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Various types of soft and hard woods used in modern home
improvement and remodeling |
 | | Red oak: Main Uses are for
Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork and moldings’, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling and caskets. The Latin
name for oak, Quercus, means "a fine tree." The oaks have been key in America's industrial transformation: railroad
ties, wheels, plows, looms, barrels and, of course, furniture and floors. The oak is the state tree of New Jersey. It Grows
throughout Eastern USA. The oaks are by far the most abundant species group growing in the Eastern hardwood forests. Red oaks
grow more abundantly than the white oaks. The red oak group comprises many species, of which about eight are commercial. Average
tree height is 60 to 80 feet. The wood is hard and heavy, with medium bending strength and stiffness and high crushing strength.
It is very good for steam bending. Great wear-resistance and is the most widely used species.White oak: Main Uses are for Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork,
moldings’, doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling, barrel staves (tight cooperage) and caskets. White oak is impervious to
liquids, and has been used extensively for ship timbers, barrels and casks. White oak is the state tree of Connecticut, Illinois
and Maryland. White oak machines well nails and screws well although pre-boring is advised. Since it reacts with iron, galvanized
nails are recommended. Its adhesive properties are variable, but it stains to a good finish. Can be stained with a wide range
of finish tones. The wood dries slowly. A hard and heavy wood with medium bending and crushing strength, low in stiffness,
but very well in steam bending. Great wear-resistance. Alder: Grows
Principally the Pacific Northwest, where it is the most abundant commercial hardwood. Average height is 90 feet and the tree
matures in 25 to 40 years, but will begin to deteriorate by 60 to 80 years of age. Alder grows well on burned over lands and
thrives in areas that have been ravaged by fire, earthquakes or logging. Main Uses are for Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors,
shutters, moldings’, panel stock, turnings, carvings and kitchen utensils. Alder is used in the smoking of meats and
fish. Red alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light
brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between
sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture. Red alder machines well and is excellent for
turning. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends
with walnut, mahogany or cherry. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying. Red
alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness. Ash: Norse mythology refers to ash as "the mighty tree that supports
the heavens" and "below earth its roots went down to hell." Ash belongs to the olive family, although its only
fruit is a dart-like winged seed. Ash is a popular species for food containers because the wood has no taste. Admiral Richard
Byrd wore snowshoes made from ash during his polar expeditions and early windmills were made from this species. It Grows Throughout
the Eastern USA. White ash trees range in height from 80 to 120 feet with diameter from 2 to 5 feet. Main Uses are for Furniture,
flooring, doors, architectural millwork and moldings, kitchen cabinets, paneling, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks,
billiard cues, skis, oars and turnings. At one time ash was the preferred wood for making tennis racquets. Ash machines well,
is good in nailing, screwing and gluing, and can be stained to a very good finish. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade,
and there is little movement in performance. Ash has very good overall strength properties relative to its weight. It has
excellent shock resistance and is good for steam bending. Aspen: It
Grows Commercially in the Northeast. Average tree height is 40 to 60 feet. The aspen has a short life span: just before reaching
full growth, it has a tendency to suffer from decay. Aspens are known for seeding and thriving in places where fires have
been. Main Uses are for Furniture parts (drawer sides), doors, moldings’, picture frames, millwork, toys, kitchen utensils,
food containers, baskets and matchsticks. Important specialized uses include sauna laths because of its low conductivity of
heat, and chopsticks. Aspen dose not split when nailed, it machines easily with a slightly fuzzy surface, and turns,
bores, and sands well. It takes paint and stain well to produce a good finish although care is required where the surface
is fuzzy. It has low to moderate shrinkage and good dimensional stability. Aspen is a true poplar, and therefore has similar
characteristics and properties to cottonwood. The wood is light and soft, with low bending strength and stiffness, and medium
shock resistance. It has a very low bending classification. It is Limited in Availability and rarely available in thick stock. Basswood: The name comes from its inner bark, or bast, used by Native Americans
to make rope. It Grows Principally the Northern and Lake states. Average tree height is 65 feet. Its Main Uses are for Carvings,
turnings, furniture, pattern making, moldings’, millwork and musical instruments. An important specialized use is Venetian
blinds and shutters. Native Americans also used basswood’s inner bark fibers to make thread and fabric. Basswood machines
well and is easy to work with hand tools making it a premier carving wood. It nails, screws, and glues fairly well and can
be sanded and stained to a good smooth finish. It dries fairly rapidly with little distortion or degrading. It has fairly
high shrinkage but good dimensional stability when dry. The wood is light and soft with generally low strength properties
and a poor steam-bending classification Beech: Known as "Mother of the Forest" for its nutrient-rich humus.
Beech has a long, illustrious past. The Aryan Tribes of Asia, the earliest known people to use a written language, carved
their messages into the soft, smooth pliable bark of the beech tree trunk. The writings, cut out of the bark and used intact,
were called "boc," which eventually became "book. It Grows Throughout the Eastern USA, commercial concentration
is in the Central and Middle Atlantic states. Average tree height is 120 feet. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, doors,
flooring, millwork, paneling, brush handles, wooden ware, bending stock, toys and turnings. It is particularly suitable for
food and liquid containers since there is no odor or taste. Beech was used to make snuffboxes as well as mortars and pestles.
Beech works readily with most hand and machine tools. It has good nailing and gluing properties and can be stained to a good
finish. The wood dries fairly rapidly but with a strong tendency to warp, split and surface check. It is subject to a high
shrinkage and moderate movement in performance. Beech is classed as heavy, hard, strong, high in resistance to shock
and highly suitable for steam bending. Good resistance to abrasive wear Birch: From
sap to bark, birch trees are used to make everything from beer to toothpicks. Native Americans stretched birch bark on their
canoe frames and used the wood for their arrows. The birch is New Hampshire's state tree. It is also popular as an ornamental
tree and has gained the nickname "Mother Tree" because birches were planted at the White House to honor the mothers
of USA presidents. The oil extracted from the bark contains a chemical used to treat rheumatism and inflammations. Eastern
USA, principally Northern and Lake states. The average tree is 60 to 70 feet in height. Birch prefers valleys and stream banks
although it adapts itself to higher grounds. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, millwork and paneling, doors, flooring,
kitchen cabinets, turnings and toys. Native Americans often rolled and burned birch bark to keep mosquitoes away. Yellow birch
has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a fine uniform texture.
Generally characterized by a plain and often curly or wavy pattern. The wood works fairly easily, glues well with care, takes
stain extremely well, and nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is advised. It dries rather slowly with little
degrade, but it has moderately high shrinkage, so is susceptible to movement in performance. The wood of yellow birch is heavy,
hard and strong. It has very good bending properties, with good crushing strength and shock resistance Cherry: Like all fruit trees, cherry belongs to the rose family. American Colonists used
the cherry tree for its fruit, medicinal properties and home furnishings. They mixed cherry juice with rum to create Cherry
Bounce, a bitter but highly favored cordial. The bark was used in the production of drugs to treat bronchitis, and cherry
stalks were used to make tonics. It Grows Throughout Midwestern and Eastern USA. Main commercial areas: Pennsylvania, Virginia,
West Virginia and New York. Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Cherry trees can live to the extreme ages of 150 to 200
years. It’s Main Uses are for Fine furniture and cabinet making, moldings’ and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling,
flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings. Early printmakers used cherry for their engraving
blocks. The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In
contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally
contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded and stained,
it produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately high shrinkage, but is dimensionally stable
after kiln drying. The wood is of medium density with good bending properties, it has low stiffness and medium strength and
shock resistance. Cottonwood: Cottonwood is the state tree of Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.
It grows in the Eastern U.S., main commercial areas: Middle and Southern states. Average tree height is 80 to 100 feet. Cottonwoods
have rapid growth throughout their first 40 years, then grow slowly for the many years after. Some have been known to reach
100 feet in height in fifteen years. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, furniture parts, millwork and moldings’,
toys and kitchen utensils. Specialized uses are Venetian blinds, shutters, and caskets. Together, aspen, basswood, cottonwood,
elm, gum, hackberry, sassafras, sycamore and willow represent 12.5 percent of commercially available USA hardwoods. Cottonwoods
were a welcome sight for pioneers moving westward. The cottonwoods marked the presence of streams in the otherwise treeless
Great Plains. General machinability is fair, although tension wood is frequently present and can cause a fuzzy surface when
cut, which in turn will require additional care when finishing. The wood glues well and has good resistance to splitting when
nailing and screwing. It dries easily but may still have a tendency to warp, with slight movement in performance. Cottonwood
is relatively light in weight. The wood is soft, weak in bending and compression, and low in shock resistance. It has no odor
or taste when dry. Cypress: Cypress trees are conifers, but unlike most American softwoods, these
are deciduous trees that shed foliage in the fall like hardwoods. Although cypress is a softwood, it grows alongside hardwoods
and traditionally has been grouped and manufactured with hardwoods. The oils in cypress' heartwood make it one of the
most durable woods when exposed to moisture conditions causing decay. It grows Most cypress trees are natives of the South.
