Lumber's not perfect, but let us know when you find a perfect tree. Aside from its defects, choosing and buying lumber can overwhelm anyone walking through a lumberyard. Determining the best type, best length and best quality of wood can be tough. However, once consumers have projects in mind, it's easier to whittle down the choices. Softwoods, such as pine, Douglas fir, cedar and redwood, are evergreen.
Hardwoods are deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves each fall.
Some hardwoods include maple, oak, cherry, birch and poplar. Softwoods often are used to construct homes and for outdoor uses, whereas most hardwoods seem suitable for molding and other finish work in homes and for other more refined indoor pieces. However, that isn't always the case. Before stepping foot in a lumber store, consumers first should figure out exactly how the wood will be used, Saxe and other lumber salespeople advised. If shoppers aren't sure exactly what they want to do, they might sketch some ideas or bring in pictures of projects that caught their eyes, suggested Pat Nettleton, a saleswoman at Stock Lumber in Janesville.