Alder Wood Furniture Reviews

Cabinets alder is often used as a face frame material on birch plywood cabinets.

Alder wood furniture reviews.

It will give you a glass smooth surface without requiring a grain filler. Alder has a fine smooth straight grain with random mineral streaks and mild color variation. Alder tends to be amber with age. Actually rubberwood is not considered good quality in the western markets ironically so because in fact it really is.

Although it is classified as a hardwood species it is softer than woods such as oak and maple. Knotty or not knotty. Several years ago i was having a custom table built and looking at different woods including alder. I am in the southwest and alder is currently the highest demand wood for high end cabinets.

If you plan using rubberwood or better say hevea in europe you wouldn t sell anything. Alder has the highest hardwood lumber grade with an 83 clear face. It even supports a market for character wood using the knotty stained and void containing boards that used to go to the chipper. Alder is used for furniture cabinets and picture frames and in other custom woodworking projects.

Wood stain is the quickest and easiest way to dramatically change the appearance of a piece of furniture a deck flooring or any other wooden surface that needs some restoration or a whole new look. Alder or red alder as it is often called grows in the pacific coast areas of the us and canada. Maple is a premium hardwood and much more durable hence the higher price. The wood expert told me that alder is the poor man s maple.

It s not quite as cheap as it used to be when it was referred to as poor man s cherry but there s still a considerable price difference between it and more expensive hardwoods such as mahogany. As a hardwood maple is durable and will stand up well to years of heavy use. It used to be a poor boys maple but with the advent of modern milling and kiln technology it has come into its own as a hardwood for cabinetry and furniture. Consequently the prices have risen from a low of 75 cents per bf for the frame grade knotty alder to a current high of 2 25 and the fas alder has gone from 1 85 to 3 05 and this is all in the past two years.

The downside to alder is that it is much easier to dent and scratch than hardwoods like maple. Alder is more affordable as it is a mid grade wood. One of the biggest benefits of alder wood is the cost. Alder is about in the middle of the road of hardwood prices.