They are found primarily in wet, swampy areas along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Delaware to Florida, and west along the
Gulf of Mexico to the border of Texas and Mexico. Cypress also thrives along the Mississippi Valley from the Louisiana delta
to southern Indiana. Cypress roots love water. Some trees growing on wet sites develop what are called cypress "knees"
or pneumatophores. The knee-like upright growths come from the roots, helping to support the tree and also to aerate the waterlogged
root system. The wood from the knees is soft and light and can be used to make vases and novelty items. It’s Main Uses
are for Exterior: siding, shutters, shingles, trim, fence posts. Interior: paneling, molding, millwork, cabinetry, flooring,
furniture. During the Middle Ages, European craftsmen carved massive cathedral doors from cypress. The sapwood is pale yellow
white with the heartwood varying in color from light to dark or reddish brown. Cypress machines well, planes easily and resists
warping. Pre-boring at board edges will help prevent splitting. It nails and screws very well. It glues well, sands easily
and readily accepts finishes Elm: Elm is the state tree of Massachusetts and North Dakota.
It grows in the Eastern to Midwest USA. Average tree height is 40 to 60 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, cabinet making,
flooring, millwork, paneling and caskets. The red elm has a glue-like substance in its inner bark that formerly was steeped
in water as a remedy for throat ailments; powdered for use in poultices, and chewed as a thirst-quencher. Red elm has a greyish
white to light brown narrow sapwood, with heartwood that is reddish brown to dark brown in color. The grain can be straight,
but is often interlocked. The wood has a coarse texture. The wood of red elm is fairly easy to work, it nails, screws and
glues well, and can be sanded and stained to a good finish. It dries well with minimum degrade and little movement in performance.
Elm is moderately heavy, hard and stiff with excellent bending and shock resistance. It is difficult to split because of its
interlocked grain. Gum: The origins of its Latin name, liquid amber styraciflua, are traced to
the writings of Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez who, in 1519, described the gums as “large trees that exude a gum-like
liquid amber in color. The gums are an important part of the Eastern hardwood forests, and are found throughout the Southeastern
U.S. Average tree height is 80 to 120 feet: they prefer rich, moist soil and grow vigorously on occasionally flooded land.
It’s Main Uses are for Cabinet making, furniture parts, doors, millwork, strips and moldings’, turnings and rail
ties. Good substitute for walnut when stained. Storax, the clear, balsamic oleoresin that the tree secretees, often is used
for medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations and it is used for adhesives, incense, perfuming, powders and soaps. The wood
is easy to work, with both hand and machine tools. It nails, screws and glues well, takes stain easily and can be sanded to
an excellent finish. It dries rapidly with a strong tendency to warp and twist. It has a high shrinkage, and is susceptible
to movement in performance. American gum is moderately hard, stiff and heavy and has a low steam-bending classification. Hackberry: It Grows in the Eastern USA. Average tree height is 130 feet. Its
Main Uses are Furniture and kitchen cabinets, millwork, doors and moldings. Historically, most Southern church pews were made
of hackberry. It often is used for farm implements as well as crates and boxes. The wood planes and turns well and is intermediate
in its ability to hold nails and screws, and stains satisfactorily. Hackberry dries readily with minimal degrade. It has a
fairly high shrinkage and is most suitable in cut stock (small/short pieces). Hackberry is moderately hard, heavy and has
medium bending strength, high shock resistance but is low in stiffness. It has a good steam-bending classification. Hard Maple: The hard maple is the state tree of Wisconsin, Vermont, New York
and West Virginia. In the North, during the cold nights and warm days of late winter, the sugar maple is tapped for its sucrose-containing
sap, the source of maple syrup. It may take up to 30 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Early American settlers used
maple ashes to make soap and Native Americans crafted their spears from hard maple. Until the turn of the century, the heels
of women's shoes were made from maple. Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days.
Hard maple is the standard wood for cutting boards because it imparts no taste to food and holds up well. It grows in the
Eastern USA, principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake states. A cold weather tree favoring a more northerly climate, its average
height is 130 feet. Its Main Uses are for Flooring, furniture, paneling, ballroom and gymnasium floors, kitchen cabinets,
work tops, table tops, butchers blocks, toys, kitchenware and millwork: stairs, handrails, moldings, and doors. A single sugar
maple tree produces up to 12 gallons of sap a year. Hard maple dries slowly with high shrinkage, so it can be susceptible
to movement in performance. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues
satisfactorily, and can be stained to an outstanding finish. Polishes well and is suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones.
The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties, in particular its high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also
has good steam-bending properties. The higher quality grades of lumber are available selected for white color (sapwood) although
this can limit availability. Figured maple (birds-eye, curly, fiddleback) is generally only available in commercial volumes
as veneer. Hickory and Pecan: Its name is an English contraction of the Native American
"powcohicora." In Eastern North America, it survived the catastrophic changes of the Glacial Epoch, some 50 million
years ago. Thus, it is the first strictly American hardwood species. Westward trekking pioneers made hickory a prerequisite
for their wagon wheels. Later, the Wright Brothers whittled hickory for their "flying contraption." Hickory sawdust
and chips are used to flavor meat by smoking. Commercially, the pecan is the most important native North American nut tree
and it is the state tree of Texas. Pecan was a Native American name given to any nut hard enough to require cracking with
a stone. Native Americans, particularly in the Northeast, used hickory for their bows. It Grows in the Eastern USA, principal
commercial areas: Central and Southern states. Tree height ranges from 60 to 120 feet. Hickories grow slowly and it is not
unusual for a tree to take 200 years to mature. Its Main Uses are Tool handles, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, paneling,
wooden ladders, dowels and sporting goods. Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the USA, was nicknamed “Old Hickory”
because of his toughness during disputes. The heaviest of American hardwoods, the hickories can be difficult to machine and
glue, and are very hard to work with hand tools, so care is needed. They hold nails and screws well, but there is a tendency
to split so pre-boring is advised. The wood can be sanded to a good finish. The grain pattern welcomes a full range of medium-to-dark
finishes and bleaching treatments. It can be difficult to dry and has high shrinkage. The density and strength of the hickories
will vary according to the rate of growth, with the true hickories generally showing higher values than the pecan hickories.
The wood is well-known for its very good strength and shock resistance and it also has excellent steam-bending properties.
Extremely tough and resilient, even textured, quite hard and only moderately heavy. Pacific
Coast Maple: It Grows Principally in the Pacific Northwest, where it is an abundant commercial hardwood.
Average height is 60 ft. It grows scattered or in small groves. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors,
shutters, moldings, panel stock, turnings, carvings and kitchen utensils. Very fast growing; it is the second most abundant
species of hardwood PC Maple is easy on the pocket book; it’s about half the cost of hard maple. PC maple machines well
and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws and glues well and can be sanded, stained or painted to a good finish. PC maple
has medium density, but is slightly harder than eastern soft maple. It has medium bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness. Poplar: Yellow poplar trees grow taller than any other USA. hardwood species
and they are members of the magnolia family. The bark the leaves, flowers, fruit and roots contain pharmaceuticals. Poplar
is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Widespread throughout Eastern USA. Tree heights can reach 150 feet.
Its Main Uses are Light construction, furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, siding, paneling, moldings
and millwork, edge-glued panels, turnings and carvings. The poplar tree is rarely attacked by parasites. A versatile wood
that is easy to machine, plane, turn, glue and bore. It dries easily with minimal movement in performance and has little tendency
to split when nailed. It takes and holds paint, enamel and stain exceptionally well. A medium density wood with low bending,
shock resistance, stiffness and compression values, with a medium steam-bending classification. It has excellent strength
and stability. Sassafras: It Grows Sporadically
distributed throughout the Eastern USA. Height varies with region: southern trees generally grow tallest with average heights
of 80 feet. Its Main Uses Furniture, millwork and moldings, windows, doors and door frames and kitchen cabinets. Sassafras
tea can be made from boiling the tree’s flowers and the root bark. Sassafras oil from the tree’s root can also
be used to perfume soap and as medicine. Chewing on sassafras twigs stimulates saliva production: a useful fact for desperately
thirsty hikers. Sir Walter Raleigh took sassafras back to England from Virginia. In what were called the Great Sassafras Hunts
from 1602-1603, ships were sent from England to collect the roots. Sassafras roots then were converted into a tonic that smelled
like root beer and supposedly kept its drinkers youthful and healthy. Sassafras was also used as dye to give fabric an orange
tint. Sassafras heartwood is pale brown to orange brown, resembling ash or chestnut. The narrow sapwood is yellowish white.
