Species Highlight: Maple

When it comes to deciding on what wood to use throughout a home, maple has always been an American favorite. Why is this? The wood is hard and heavy with good strength properties, in particular it has a high resistance to abrasion and wear along with good steam-bending properties. These qualities are perfect when it comes to the wear and tear wood can take over the years in homes.

Grown in the Eastern United States, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Lake states, maple is a cold weather tree favoring a more northerly climate. There are two types of maples: soft maple and hard maple. Ferche believes the best option for a home will be hard maple. Hard maple is dense, strong and dent resistant with good length and width structure. The hard maple used by Ferche has a very consistent white/cream color. When using maple mouldings with maple doors, generally the match between the two is better with hard maple as well. No matter the maple, both hard and soft require the use of a conditioner prior to staining to minimize the "blotchy" effect that can occur with maple.

When it comes to working with maple, whether it is woodworking or DIY home projects, there are some things to keep in mind. Hard maple dries slowly with high shrinkage, so it can be susceptible to movement in performance. Also, pre-boring is recommended when nailing and screwing. With care it machines well, turns well, glues satisfactorily, and can be stained to an outstanding finish. Maple also polishes well and is suitable for enamel finishes and brown tones.

With all of this in mind, should you consider using the maple species in your home? We definitely recommend it! There are many uses for maple when it comes to incorporating the species in homes including: flooring, furniture, paneling, kitchen cabinets, worktops, tabletops, butchers blocks, kitchenware, and millwork (stairs, handrails, mouldings, and doors). If you have any questions regarding this particular specie of wood or others species for your home, do not hesitate to contact us: http://www.ferche.com/contact/.