Ask yourself if the design of the wood grain and amount of character marks are important to you.
The grade of wood, within a wood species, is determined by the amount of natural characteristics, such as knots and color variations. The grades are:
- Clear—free of
“defects”, though there may be minor imperfections.
- Select—almost
clear, but contains some natural characteristics.
- Common (number
1 and 2)—has more natural characteristics.
Number 1 common has light and dark colors, knots, and some worm
holes. Number 2 common is more rustic
and accentuates all the wood’s characteristics.
- First—has
natural color variations and limited character marks.
- Second—does
not have a uniform appearance. The
variations depend on the characteristics of the wood species—such as knot
holes, colors, lines, speckled appearance, etc.
- Third (utility grade)—rustic
in appearance, with all the characteristics of the wood species.
Grain patterns vary between species and grades. You can have a very uniform creamy white appearance like a First Grade Maple or a wavy, irregular appearance of a #2 Common Hickory.
- Species and Hardness
Some species of wood are hard, some are soft. If you have a dog or kids, you may want to consider a harder wood species. If you like lots of character in wood, such as knots and wavy patterns, you may want to
- Species
There are 100’s of species of wood, both domestic and exotic, that span the spectrum of color options, hardness, and price ranges.