The wood has a coarse texture and is generally straight-grained. It is Well-known as an aromatic species. Sassafras is easily
worked and takes a finish well. It glues well and holds screws better than it nails, where pre-boring may be necessary to
avoid splitting. It requires care in drying as it has a tendency to check with small movement in performance. With a medium
strength in all categories except stiffness that is low. Sassafras is suitable for steam bending. Soft Maple: It Grows Throughout Eastern USA, and to a lesser extent on the West Coast (big
leaf maple). Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets,
moldings, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. Soft maple is often used as a substitute for hard maple or stained to
resemble other species such as cherry. Its physical and working properties also make it a possible substitute for beech. Charcoal
is often made from soft maple. Soft maple machines well and can be stained to an excellent finish. It glues, screws, and nails
satisfactorily. Polishes well and are suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones. It dries slowly with minimal degrade and
there is little movement in performance. Soft maple is about 25 percent less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and
crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam-bending properties Sycamore: It Grows Throughout Eastern USA. Average tree height is 60 to 125 feet with peeling
outer bark and a smooth, mottled cream, tan and green inner bark resembling camouflage. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, furniture
parts (drawer sides), millwork, paneling and moldings, flooring, kitchenware, butcher blocks, toys and fruit crates. The sycamore
has the largest leaf of any tree native to North America. The wood machines well, but high speed cutters are needed to prevent
chipping. It is resistant to splitting due to the interlocked grain. The wood glues well and stains, with care, to an excellent
finish. It dries fairly rapidly, with a tendency to warp. It has moderate shrinkage and little movement in performance. The
wood is classified as moderate in weight, hardness, stiffness and shock resistance. It turns well on the lathe and has good
bending Walnut: The roots of the walnut tree release a toxic material that may kill
other plants growing above them. From the time of ancient Greeks until well into modern European history, walnuts symbolized
fertility and were strewn at weddings. Just the opposite, in Romania, brides who wished to delay childbearing placed into
the bodice of their wedding dresses one walnut for each year they hoped to wait. It Grows Throughout Eastern U.S., but principal
commercial region is the Central states. Average tree height of 100 to 150 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, cabinets,
architectural millwork, doors, flooring, paneling, and gun stocks. Walnut is a favored wood for using in contrast with lighter-colored
species. Walnut is one of the few American species planted as well as naturally regenerated. Walnut works easily with
hand and machine tools, and nails, screws and glues well. It holds paint and stain very well for an exceptional finish and
is readily polished. It dries slowly, and care is needed to avoid kiln degrade. Walnut has good dimensional stability. Walnut
is a tough hardwood of medium density, with moderate bending and crushing strengths and low stiffness. It has a good steam-bending
classification. Willow: It Grows Principal commercial areas are the Middle and Southern
states, along the Mississippi River. Average tree height is usually no taller than 30 to 40 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture,
moldings and millwork, paneling, doors, sports equipment, kitchen utensils and toys. Good walnut substitute. The chemical
predecessor of aspirin originally was isolated from willow bark. Willow works fairly easily with hand and machine tools but
care is needed to avoid a fuzzy surface when interlocked grain is present. The wood nails and screws well, glues excellently,
and can be sanded to a very good finish. It dries fairly rapidly with minimal degrade although may be susceptible to moisture
pockets. Dimensional stability is good when dry. The wood is weak in bending, compression, shock-resistance and stiffness,
with a poor steam-bending classification |
Red oak: Main Uses are for Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork and moldings’,
doors, kitchen cabinets, paneling and caskets. The Latin name for oak, Quercus, means "a fine tree." The oaks have
been key in America's industrial transformation: railroad ties, wheels, plows, looms, barrels and, of course, furniture
and floors. The oak is the state tree of New Jersey. It Grows throughout Eastern USA. The oaks are by far the most abundant
species group growing in the Eastern hardwood forests. Red oaks grow more abundantly than the white oaks. The red oak group
comprises many species, of which about eight are commercial. Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. The wood is hard and heavy,
with medium bending strength and stiffness and high crushing strength. It is very good for steam bending. Great wear-resistance
and is the most widely used species.White
oak: Main Uses are for Furniture, flooring, architectural millwork, moldings’, doors, kitchen
cabinets, paneling, barrel staves (tight cooperage) and caskets. White oak is impervious to liquids, and has been used extensively
for ship timbers, barrels and casks. White oak is the state tree of Connecticut, Illinois and Maryland. White oak machines
well nails and screws well although pre-boring is advised. Since it reacts with iron, galvanized nails are recommended. Its
adhesive properties are variable, but it stains to a good finish. Can be stained with a wide range of finish tones. The wood
dries slowly. A hard and heavy wood with medium bending and crushing strength, low in stiffness, but very well in steam bending.
Great wear-resistance. Alder: Grows Principally the Pacific Northwest, where it is the most abundant
commercial hardwood. Average height is 90 feet and the tree matures in 25 to 40 years, but will begin to deteriorate by 60
to 80 years of age. Alder grows well on burned over lands and thrives in areas that have been ravaged by fire, earthquakes
or logging. Main Uses are for Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, shutters, moldings’, panel stock, turnings, carvings
and kitchen utensils. Alder is used in the smoking of meats and fish. Red alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when
freshly cut but quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed
only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is fairly straight-grained
with a uniform texture. Red alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be
sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry. It dries easily with
little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying. Red alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density
that has low bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness. Ash: Norse
mythology refers to ash as "the mighty tree that supports the heavens" and "below earth its roots went down
to hell." Ash belongs to the olive family, although its only fruit is a dart-like winged seed. Ash is a popular species
for food containers because the wood has no taste. Admiral Richard Byrd wore snowshoes made from ash during his polar expeditions
and early windmills were made from this species. It Grows Throughout the Eastern USA. White ash trees range in height from
80 to 120 feet with diameter from 2 to 5 feet. Main Uses are for Furniture, flooring, doors, architectural millwork and moldings,
kitchen cabinets, paneling, tool handles, baseball bats, hockey sticks, billiard cues, skis, oars and turnings. At one time
ash was the preferred wood for making tennis racquets. Ash machines well, is good in nailing, screwing and gluing, and can
be stained to a very good finish. It dries fairly easily with minimal degrade, and there is little movement in performance.
Ash has very good overall strength properties relative to its weight. It has excellent shock resistance and is good for steam
bending. Aspen: It Grows Commercially in the Northeast. Average tree height is 40 to
60 feet. The aspen has a short life span: just before reaching full growth, it has a tendency to suffer from decay. Aspens
are known for seeding and thriving in places where fires have been. Main Uses are for Furniture parts (drawer sides), doors,
moldings’, picture frames, millwork, toys, kitchen utensils, food containers, baskets and matchsticks. Important specialized
uses include sauna laths because of its low conductivity of heat, and chopsticks. Aspen dose not split when nailed, it
machines easily with a slightly fuzzy surface, and turns, bores, and sands well. It takes paint and stain well to produce
a good finish although care is required where the surface is fuzzy. It has low to moderate shrinkage and good dimensional
stability. Aspen is a true poplar, and therefore has similar characteristics and properties to cottonwood. The wood is light
and soft, with low bending strength and stiffness, and medium shock resistance. It has a very low bending classification.
It is Limited in Availability and rarely available in thick stock. Basswood: The
name comes from its inner bark, or bast, used by Native Americans to make rope. It Grows Principally the Northern and Lake
states. Average tree height is 65 feet. Its Main Uses are for Carvings, turnings, furniture, pattern making, moldings’,
millwork and musical instruments. An important specialized use is Venetian blinds and shutters. Native Americans also used
basswood’s inner bark fibers to make thread and fabric. Basswood machines well and is easy to work with hand tools making
it a premier carving wood. It nails, screws, and glues fairly well and can be sanded and stained to a good smooth finish.
