning building contractors who are looking to add a touch of luxury to their project, and can be particularly effective when looking to complete historical renovations in keeping with existing features.

Reclaiming Specialty Woods from ‘Green’ Sources

A positive option for sourcing the more unique woods such as Deadhead cypress can be to salvage it from existing sites which are no longer required, or search areas such as riverbeds where wood has been discarded or is not being used. Salvaged wood is tempered and weathered, which makes it more hardy and able to withstand harsher weather conditions. In addition, this is a highly ethical way of locating woods which could otherwise be wasted in favor of less ‘green’ procurement methods.

Good Millwork can create the following products from specialty wood which has been reclaimed from river beds, salvage and other means:

1. Moldings [inclusive of all patterns]
2. Flooring
3. Siding
4. Paneling
5. Doors including Mahogany Doors
6. Door Trim Moldings
7. Louvered doors
8. Cabinet doors
9. Gates
10. Exterior Shutters
11. Stair parts
12. Corbels and architectural brackets
13. Benches and miscellaneous outdoor fixtures.

How to Use Our Molding Search Tool
To begin a molding search, use the drop down menu (currently “Crown”) to select the type of molding. To see all available moldings in all sizes simply click “Start Search”. You can narrow the selection by entering dimensions in the fields.

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Tagged as: Architecture, construction, Home Improvement, specialty woods