Alder
A hardwood that comes in several varieties including, red hardwood, Oregon, and western species. The color is consistent from pinkish brown to almost white. This material usually does not contain a distinct grain, but may have a moderate straight uniform grain. Alder is a soft hardwood that can be worked well. It has low tensile strength, is lightweight, low impact, and dense wood. Since it is a light and soft hardwood, it can be nailed, screwed, and painted or stained.
Alder is used in many products from flooring to furniture to kitchen cabinets, it is often used when a rustic effect is desired.
Ash
The color varies from white through cream to light brown. Usually a straight grain with a uniform texture. This species is heavy and hard, making it a strong floor with high tensile strength. With large pores, this wood accepts almost any stain.
The ash is used for floors, furniture, and sporting goods. It was once the preferred wood for making tennis rackets. It machines well, it is good for nails, screws and glue. Dries easily with little degradation or difference in performance.
black walnut
A tight-grained hardwood that is polished to a very smooth finish that improves with age. Its color is a dark brown on a purplish black. When kiln dried its color usually leads to a dull brown and air drying creates a purplish brown.
Beautifully grained, it is often straight grained which can sometimes have waves or curls, but can vary greatly and becomes brighter as it ages. It is a hardwood with a medium density and moderate resistance to crushing and bending with low rigidity.
Works well when machining, nailing, cutting, screwing, and gluing well. Stains easily with slow drying time. It is used in floors, cabinets, stocks, carvings, instruments, woodwork and much more. It is also a highly sought after veneer material.
Cherry
It is known for its stunning beauty and woodworking qualities. It’s one of the easiest wood species to work with, from high-gloss flooring to high-end cabinetry. With excellent moisture resistance, it exhibits minimal swelling and shrinkage, making it highly versatile as a flooring product.
The color is a reddish brown that darkens with exposure to sunlight and age. The grain is straight with a smooth texture. The cherry is of medium density and resistance and rigidity. The grain pattern of the hardwoods is quite distinctive with small gum pockets and flecks of pith running through it. Quite a bit of nailing and sticking and can be finished to a smooth finish when sanded.
hard maple
As one of the hardest species of maple, it is one of the most reliable types of wood. Produces a straight grain, uniform texture, and natural strength. It is an excellent choice for flooring, furniture, and popular as a cladding. It works well in residential, commercial and industrial applications.
Color ranges from cream to light reddish brown. Hard maple has a uniform texture and is usually straight grained. You can also display knots or bird’s eye grain patterns. It absorbs stains well and can be buffed to a high quality finish.
Since this hardwood ranks high on the hardness scale, it is advisable to pre-drill before nailing or screwing.
red oak
Because it is one of the most abundant hardwood species, it makes it one of the most popular after maple and cherry. Color ranges from creamy white to pale brown, often tinged with red. Straight grain with a coarse texture.
Red oak is quite heavy and strong. It is also very hard with high shock resistance. With these features, it had excellent wear resistance and durability. Machines well, but pre-drilling is good practice if nailing or using screws.
White Oak
One of the most common flooring options, due to its durability and strength that is also impervious to moisture. Due to these same characteristics, it has been used for many years as a sawmill and for wooden barrels.
The color is almost white to a dark gray brown for the heartwood.
Color ranges from white to dark greyish-brown. Most of the wood is straight grained with a medium to coarse texture. Its grain can vary depending on the sawing and slicing angles.
White oak is a very hard and strong wood with great resistance to wear and tear, which holds nails and screws quite well. It is well machined and due to its hardness it is recommended to pre-drill before using nails or screws.