It dries fairly rapidly with little distortion or degrading. It has fairly high shrinkage but good dimensional stability when
dry. The wood is light and soft with generally low strength properties and a poor steam-bending classification Beech: Known as "Mother of the Forest" for its nutrient-rich humus.
Beech has a long, illustrious past. The Aryan Tribes of Asia, the earliest known people to use a written language, carved
their messages into the soft, smooth pliable bark of the beech tree trunk. The writings, cut out of the bark and used intact,
were called "boc," which eventually became "book. It Grows Throughout the Eastern USA, commercial concentration
is in the Central and Middle Atlantic states. Average tree height is 120 feet. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, doors,
flooring, millwork, paneling, brush handles, wooden ware, bending stock, toys and turnings. It is particularly suitable for
food and liquid containers since there is no odor or taste. Beech was used to make snuffboxes as well as mortars and pestles.
Beech works readily with most hand and machine tools. It has good nailing and gluing properties and can be stained to a good
finish. The wood dries fairly rapidly but with a strong tendency to warp, split and surface check. It is subject to a high
shrinkage and moderate movement in performance. Beech is classed as heavy, hard, strong, high in resistance to shock
and highly suitable for steam bending. Good resistance to abrasive wear Birch: From
sap to bark, birch trees are used to make everything from beer to toothpicks. Native Americans stretched birch bark on their
canoe frames and used the wood for their arrows. The birch is New Hampshire's state tree. It is also popular as an ornamental
tree and has gained the nickname "Mother Tree" because birches were planted at the White House to honor the mothers
of USA presidents. The oil extracted from the bark contains a chemical used to treat rheumatism and inflammations. Eastern
USA, principally Northern and Lake states. The average tree is 60 to 70 feet in height. Birch prefers valleys and stream banks
although it adapts itself to higher grounds. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, millwork and paneling, doors, flooring,
kitchen cabinets, turnings and toys. Native Americans often rolled and burned birch bark to keep mosquitoes away. Yellow birch
has a white sapwood and light reddish brown heartwood. The wood is generally straight-grained with a fine uniform texture.
Generally characterized by a plain and often curly or wavy pattern. The wood works fairly easily, glues well with care, takes
stain extremely well, and nails and screws satisfactorily where pre-boring is advised. It dries rather slowly with little
degrade, but it has moderately high shrinkage, so is susceptible to movement in performance. The wood of yellow birch is heavy,
hard and strong. It has very good bending properties, with good crushing strength and shock resistance Cherry: Like all fruit trees, cherry belongs to the rose family. American Colonists used
the cherry tree for its fruit, medicinal properties and home furnishings. They mixed cherry juice with rum to create Cherry
Bounce, a bitter but highly favored cordial. The bark was used in the production of drugs to treat bronchitis, and cherry
stalks were used to make tonics. It Grows Throughout Midwestern and Eastern USA. Main commercial areas: Pennsylvania, Virginia,
West Virginia and New York. Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Cherry trees can live to the extreme ages of 150 to 200
years. It’s Main Uses are for Fine furniture and cabinet making, moldings’ and millwork, kitchen cabinets, paneling,
flooring, doors, boat interiors, musical instruments, turnings and carvings. Early printmakers used cherry for their engraving
blocks. The heartwood of cherry varies from rich red to reddish brown and will darken with age and on exposure to light. In
contrast, the sapwood is creamy white. The wood has a fine uniform, straight grain, satiny, smooth texture, and may naturally
contain brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. Cherry is easy to machine, nails and glues well and when sanded and stained,
it produces an excellent smooth finish. It dries fairly quickly with moderately high shrinkage, but is dimensionally stable
after kiln drying. The wood is of medium density with good bending properties, it has low stiffness and medium strength and
shock resistance. Cottonwood: Cottonwood is the state tree of Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.
It grows in the Eastern U.S., main commercial areas: Middle and Southern states. Average tree height is 80 to 100 feet. Cottonwoods
have rapid growth throughout their first 40 years, then grow slowly for the many years after. Some have been known to reach
100 feet in height in fifteen years. It’s Main Uses are for Furniture, furniture parts, millwork and moldings’,
toys and kitchen utensils. Specialized uses are Venetian blinds, shutters, and caskets. Together, aspen, basswood, cottonwood,
elm, gum, hackberry, sassafras, sycamore and willow represent 12.5 percent of commercially available USA hardwoods. Cottonwoods
were a welcome sight for pioneers moving westward. The cottonwoods marked the presence of streams in the otherwise treeless
Great Plains. General machinability is fair, although tension wood is frequently present and can cause a fuzzy surface when
cut, which in turn will require additional care when finishing. The wood glues well and has good resistance to splitting when
nailing and screwing. It dries easily but may still have a tendency to warp, with slight movement in performance. Cottonwood
is relatively light in weight. The wood is soft, weak in bending and compression, and low in shock resistance. It has no odor
or taste when dry. Cypress: Cypress trees are conifers, but unlike most American softwoods, these
are deciduous trees that shed foliage in the fall like hardwoods. Although cypress is a softwood, it grows alongside hardwoods
and traditionally has been grouped and manufactured with hardwoods. The oils in cypress' heartwood make it one of the
most durable woods when exposed to moisture conditions causing decay. It grows Most cypress trees are natives of the South.
They are found primarily in wet, swampy areas along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Delaware to Florida, and west along the
Gulf of Mexico to the border of Texas and Mexico. Cypress also thrives along the Mississippi Valley from the Louisiana delta
to southern Indiana. Cypress roots love water. Some trees growing on wet sites develop what are called cypress "knees"
or pneumatophores. The knee-like upright growths come from the roots, helping to support the tree and also to aerate the waterlogged
root system. The wood from the knees is soft and light and can be used to make vases and novelty items. It’s Main Uses
are for Exterior: siding, shutters, shingles, trim, fence posts. Interior: paneling, molding, millwork, cabinetry, flooring,
furniture. During the Middle Ages, European craftsmen carved massive cathedral doors from cypress. The sapwood is pale yellow
white with the heartwood varying in color from light to dark or reddish brown. Cypress machines well, planes easily and resists
warping. Pre-boring at board edges will help prevent splitting. It nails and screws very well. It glues well, sands easily
and readily accepts finishes Elm: Elm is the state tree of Massachusetts and North Dakota.
It grows in the Eastern to Midwest USA. Average tree height is 40 to 60 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, cabinet making,
flooring, millwork, paneling and caskets. The red elm has a glue-like substance in its inner bark that formerly was steeped
in water as a remedy for throat ailments; powdered for use in poultices, and chewed as a thirst-quencher. Red elm has a greyish
white to light brown narrow sapwood, with heartwood that is reddish brown to dark brown in color. The grain can be straight,
but is often interlocked. The wood has a coarse texture. The wood of red elm is fairly easy to work, it nails, screws and
glues well, and can be sanded and stained to a good finish. It dries well with minimum degrade and little movement in performance.
Elm is moderately heavy, hard and stiff with excellent bending and shock resistance. It is difficult to split because of its
interlocked grain. Gum: The origins of its Latin name, liquid amber styraciflua, are traced to
the writings of Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez who, in 1519, described the gums as “large trees that exude a gum-like
liquid amber in color. The gums are an important part of the Eastern hardwood forests, and are found throughout the Southeastern
U.S. Average tree height is 80 to 120 feet: they prefer rich, moist soil and grow vigorously on occasionally flooded land.
It’s Main Uses are for Cabinet making, furniture parts, doors, millwork, strips and moldings’, turnings and rail
ties. Good substitute for walnut when stained. Storax, the clear, balsamic oleoresin that the tree secretees, often is used
for medicinal and pharmaceutical preparations and it is used for adhesives, incense, perfuming, powders and soaps. The wood
is easy to work, with both hand and machine tools. It nails, screws and glues well, takes stain easily and can be sanded to
an excellent finish. It dries rapidly with a strong tendency to warp and twist. It has a high shrinkage, and is susceptible
to movement in performance. American gum is moderately hard, stiff and heavy and has a low steam-bending classification. Hackberry: It Grows in the Eastern USA. Average tree height is 130 feet. Its
Main Uses are Furniture and kitchen cabinets, millwork, doors and moldings. Historically, most Southern church pews were made
of hackberry. It often is used for farm implements as well as crates and boxes. The wood planes and turns well and is intermediate
in its ability to hold nails and screws, and stains satisfactorily. Hackberry dries readily with minimal degrade. It has a
fairly high shrinkage and is most suitable in cut stock (small/short pieces). Hackberry is moderately hard, heavy and has
medium bending strength, high shock resistance but is low in stiffness. It has a good steam-bending classification. Hard Maple: The hard maple is the state tree of Wisconsin, Vermont, New York
and West Virginia. In the North, during the cold nights and warm days of late winter, the sugar maple is tapped for its sucrose-containing
sap, the source of maple syrup. It may take up to 30 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Early American settlers used
maple ashes to make soap and Native Americans crafted their spears from hard maple. Until the turn of the century, the heels
of women's shoes were made from maple. Maple has been a favorite of American furniture makers since early Colonial days.
