Tuesday, October 4, 2011

It’s such a natural product and America’s greatest renewable resource but it’s not perfect.

Regardless of grade, wood can split, twist, warp, cup, stain, weather, bow and crack. MDF moldings, engineered lumber and composite decking all mitigate some or all of the problems of all “pure” wood products. However, they come with their own set of disadvantages. For example, you cannot stain MDF moldings for a natural wood grain color and pattern look. One of the other “disadvantages” these man-made products have created is the increased expectation for a consistent and high quality. This is where wood falls down. 
By its very nature wood is NOT uniform in color, grain, weight, density or appearance. With these variations comes a wide range of qualities that the industry standardizes into differing grade levels. As part of those grade rules, wood is graded under varying standards. For instance, 1x boards are typically only graded to on side and one/two edges. Think about it – most uses of a 1x board leaves only those surfaces exposed. In the case of cedar boards, they are only graded to the one rough side. Framing lumber is usually judged on its knot and strength aspects, not its appearance.
We should expect boards that simply aren’t perfect, Mother Nature isn’t taking orders from us humans.
Find out more 

CAMO Screws

Check out the “CAMO” screw system on the web. It is a simple, low cost hidden fastening system eliminating many of the problems and difficulties in working with other hidden systems. CAMO allows for easy removal/replacement of just one board. It automatically gaps deck boards properly and sets up quickly. The screws come in two sizes to accommodate both 1x and 2x decking materials.

A Full Selection of Cedar!

We stock a full selection, including longer lengths of boards, timbers, decking, dimension sized lumber, lattice, post caps and so on. The quality we’re seeing is excellent, some of the best we’ve seen. Watch availability and pricing. As of June, the mills are having difficulty logging; the wet spring and early summer are hampering access to the trees. This tightens the supply side dramatically creating some spot shortages and higher prices.

Find out more!