Shoutout to the old guy at the lumberyard who talked me into using poplar for painted frames

I always insisted on maple for everything, but he showed me a piece from his own shop that's held up for 15 years, and the cost difference on my current project is almost $200. Has anyone else made a switch like that and been pleasantly surprised?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverb1317d ago

Oh man, I know that feeling. I was so stuck on using only oak for shelves because I thought it was the strongest. An older carpenter at the hardware store finally talked me into trying pine for a simple project. It saved me a ton of money and honestly, it looks just fine for what I needed. Sometimes you get locked into one way of thinking and it takes someone with more years in the game to show you a better path. That poplar is going to hold up great for painted work.

tarar3817d ago

Exactly, poplar takes paint so well. I've seen people waste money on expensive hardwoods for painted pieces when poplar does the job just fine.

blair_torres7017d ago

Ever wonder how many projects get overbuilt because we default to the "tough" wood? I mean, most stuff in a house doesn't need to survive a hurricane, it just needs to not fall apart. Getting the right material for the job feels like a secret power sometimes.