Hard maple is the standard wood for cutting boards because it imparts no taste to food and holds up well. It grows in the
Eastern USA, principally Mid-Atlantic and Lake states. A cold weather tree favoring a more northerly climate, its average
height is 130 feet. Its Main Uses are for Flooring, furniture, paneling, ballroom and gymnasium floors, kitchen cabinets,
work tops, table tops, butchers blocks, toys, kitchenware and millwork: stairs, handrails, moldings, and doors. A single sugar
maple tree produces up to 12 gallons of sap a year. Hard maple dries slowly with high shrinkage, so it can be susceptible
to movement in performance. Pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues
satisfactorily, and can be stained to an outstanding finish. Polishes well and is suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones.
The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties, in particular its high resistance to abrasion and wear. It also
has good steam-bending properties. The higher quality grades of lumber are available selected for white color (sapwood) although
this can limit availability. Figured maple (birds-eye, curly, fiddleback) is generally only available in commercial volumes
as veneer. Hickory and Pecan: Its name is an English contraction of the Native American
"powcohicora." In Eastern North America, it survived the catastrophic changes of the Glacial Epoch, some 50 million
years ago. Thus, it is the first strictly American hardwood species. Westward trekking pioneers made hickory a prerequisite
for their wagon wheels. Later, the Wright Brothers whittled hickory for their "flying contraption." Hickory sawdust
and chips are used to flavor meat by smoking. Commercially, the pecan is the most important native North American nut tree
and it is the state tree of Texas. Pecan was a Native American name given to any nut hard enough to require cracking with
a stone. Native Americans, particularly in the Northeast, used hickory for their bows. It Grows in the Eastern USA, principal
commercial areas: Central and Southern states. Tree height ranges from 60 to 120 feet. Hickories grow slowly and it is not
unusual for a tree to take 200 years to mature. Its Main Uses are Tool handles, furniture, cabinetry, flooring, paneling,
wooden ladders, dowels and sporting goods. Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the USA, was nicknamed “Old Hickory”
because of his toughness during disputes. The heaviest of American hardwoods, the hickories can be difficult to machine and
glue, and are very hard to work with hand tools, so care is needed. They hold nails and screws well, but there is a tendency
to split so pre-boring is advised. The wood can be sanded to a good finish. The grain pattern welcomes a full range of medium-to-dark
finishes and bleaching treatments. It can be difficult to dry and has high shrinkage. The density and strength of the hickories
will vary according to the rate of growth, with the true hickories generally showing higher values than the pecan hickories.
The wood is well-known for its very good strength and shock resistance and it also has excellent steam-bending properties.
Extremely tough and resilient, even textured, quite hard and only moderately heavy. Pacific
Coast Maple: It Grows Principally in the Pacific Northwest, where it is an abundant commercial hardwood.
Average height is 60 ft. It grows scattered or in small groves. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors,
shutters, moldings, panel stock, turnings, carvings and kitchen utensils. Very fast growing; it is the second most abundant
species of hardwood PC Maple is easy on the pocket book; it’s about half the cost of hard maple. PC maple machines well
and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws and glues well and can be sanded, stained or painted to a good finish. PC maple
has medium density, but is slightly harder than eastern soft maple. It has medium bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness. Poplar: Yellow poplar trees grow taller than any other USA. hardwood species
and they are members of the magnolia family. The bark the leaves, flowers, fruit and roots contain pharmaceuticals. Poplar
is the state tree of Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Widespread throughout Eastern USA. Tree heights can reach 150 feet.
Its Main Uses are Light construction, furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, musical instruments, siding, paneling, moldings
and millwork, edge-glued panels, turnings and carvings. The poplar tree is rarely attacked by parasites. A versatile wood
that is easy to machine, plane, turn, glue and bore. It dries easily with minimal movement in performance and has little tendency
to split when nailed. It takes and holds paint, enamel and stain exceptionally well. A medium density wood with low bending,
shock resistance, stiffness and compression values, with a medium steam-bending classification. It has excellent strength
and stability. Sassafras: It Grows Sporadically
distributed throughout the Eastern USA. Height varies with region: southern trees generally grow tallest with average heights
of 80 feet. Its Main Uses Furniture, millwork and moldings, windows, doors and door frames and kitchen cabinets. Sassafras
tea can be made from boiling the tree’s flowers and the root bark. Sassafras oil from the tree’s root can also
be used to perfume soap and as medicine. Chewing on sassafras twigs stimulates saliva production: a useful fact for desperately
thirsty hikers. Sir Walter Raleigh took sassafras back to England from Virginia. In what were called the Great Sassafras Hunts
from 1602-1603, ships were sent from England to collect the roots. Sassafras roots then were converted into a tonic that smelled
like root beer and supposedly kept its drinkers youthful and healthy. Sassafras was also used as dye to give fabric an orange
tint. Sassafras heartwood is pale brown to orange brown, resembling ash or chestnut. The narrow sapwood is yellowish white.
The wood has a coarse texture and is generally straight-grained. It is Well-known as an aromatic species. Sassafras is easily
worked and takes a finish well. It glues well and holds screws better than it nails, where pre-boring may be necessary to
avoid splitting. It requires care in drying as it has a tendency to check with small movement in performance. With a medium
strength in all categories except stiffness that is low. Sassafras is suitable for steam bending. Soft Maple: It Grows Throughout Eastern USA, and to a lesser extent on the West Coast (big
leaf maple). Average tree height is 60 to 80 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, paneling and millwork, kitchen cabinets,
moldings, doors, musical instruments, and turnings. Soft maple is often used as a substitute for hard maple or stained to
resemble other species such as cherry. Its physical and working properties also make it a possible substitute for beech. Charcoal
is often made from soft maple. Soft maple machines well and can be stained to an excellent finish. It glues, screws, and nails
satisfactorily. Polishes well and are suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones. It dries slowly with minimal degrade and
there is little movement in performance. Soft maple is about 25 percent less hard than hard maple, has medium bending and
crushing strength, and is low in stiffness and shock resistance. It has good steam-bending properties Sycamore: It Grows Throughout Eastern USA. Average tree height is 60 to 125 feet with peeling
outer bark and a smooth, mottled cream, tan and green inner bark resembling camouflage. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, furniture
parts (drawer sides), millwork, paneling and moldings, flooring, kitchenware, butcher blocks, toys and fruit crates. The sycamore
has the largest leaf of any tree native to North America. The wood machines well, but high speed cutters are needed to prevent
chipping. It is resistant to splitting due to the interlocked grain. The wood glues well and stains, with care, to an excellent
finish. It dries fairly rapidly, with a tendency to warp. It has moderate shrinkage and little movement in performance. The
wood is classified as moderate in weight, hardness, stiffness and shock resistance. It turns well on the lathe and has good
bending Walnut: The roots of the walnut tree release a toxic material that may kill
other plants growing above them. From the time of ancient Greeks until well into modern European history, walnuts symbolized
fertility and were strewn at weddings. Just the opposite, in Romania, brides who wished to delay childbearing placed into
the bodice of their wedding dresses one walnut for each year they hoped to wait. It Grows Throughout Eastern U.S., but principal
commercial region is the Central states. Average tree height of 100 to 150 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture, cabinets,
architectural millwork, doors, flooring, paneling, and gun stocks. Walnut is a favored wood for using in contrast with lighter-colored
species. Walnut is one of the few American species planted as well as naturally regenerated. Walnut works easily with
hand and machine tools, and nails, screws and glues well. It holds paint and stain very well for an exceptional finish and
is readily polished. It dries slowly, and care is needed to avoid kiln degrade. Walnut has good dimensional stability. Walnut
is a tough hardwood of medium density, with moderate bending and crushing strengths and low stiffness. It has a good steam-bending
classification. Willow: It Grows Principal commercial areas are the Middle and Southern
states, along the Mississippi River. Average tree height is usually no taller than 30 to 40 feet. Its Main Uses are for Furniture,
moldings and millwork, paneling, doors, sports equipment, kitchen utensils and toys. Good walnut substitute. The chemical
predecessor of aspirin originally was isolated from willow bark. Willow works fairly easily with hand and machine tools but
care is needed to avoid a fuzzy surface when interlocked grain is present. The wood nails and screws well, glues excellently,
and can be sanded to a very good finish. It dries fairly rapidly with minimal degrade although may be susceptible to moisture
pockets. Dimensional stability is good when dry. The wood is weak in bending, compression, shock-resistance and stiffness,
with a poor steam-bending classification |
Drywall tips: ________________________________________ You can hang drywall either with the long
edges horizontal or vertical. Hanging the drywall horizontally reduces the number of vertical joints at the middle of walls.
