bring your HOME to life with unique surfaces:
The finish materials you use for the surfaces around your home can become some of the most important focal points in your home. Using carefully selected wood for interior floors, cabinets, and other surfaces can add a unique tactile effect that exudes beauty and luxury. Our carefully curated wood options will bring your home to a new standard.
USES:
Birch wood is one of the most used woods for veneers and plywood. It is also used for interior flooring, cabinets and interior paneling.
Color Range
Birch has a light to medium reddish brown heartwood with nearly white sapwood. There is very little color distinction between annual growth rings, so Birch can have a uniform, flat appearance.
A rustic style birch can be found with knots, pin holes, mineral streaks and grain variations. When this wood is stained it can provide an active texture pattern with wide color variation.
Birch can be found with a grain pattern similar to Cherry, with wide, shallow curls, so it is often stained to look like Cherry.
Due to the wide variation, if you are using Birch for cabinets and surfaces, hand selecting the lumber is important.
Grain & Visual Pattern:
Birch has a straight or slightly wavy grain, with a subtle, even surface pattern. The visual grain pattern will change based on the log and cut, varying from a dull appearance with little movement to curls that resemble cherry wood. Birch can also be found with knots, pin holes, bird pecks, mineral streaks and other grain variations, and even small cracks. When wood with these features is quartersawn and stained, it can provide a very rustic looking wood.
Texture and Finish:
Birch has a tight wood grain. and a fine, even texture, so it’s easy to finish with a smooth sand.
For the same reasons, staining Birch is very easy and common, and provides a lot of its visual interest. Birch is a lighter colored wood similar to Maple, but has less visual texture and luster than Maple. Staining Birch brings out its grain, and is often hard to tell apart from Cherry. It can then be finished in either matte or gloss.
Because of the different grain anomalies, choosing specific Birch lumber with the right patterns can make a big difference in its final appearance.
Environmental
Birch is not listed in the CITES Appendices or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
We source our Birch from trees cultivated in the United States by environmentally responsible harvesters. We believe that when the building industry sources and manufactures building materials with sustainability in mind, we all live in a healthier world.
Workability:
Birch is easy to work with and can be shaped for any application. It works easily with our CNC machines, as well as hand tools, though it is a very dense wood. Birch has a great result from staining, and glues and finishes well.
Decay Resistance:
Birch is rated as perishable, and will easily rot and decay if exposed to the elements. However it holds up well over time when manufactured properly and used indoors. Because of its tight grain that is strong and heavy, it has a high resistance to abrasion.
Performance
TEST |
U.S. Measurement |
International measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Janka Hardness: | 1,260 lbf | 5,610 N |
| Average Dried Weight: | 43.0 lb/ft³ | 690 kg/m³ |
| Modulus of Rupture: | 16,600 lbf/in² | 114.5 MPa |
| Elastic Modulus: | 2,010,000 lbf/in² | 13.86 GPa |
| Crushing Strength: | 8,170 lbf/in² | 56.3 MPa |
| Density: | 42 lb/ft³ | 670 kg/m³ |
| Shrinkage: | Radial: 7.3%; Tangental: 9.5%; Volumetric: 16.8% |
83%+ Clear:
We start with Select & Better graded lumber that is at least 83% clear on one side.
Kiln dried:
All of our wood is kiln dried and stored in a protected warehouse.
We store our wood as S4S, which stands for “surfaced on 4 sides.” The boards have two flat and parallel faces and two flat and parallel edges. The boards are first surfaced on both faces (S2S) with a planer, and receive a rip on both edges.
BULK Commercial Pricing
Because we have become known for our unique material selection, we do sell wood slabs to third parties. If you are working on a large project and in need of large amounts or slabs, we can offer great pricing for bulk orders. We can also finish the wood for your project. However, our wood is hand selected for superior appearance and performance, so contact us to confirm availability and to receive a quote.
