Best species of wood for door sidelights
I have been asked to build a pair of sidelights for an existing door. The homeowner wants to reuse the leaded glass from each panel.
What would be the best choice of wood to use for this?
The panels will be painted inside and out. And, of course, primed on all edges before installation.
The current sidelights each have a panel that is split down the middle.
I want to use lumber that is dimensionally stable and rot resistant.
Thanks for your responses!
Bryan
“Objects in mirror appear closer than they are.”
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio – just south of the Glass City
Replies
Mahogany
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Thanks for your reply.
I was wondering how white oak would be. I understand that white oak is very rot resistant. But, I don't know how stable it is.
Bryan
"Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio - just south of the Glass City
Edited 4/21/2009 10:08 pm ET by BryanKlakamp
Spanish cedar if you're going to paint - it's not as hard and durable as mahogany but then again it's not as likely to bleed through paint as swietenia (mahogany).
Jeff
White oak is a good choice for durablity, and plenty stable if you avoid any twisty, gnarly grain. But the grain is kind of choppy, which will show through the paint. For a smooth finish I'd go with cedar, but that's not so durable for bumps and dings.
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In my limited experience using it, Cypress has worked pretty well. Light, milled ok, was and stayed flat.
Laborie Enterprises on Rt 25 @ Greensburg Pike has some 8/4 and down.
Made an oversize screen door out of it a cpl yrs ago and it's stayed straight and flat.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
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I second that choice.
Personally, I'd rather work with mahogany for the kind of details in a sidelight, but white oak is rot resistant. I've used it for sills - threshold material.are you thinking natural or painted finish? mahogany wins if painted. It is one where I like to seal with shellac based because it does bleed extractives.
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White oak is rot resistant.And when you buy it quarter-sawn, it is also very stable dimensionally.So, there you go -- quartersawn white oak.
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Fiberglass.
And, what type of tree does that grow on?
If I were to consider a man-made material, I would probably go with PVC, such as Azek.
But, in the sun, it would not be dimensionally stable enough for a panel.
So, I ask you: What species of wood would you recommend?
Thanks,
Bryan"Objects in mirror appear closer than they are."
Klakamp Construction, Findlay, Ohio - just south of the Glass City
I agree, mahogany.
Mahogany. Black walnut second choice. White oak is a lot better than red for smoothness, but it does not hold paint very well. This may be due to the density, or maybe the tannins, dunno.
Bill