If you install drywall horizontally, be sure all joints are supported at the ends. If you install drywall vertically, you
won’t need nailing blocks – the stud acts as the nailing block. All drywall joints must be supported, or they’ll
crack. Whether hung vertically or horizontally, proper fastening is essential. If you have a drywall screw gun, drive screws
every 12" on ceiling joists and every 16" on wall studs. Adjust the gun so it sets the screw just slightly into
the board without breaking the paper. Some drywall specialists set the board initially with a few nails driven at the edges
and then secure the board in place with screws. If you nail the board in place, drive a nail every 8" along wall
studs and every 6" along ceiling joists. Use 4d ring shank nails on 3/8" board and 5d ring shank nails on 1/2"
board. Keep nails at least 3/8" away from the edges of the board. Use a drywall hammer with a slightly convex head that
leaves a dimple at each nail location. Be careful not to break the surface of the paper. The dimple will be covered later
with drywall joint compound (mud). Also be aware of where you’re driving fasteners. There may be pipe runs through
the studs, and copper pipe is thin, soft and easily punctured with a drywall nail or a screw. Copper pipes and wire are supposed
to be protected by metal plates to prevent punctures. But don’t count on it. Take care when working around pocket door
frames. Don’t drive any nails or screw points into the pocket door cavity. When in doubt, use shorter nails or screws. Drywall
is heavy. If you’re hanging full 4’ x 8’ sheets on ceilings, you’ll need a crew of at least two, and
three would be better. One person working alone can drywall ceilings if it’s an emergency, but it’s not recommended.
Start with the ceiling panels. Center the panel edges on the ceiling joist. Plan the layout so that any cut edges will wind
up in the corners, and not in the middle of the ceiling. All joints must center on a joist. If there’s no ceiling joist
where you need one, you’ll have to add one. Don’t cut the drywall sheets to make the joint center on a joist –
the seam will show. Hanging Drywall __________________________________________________________________________ When
the ceiling is done, begin hanging drywall on the walls. The standard ceiling height is 97-1/8" between the floor and
the bottom of the ceiling joists. Subtracting 1/2" for the thickness of ceiling panels leaves a 96-5/8" wall height.
Two panel widths total 96". Hang wall panels 5/8" above the finished floor for a snug fit at the ceiling. The 5/8"
at the floor will be covered with baseboard. Use a drywall foot lift to hold the panel 5/8" above the floor while driving
nails or screws. Regular core 1/2" drywall panels are recommended for single-layer wall application in new residential
construction. 3/8" panels are recommended for ceilings in residential repair and remodeling in single or double-layers.
Type X drywall is designed to meet requirements for fire safety. Greenboard is water-resistant for use behind tile. Brownboard
is designed for exterior sheathing or soffits. Joint compound comes in both powder and pre-mixed forms. Home improvement
specialists such as Parko Home Restorations of Canton, Michigan generally use pre-mixed compound as a topping compound. Dry
mix has to be used right away after adding water. Pre-mixed cement will last for weeks if kept in a sealed container. Regardless
of which you use, the mix should have a soft, putty-like consistency that spreads easily with a trowel or wide putty knife.
Mud that runs off the knife is too thin. Most drywall has a tapered, or beveled edge. Joint compound and tape fill this
recess, leaving a smooth, flat surface. If a sheet has been cut to fit, the edge won’t be tapered. You can tape a square
edge the same way you tape beveled edges, the joint compound will rise slightly above the finished surface. The extra depth
won’t be as obvious if you feather out the joint compound at least 4" beyond the joint, but one located in the
middle of the ceiling is going to be noticeable. In the corners, a taped cut edge won’t show. Taping and feathering
cut joints will slow your job down to a crawl. Avoid this situation whenever possible. Taping and finishing joints takes
three or four days. Paper joint tape is the most economical, about $2.50 per thousand square feet of board hung. Fiberglass
tape costs more, about $6.00 per thousand square feet of board. But self-adhesive fiberglass joint mesh needs no embedding
coat and is more durable than paper tape. It flexes rather than curling or tearing if the joint moves. Which is the
method chosen by Parko Home Restorations of Canton Michigan which serves all of your home improvement, remodeling and handyman
services. Taping and Finishing Drywall _________________________________________________________________________ 1.
Start with the ceiling and work down the walls. If you’ve selected paper tape rather than fiberglass, spread joint compound
over panel edges with a 5"-wide taping knife. Don’t skimp on the mud. If you’re using self-adhesive fiberglass
tape, press tape over the joints and skip to step three below. 2. Press the paper tape into the mud with a drywall knife,
not your hand. Then smooth the surface with the knife. Press hard enough to force joint compound through the small perforations
in the tape, if the tape has perforations. But don't press too hard. Some mud should remain under the tape. When you’re
done taping and embedding the tape, let everything dry overnight before beginning the finish coats. 3. Cover the tape
with cement, feathering the outer edges at least 2" on each side of the paper tape. Feather an additional 2" when
covering a cut joint, as there’s no taper. Then let the cement dry overnight. 4. When dry, sand lightly. A pole
sander speeds this work. Then apply a thin second finish coat, feathering the edges a little past the edge of the prior coat.
Use drywall topping compound designed for finish coats to create a smooth joint that’s easy to sand. You can buy "all-purpose"
compound, which can be used both for bedding and topping. But it’s better to use bedding compound for bedding, and topping
compound for finishing. Use a wider drywall knife for this finish coat, up to 12" wide. To save sanding time, keep this
finish coat as smooth as possible. For top quality work, apply a third coat of mud after the second coat has dried and been
sanded. 5. When the last coat of cement is dry, sand smooth. 6. Fill all nail and screw dimples with at least
one coat of joint compound. Sand the surface after each coat is dry. Use folded perforated tape on interior corners.
Fold tape down the center to form a right angle. Tape designed for this purpose already has a crease down the middle. Then
apply cement on each side of the corner and press tape in place with the putty knife. Use a drywall corner knife to embed
the tape on both intersecting walls at the same time. Finish the corner with a coat of joint compound. Smooth the cement on
both surfaces of a corner at the same time with a corner knife. Let the corner dry overnight and then sand the surface smooth. For
exterior corners, use metal or plastic drywall corner bead. This makes a more durable corner, able to withstand impacts that
are likely at external corners. Also apply paper drywall tape over the edge of the metal bead. Nail or screw outside corners
to the board every 8" and finish with joint compound. When you’re finished applying tape, bead and mud at both
internal and external corners, you should have a 4" strip of mud on each side of every corner. Don’t worry if this
strip isn’t smooth. Sanding and more finishing will follow. Drywall mud shrinks as it dries. So apply a little
more than actually needed to make a smooth finish, especially over fastener heads. Bear in mind that drywall sanding is very
messy! It creates huge, choking clouds of dust. Wear a dust mask to avoid inhaling this stuff. In an unoccupied house, the
mess isn’t as much of a problem. However, if you're working in an occupied home, you'll need to control the
dust. Homeowners don't appreciate having everything in their home covered with a thick layer of white powder. You'll
either need to seal off your work area with plastic sheeting, or use a dustless sanding system, such as a wet sanding sponge. Drywall Ceilings __________________________________________________________________________ If
you plan to install crown molding, taping is needed where walls meet the ceiling to provide a fire blocking. Set the
trim with 8d finishing nails spaced 12" to 16" apart. Be sure to nail into the top wall plate. You can apply
new drywall directly over old plaster or on furring strips nailed over an uneven plaster ceiling. Applying furring strips
on a ceiling won’t create the problems that furring would on a wall. But furring out the ceiling will usually be more
work than tearing down the ceiling cover and starting over. Use 2" x 2" or 2" x 3" furring strips nailed
perpendicular to the joists. Space these furring strips 16" on center for 3/8" drywall or 24" on center for
1/2" drywall. Nail the furring strips with two 8d nails at each joist. Stagger board end joints. Be sure board edges
end on a joist or furring strip. Don’t jam the boards tightly together. It’s best if there’s only light
contact at each edge. Hanging ceiling panels is easier with a drywall lift that allows precise positioning while leaving
two hands free for driving nails or screws. If you don’t have a drywall lift, cut two braces like the one shown in Figure
10-8. Make them slightly longer than the ceiling height. Nail or screw the drywall to all supporting members, spacing the
fasteners 7" to 8" apart. If you use nails, select 5d (1-1/4") ring-shank nails for 1/2" drywall and 4d
(1") ring shank nails for 3/8" drywall. Again, don’t break the surface of the paper when driving fasteners.
