Cedar is a wonderfully versatile wood.

Cedar is used in many different exterior applications. 

Most cedar is sourced in Canada, with smaller amounts in Washington and Oregon states. Current production in British Columbia, Canada is using only 1/3 of 1% in annual harvest. Western Red Cedar (WRC) (Thuja plicata) is one of North America’s great renewable resources. Slow growing and naturally durable. Western Red Cedar has one of the longest life spans of any North American softwood. It produces long lengths of timber with true, straight grain. It is free from pitch and its heartwood has natural decay resistance. Its low density gives it an insulation value superior to most other species. Cedar is lightweight, easy to work, easy to finish, possessing outstanding dimensional stability. Western Red Cedar is a preferred wood for nearly all purposes where attractive appearance or resistance to weather is important. The cedar lumber mill association has a great website that covers product, installation, finishing, grades and more: www.wrcla.org

Grades of Cedar
Cedar is one of the most confusing woods to purchase since beyond clear and vertical grain, most other grades are proprietary. This translates to the mills or distributors assigning whatever name they choose. Cedar, like all wood boards, is graded to one side and two edges only. In the specific case of cedar, it is graded to the rough side only (ie s1s2E). 
However, a few general terms are universal:
Clear – no knots, cedar is graded to the rough sawn side (as applicable). All grading applies to just one side and one or two edges.
Select Knotty – or STK (Select Tight Knot) is not in any grade book. It refers to boards that are chosen for their general good appearance with solid, tight knots that should not fall out.
Rough Sawn – Milling process leaving the wood rough–typically the treatment most people identify with cedar.
Smooth Sawn – Milling boards to a smooth appearance
S1S2E–One side and two edges are smooth, leaving the opposing side “rough”.
“No Hole”– generally refers to pickets where the picket—when graded—had no open knotholes, although with no gauranty the knots could fall out in the future, leaving a hole.
Green – Wood of any specie that has not been dried during the milling process.
Dried – Wood of any specie that has been allowed to give up the moisture in the cell structure. The processes include kiln dried, heat treated, air dried and partially air dried

Species of Cedar
Western Red Cedar – the most common and readily available.
Alaskan Yellow Cedar – is actually a type of Cypress.
Inland Red Cedar – is a form of WRC growing in different locations. Log quality and size are limited for consistency.

Find out more about cedar: CLICK HERE

Delivery for only $19.65!

What do you need for that upcoming project?

We'll deliver it for only $19.65!

To celebrate our 50th year in business, we're offering delivery within the extended metro Denver area for only $19.65…all year long! 
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We Sell Milgard “Essence” Fiberglass Window Series.

Front Range Lumber is an Authorized Milgard Dealer.

This is a fiberglass clad window, with pine, fir or primed pine interior. 15 exterior colors are available, at no up charge. Innovative tilt latches on double-hungs offer a sleek, clean look. Casement windows up to 36” x 84”, double-hungs up to 48” x 96”, and sliders up to 96”X72” are available. 

All the popular hardware finishes are standard. This product offers all the advantages of a fiberglass exterior plus the beauty of wood inside. “Essence” also includes Milgard’s lifetime warranty, including the accidental glass breakage warranty. This means that even if the installer damages glass, Milgard will replace it (labor and material) for free!
The minimum overall jamb thickness of this product is 5-1/16”, so in some cases this is not considered a replacement window. 

We have sold 5 houses of this new product, and have heard only positive reviews from the homeowners. We have samples in our showroom and can offer budget pricing any time.  

Want to know more? Visit Front Range Lumber or give Kent a call at 303-988-5980

How To Build a Trex Deck with Curves.

We sell the TREX products you need to build your next project!

Honorary Life Member of Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealer Association

John E. Gunzner was named an Honorary Life Member by the 

Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealer Association

We are proud to announce that
in 2014 John E. Gunzner was named an Honorary Life Member by the Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealer Association due to his contributions to the industry, the community and our business. 

We're Easy To Find in Lakewood!

1741 South Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80232

The Mayor of Lakewood stops by Front Range Lumber

Last Spring on Spotlight on Lakewood, Mayor Bob Murphy headed over to Front Range Lumber to find out how the local business is able to keep up with national competitors.

Front Range Lumber: We're a Sponsoring Member of BUILT GREEN COLORADO

Front Range Lumber: We're a Sponsoring Member of BUILT GREEN COLORADO: 

We are proud to support this program by stocking decking and engineered wood products that are listed on the Built Green checklist. Whether...

We stock it!

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.
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A few ‘tricks of the trade’ that Front Range Lumber has learned in the 13 years we’ve been dealing with Trex Products.

TREX
This is not to be interpreted as a warranty nor should any of these hints override any of Trex’s own instructions. Please refer to their full instructions or call 1-800-BUY-TREX or access www.trex.com Decking material should be AT least the newer versions of “1x” or 2x material (Trex or otherwise). Trex is NOT structural and should not be used for supporting posts, joists or beams. Save the 1x for trim, fascia etc. We suggest that you ALWAYS use the 2x6 boards on stairs. Prevent waviness or “warping” of Trex by storing as flat as possible. Placing it directly on a driveway is a popular and certainly adequate method. However, the preferred method of storage is to lay the Trex across multiple “stickers”, that are approximately 24” apart (2x4’s or other scraps of lumber placed underneath to hold and support the product off the ground). Do not use treated lumber for this purpose as it can stain the Trex. Avoid laying Trex directly on rock or gravel beds or other irregular surface to prevent any marring of the product.
COLORS
ALL Trex colors fade somewhat. These hues: Madeira Red, Woodland Brown and Saddle Brown fade a very nominal 3-5%. In essence, they’ll remain the same color. Winchester Gray will change to a medium-gray. Regardless of their beginning status, all boards of the same color will eventually fade to a similar color. Each piece of Trex has red or black printing along the side of the board. This will indicate the source of that particular board including the plant, shift and year manufactured. We recommend that you re-cut both ends of each piece of Trex to obtain a clean crisp end. We recommend that you
keep at least one end “scrap” for possible reference in theunlikely event of a warranty claim. Always verify that the entire shipment you receive is the same color, BEFORE the project begins. Remember some of the pieces you receive may have faded more than others. Although Trex is a man-made material, each batch (this can mean different lengths or sizes) may start out as slightly
different colors due to the manufacturing and distribution/ storage/handling process. Not to worry though, all will fade to the same general hue. Please allow approximately two months for Trex to attain its final color. The New Transcends version of Trex are colorfast in the following colors: TreeHouse, Gravel Path, Firepit, Vintage Lantern, Lava Rock and Spiced Rum.

How to Choose the Right Brush

How to Choose the Right Brush