In the midwest, if your casings and base and all the rest was painted, the trim shop suppliers all pushed factory-primed fingerjointed yellow poplar. It worked well for us there, but the occasional joint would telegraph through the finish. For the purist with complaints, we could sand out, use some coats of heavy-build automotive primer, and repaint, and make almost any of that go away. Now that I am in the northeast, I don’t have access to that fj yellow poplar. I am considering a scheme with all painted trim now, so what should I be considering?
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Replies
Have you ever used mdf paint grade trim? My reaction the first time I saw it was NO WAY. But, after a few trim jobs w/ fine results I was sold on it. The price is right too. The only problem I've had is after a leak from a toilet supply the trim swelled up and bled thru the finish. So maybe not a good choice for wet locations. Once you get over the particle board stigma its great.
Absolutely, use MDF. Make sure you buy the good stuff with paper covering (not just primed fiberboard). The one exception is shoe stock, where I like the vinyl covered wood (added protection against vacuum cleaners and polishers). Glue your mitres and seal open ends to inhibit puckering..
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Gene,
You could go with just plain poplar i.e. not fingerjointed. Cost will be slightly more than fingerjointed and some suppliers make it available preprimed for a nominal(compared to a painter) charge. Another option is MDF which is readily available in Northeastern Ohio and in your area as well I'd imagine. There are varying degrees of quality with MDF so I would talk to some people who have used your suppliers product. As with anything else quality costs money. Biggest problems with poor quality MDF are puckering around the nail holes which may make some sanding necessary before filling the holes. It takes paint very well.
Mark
pre primed fj pine????
avaliable at most lumber yards.
solid poplar(not fj) but the guys call it popular, cause them boys got no learnin'.
Kieth,
Funny you should mention that about Popular vs Poplar. Got a friend who used to work for me then went on his own. Good carpenter but I can't get him to call it poplar,not to save his own life. Course he has an exuse though, he didn't graduate high school, he quituated.
Mark
Gene,
I'm in CT and I use poplar. It's readily available. There are fj pines available, but again, I'd never use it due to telegraphing joints.
MDF can be used...judiciously. Most MDF that I use is for raised or flat panels for paint-grade wainscotting, with poplar for the sties and rails.
What is stocked here in upstate NY is a pine fingerjointed product called WindsorONE, from a northern California mill . For flat trim they offer 1x4 up to 1x12 and 5/4 in the same widths. Boardstock is S4SSE, primed white with some kind of acrylic, and offered in 16 foot lengths. Knowing the source, it is probably ponderosa pine, the same species as is used in most all wood windows, and in the door biz, for the stiles and rails of most steel doors, and most all door frames, brickmold, and trim. From my experience with the stuff used in the door biz, this stuff will telegraph joints through a finish paint coating. Any users out there with any good experiences?