Finish ceiling joints the same way you finish wall joints. Textured finishes for drywall __________________________________________________________________________ Wall finish is usually smooth
to make cleaning easier. But the ceiling finish may be textured, usually with some form of joint compound. Texture hides ridges
and bumps in the ceiling and improves acoustics by eliminating echo off the ceiling. But textured ceilings are also an admission
that there’s something to hide. Many owners don’t like textured ceilings and know that texture is used to hide
defects. The first thing they'll say when they see a textured ceiling is, "What's wrong with your ceiling?" Orange
peel texture consists of thinned joint compound applied with a long-nap paint roller. In an emergency, you can make ceiling
texture by thinning out joint compound with water until it reaches a consistency similar to that of paint. But it’s
better to buy mix that’s specifically made for texturing. It’s much easier than trying to make your own. To ensure
proper consistency, try applying some mixture to a scrap piece of drywall held upright. Adjust the consistency as necessary
by adding more water or joint compound to the bucket of mixture. When you’ve got the mixture just right, roll it onto
the ceiling or wall. Keep the rolling pattern uniform so the texture appears to have a grain. When the mixture dries, avoid
the temptation to sand the surface. The texture is very fragile. Sanding can knock off too much of the desirable surface. Spatter
finish is done with a compressor-operated spatter gun that shoots globules of thinned drywall mud on the ceiling at random.
Scrape overspray off the walls. Other mixes are available to create different effects. You can get nearly the same spatter
effect by dipping a stiff-bristle brush in thinned drywall mud and slinging mud on the ceiling with a snap of the wrist. This
takes practice. Don’t count on getting this right on the first attempt. Control the size of the spatters by making the
mix thinner or thicker. Obviously, this is messy work. But it’s an effective technique when you have to match only a
few square feet of spatter-finished ceiling. For minor patching, you can also buy spatter finish in an aerosol can. Knockdown
finish uses the same technique – spatter blown or snapped on the ceiling. But the mix should be stiffer so spatters
are between the size of a pea and a grape. Let the globules dry for a few minutes. Then knock the tops off with a masonry
trowel. Work the trowel in all directions to avoid creating an obvious grain in the texture. Skip trowel or imperial
texture is like a knockdown finish, only more so. Apply mud to the ceiling or wall in a random pattern. Then smooth out what’s
there, leaving irregular patterns of texture in some areas and no texture in others. When done, it should look like Spanish
stucco. Repairing Drywalls __________________________________________________________________________ Veneer
plaster is used in one or two 1/8" coats over a veneer plaster base such as blueboard. Blueboard is similar to drywall,
with a paper surface designed to bond well with the veneer plaster. Apply enough plaster to trowel a smooth, even finish over
the entire surface. It’s a lot of work, but veneer plaster hides imperfections and joints better than regular plaster,
and provides a hard coat that protects the paper surface below. Cottage cheese or popcorn texture is applied with a
compressor, hopper and applicator gun. Although popcorn ceiling texture isn’t currently in fashion, and you’re
not likely to be installing it, you may still be called on to do a repair job. Aerosol sprays are available to match the existing
cottage cheese texture if you’re only patching a small area. No matter what finish you apply, the job isn’t
done until the surface has been primed and painted. Fill nail holes and small cracks in board by applying a smooth coat
of drywall compound. Let it dry. Then sand the surface smooth. Repairing larger holes in drywall isn’t as easy. There’s
nothing but wall cavity behind a full penetration of the board. Drywall compound will fall into holes wider than about 1/2."
Cover larger cracks and small holes with self-adhesive fiberglass tape. Then press stiff drywall compound into the mesh. When
the first coat is dry, apply a finish coat. With a patch like this, feather the drywall compound 12" on each side of
the crack to avoid leaving an obvious ridge. Again, don’t count on getting this right the first time. Holes larger
than a golf ball need some type of backing to hold the drywall mud until it sets. You can buy a drywall repair kit with clips
that support drywall cut to cover nearly any size hole. If these drywall clips create lumps or otherwise don’t work
for you, make a patch kit with cardboard, string and a short length of dowel. Cut a piece of stiff cardboard slightly larger
than the hole. Loop a short length of string through the center of the cardboard patch. Then fold the cardboard in half and
insert it into the cavity. Pull the string tight, flattening the cardboard against the cavity side of the board and closing
off the hole. Tie the loose end of the string around a short dowel laid across the hole. Then apply a coat of drywall compound
over the hole and against the cardboard backing. Leave the patch slightly concave. When dry, cut the string and remove the
dowel. Many experienced drywall experts use neither clips nor cardboard. Instead, they cut a piece of scrap wood that
will fit through the hole and extend about 2" to either side. They screw this in place with drywall screws on either
side of the hole. This puts a firm foundation behind a portion of the hole. Then they cut a piece of drywall to fit the hole
and screw it to the scrap wood. Once in place, they lay lengths of self-adhesive fiberglass drywall tape over the patch so
it laps several inches onto firm wallboard. Then they apply a finish coat of joint compound and feather out several inches
beyond the patch. When dry, they sand the patch smooth. Once primed and painted, there should be no evidence of the repair. Wood Paneling __________________________________________________________________________ A
hole more than 12" across is probably too large for a cardboard-backed patch. Instead, mark and cut out a rectangular
section of wallboard all the way to the middle of the studs at both sides. Cut two nailing blocks to fit horizontally between
the studs. Insert the blocks into the cutout and toenail them at the top and bottom of the rectangular cutout. Then cut drywall
to fit in the cutout. Tape and finish the perimeter of the cutout as with any drywall joint. Plywood paneling is sold
in many grains and species. Hardboard imprinted with a wood grain pattern is generally less expensive. Better hardboard paneling
has a realistic wood grain pattern. Both plywood and hardboard paneling are sold with a hard, plastic finish that’s
easily wiped clean. Hardboard is also available with vinyl coatings in many patterns and colors, including some that have
the appearance of ceramic tile. Wood paneling should be delivered to the site a few days before application. Panels
need time to adapt to room temperature and humidity before application. Stack panels in the room separated by full length
furring strips so air can circulate to panel faces and backs.
Always start a panel application with a truly vertical
edge. If a corner is straight and vertical, butt the first panel into that corner. Cut subsequent panels so they lap on studs.
If you don’t have a vertical corner, tack a panel perfectly vertical and 2" from the starting corner. Use an art
compass to scribe the outline of the corner on the panel edge. See Figure 10-10. Cut the panel along this line and move it
into the corner. Butt the next panel against the first, being careful to keep the long edges truly vertical. Use the same
art compass to scribe a line for panel top edges. Fasten the panels with nails or adhesive. Adhesive saves filling nail
holes on the panel surface. Use adhesive that provides "work time" before forming a tight bond. That makes it easier
to adjust panels for a good fit. If panels are nailed, use small finishing nails (brads). Use 1-1/2" long brads for 1/4"
or 3/8" thick materials. Drive a brad each 8" to 10" along edges and at intermediate supports. Most panels
are grooved to simulate hardboard panels. Drive brads in these grooves. Set brads slightly below the surface with a nail set.
Many vendors of prefinished paneling also sell matching nails that require no putty to fill nail holes. Other vendors sell
wood-filler putty to match their panels. Hardwood Paneling __________________________________________________________________________ Most
hardwood paneling is 8" wide or less. Hardwood paneling needs several days to adapt to room temperature and moisture
conditions before being applied. Most paneling is applied with the long edges running vertically. But rustic patterns may
be applied horizontally or diagonally to achieve a special effect. Nail vertical paneling to horizontal furring strips
or to nailing blocks set between studs. Use 1-1/2" to 2" finishing or casing nails. Blind nail through the tongue
on narrow strips. For 8" boards, face nail near each edge. Ceiling tile __________________________________________________________________________ Tile
attached to the ceiling is usually 12" x 12". Suspended ceiling panels are usually 2’ x 2’ or 2’
x 4’. Ceiling tile can be set with adhesive if the surface is smooth, level and firm. Dab a small spot of adhesive at
the center and at each corner of the tile. Edge-matched tile can be stapled if the backing is wood. You can set tile
on furring strips to cover unsightly defects. But it’s usually faster, cheaper and results in a better job if you tear
off the existing cover and start over. If you want to try setting tile over the existing ceiling, use 1" x 3" or
1" x 4" furring strips where ceiling joists are 16" or 24" on center. Fasten the furring with two 7d or
8d nails at each joist. Where trusses or ceiling joists are spaced up to 48" apart, fasten 2" x 2" or 2"
x 3" furring strips with two 10d nails at each joist. The furring should be a low-density wood, such as a soft pine,
if tile is to be stapled to the furring. Lay furring strips from the center of the room to the edges. Find the center
by snapping chalk lines from opposite corners. The ceiling center is where the diagonal lines cross. Place the first furring
strip at the room center and at a right angle to the joists. Run parallel furring strips each 12" to both edges of the
room. Edge courses on opposite walls should be equal in width. Plan spacing perpendicular to joists the same way. End
courses should also be equal in width. Install tile the same way, working from the center to the edges. Set edge tile last
so you get a close fit. Ceiling tile usually has a tongue on two adjacent edges and grooves on the other edges. Keep the tongue
edges on the open side so they can be stapled to furring strips. Attach edge tile on the groove side with finishing nails
or adhesive. Use one staple at each furring strip on the leading edge and two staples along the side. Drive a small finishing
nail or use adhesive to set edge tile against the wall. Suspended Ceilings __________________________________________________________________________ Be
careful not to soil the tile surface. Grease will leave permanent stains on ceiling tile. Professional tile installers rub
corn meal between their palms to keep their hands oil-free. These are fine for basements, or other informal areas. Using
them in "formal" rooms, like a living room or dining room, creates a "low-income" effect that may not
be exactly what your client intends. Suspended ceilings cover imperfections, can lower the ceiling to a more practical height,
and add a plenum for running new electrical, plumbing, and HVAC lines. The ceiling grid is suspended from wires or straps
attached to joists. Panels drop into the completed grid. Ceiling height can be any level. Hanger wires may be only 2"
or 3" long if the primary purpose is to cover fractured plaster. In earthquake zones, seismic bracing may be required
by the building code. Your building department will have more information on this. Interior Trim __________________________________________________________________________ Many older homes have trim
styles no longer available at building material dealers. Matching trim exactly may require expensive custom fabrication. Try
to remove trim in salvage condition so it can be re-installed. If trim is damaged or if you have to move doors or windows,
it may be easier to replace all the trim in the room rather than try to match existing trim. Keep in mind that trim
work requires a very high level of carpentry skill. Trim needs to be essentially perfect, sloppy joints and visible nail heads
won’t do. Don’t ask a rough carpenter to do trim work – the results will be a disappointment. If trim is
going to be painted, select a trim made of extruded polymer, ponderosa pine or northern white pine, or primed MDF. Highly
decorative cast trim is another good choice if trim will be painted. Most natural finish trim in modern homes is pine or oak.
These woods can be very attractive if they’re nicely finished. Casing __________________________________________________________________________ Casing
is the interior edge trim for door and window openings. Modern casing patterns vary in width from 2-1/4" to 3-1/2"
and in thickness from 1/2" to 3/4". Install casing about 3/16" back from the face of the door or window jamb.
Nail with 6d or 7d casing or finishing nails, depending on thickness of the casing. Space nails in pairs about 16" apart,
nailing to both jambs and framing. Casing with molded forms requires mitered joints, while rectangular casing can be butt-joined. Baseboard __________________________________________________________________________ Finish
the joint between the wall and floor with baseboard. Figure 10-12 shows several sizes and forms of baseboard. Two-piece base
consists of a baseboard topped with a small base cap. The cap covers any gap caused by irregularities in the wall finish.
Base shoe is nailed into the subfloor and covers irregularities in the finished floor. Drywall walls seldom need a base cap.
Carpeted floors hide variations in the floor and make base shoe unnecessary. Install square-edged baseboard with butt
joints at inside corners and mitered joints at outside corners. Nail at each stud with two 8d finishing nails. Molded base,
base cap, and base shoe require a coped joint at inside corners and a mitered joint at outside corners.
Other molding
__________________________________________________________________________ Ceiling
molding may be strictly decorative or may be used to hide the joint where the wall and ceiling meet. Use crown molding to
cover the gap where wood paneling meets the ceiling. Attach crown molding with finishing nails driven into upper wall plates.
Wide crown molding should be nailed both to the wall plate and the ceiling joists. Removing Partitions __________________________________________________________________________ Modern taste favors more
open space in homes. For example, new homes often have the family room and kitchen combined as one open area. Many older homes
have a formal dining room or kitchen dining area enclosed by four walls and with a door that can be closed. Removing a nonbearing
wall (partition) can add livability to an older home. Nonbearing partitions support neither the roof nor a floor above.
Breaking out a partition is only a cosmetic change. If wall cover is plaster or drywall, there’s no salvage value in
the partition. But save the trim, if possible. You may need it later. Many partition walls include plumbing, electric
or HVAC lines. Plan how those will be handled before you begin demolition. When the partition is gone, there will be
a strip of exposed floor, ceiling and wall where bottom, top and side edges of the partition had been. Finish the ceiling
and walls with strips of drywall, tape, joint compound and paint. Filling the strip in the floor isn’t as easy. Usually
the best you can do is level the surface and cover the area with carpet or vinyl. With oak strip floors, it’s possible
to patch holes by weaving in new oak strips. However, this is a tricky job, and the entire floor may have to be refinished
to get a perfect match of colors. Removing a loadbearing partition requires the same patching of walls, ceiling, and
floor. But you also have to add support for ceiling joists. If it’s a loadbearing wall on the first floor of a two-story
house, it's holding up the second floor. If you remove it, the upstairs rooms can collapse onto the first floor. You’ll
need a large beam and posts to carry the weight that the wall was carrying. In this case, the beam will have to be below the
ceiling joists, since the ceiling joists of the first floor are also the floor joists of the second floor. If there’s
attic space above the partition, install a support beam above the ceiling joists. Be sure both ends of the beam are well supported
on a bearing wall or post that is supported by the foundation. Support joists with metal framing anchors or wood brackets.
To eliminate the need for temporary support, install the new beam before demolition begins. If there’s no attic
space for a concealed beam, substitute an exposed beam at least 6’8" above the floor. Support ceiling joists temporarily
with jacks and blocking while the partition is demolished and until the new beam is in place. Existing joists
are supported by a new beam inserted where the top of the bearing wall had been. Place temporary joist supports on both sides
of the bearing wall. Then remove the bearing wall and cut the joists as needed. Insert the new beam and install a hanger for
each joist. Posts will also be needed to support this new beam. The size of the beam required will vary with the span,
load and lumber grade. Beam sizing like this is work for a civil engineer. In some communities, you’ll need the approval
of a licensed engineer before a permit is issued. Your building department or lumber yard probably has span tables for beams
and load tables for posts that cover the most common residential situations. You probably won’t need an engineer unless
you’re spanning a huge opening. For example, licensed contractors are often allowed to do simple engineering like this
for houses up to 3,000 square feet. Houses this size and smaller are fairly straightforward. Larger houses and commercial
buildings are more likely to present more complex engineering problems. When in doubt, make the framing much stronger than
necessary. Building departments never have a problem with this. Adding Partitions __________________________________________________________________________ Partition walls support nothing
but their own weight and can be framed from 2" x 3" lumber, though 2" x 4" studs and plates are more common.
The first step is to install the top plate. If ceiling joists are perpendicular to the partition, nail the top plate to each
joist using 16d nails. If ceiling joists are parallel to the top plate and the partition is not directly under a joist, install
solid blocking between joists. Blocks should be no more than 24" on center. Nail the top plate to the blocks. To
be sure the new partition will be vertical, hold a plumb line along the side of the top plate at several points. Mark where
the plumb bob touches the floor. Nail the sole plate to the floor joist at that position. If there’s no joist where
needed, nail solid blocking between joists. Blocks should be no more than 24" on center. Cut studs to fit snugly between
the plates every 16" on center. Stud lengths may vary, so measure for each stud. Toenail the studs to the plates using
8d nails. If you have enough space, assemble the wall on the floor and tilt it into place. Nail the top plate to the
studs first. Tilt the assembled wall into place. Then toenail the studs to the bottom plate as described above.
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