Although classified as a hardwood, alder is one of the softest of all hardwoods and is more commonly referred to as a semi-hardwood. On a hardness scale, alder ranks just above pine and poplar. Alder has a light brown color with subtle grain patterns that are straighter than other hardwoods, such as oak or ash.
Soft woods, such as pine, often are 10 to 20 percent less costly than hardwoods, such as white oak. Alder is a popular choice in some new home developments because it is about 10 percent less costly than many harder woods.
Alder has an excellent reputation for machining and is also a desirable wood for turning. Alder can be nailed without splitting or screwed without pre-drilling. It glues well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. Alder is evenly textured, with a subdued grain pattern, and has a moderate weight and hardness.
Alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low bending strength, shock resistance, and stiffness. Available in dimension stock and lumber.
Alder is carefully manufactured, dried, and inspected to ensure flat, straight, and stable lumber—making it ideal for moldings, millwork, as well as furniture and cabinets. "Alder is an attractive, close-grain species, with a nice uniform color, a fine texture, and uniform density," says Miller.
Alder is a wood that doesn't accept stains very well, resulting in blotchy color. Even though we're going for a rustic or distressed appearance, a blotchy stain can still look downright ugly.
Even though it is considered a hard wood it is one of the softest of all the hardwoods and is sometimes called a semi-hardwood. Regardless, alder is still considered to be very durable and therefore is a good choice for cabinet doors.
Alder is very popular in the furniture industry because of the uniform color, texture, and elasticity. These same characteristics are quite prized in the flooring industry as well, making alder an excellent choice for those looking for a beautiful hardwood floor.
Durability. One of alder's biggest downfalls is its durability. It's on the softer end of the hardwood spectrum. That means alder cabinets are likely to get far more dents and dings than cabinets made of maple or oak, for instance.
How Hard Is Alder Wood? Alderwood is one of the softest woods in the hardwood family, just above pine and poplar. It has a bending strength (in PSI) of 9,800, making it pliable but relatively soft. These properties make it an excellent option for cabinetry, bedding, and other decorative furniture inside the home.
Alder is known for its durability and strength. It holds paint or stain well, and also looks good in its natural, honey-like color. Alder has no problems with sap, mineral streaks, dark colors or stains.
Rot Resistance: Red Alder is rated non-durable to perishable regarding decay resistance, and freshly cut logs should be quickly converted into lumber and dried to prevent staining or decay in the wood. Workability: Red Alder is very easy to work with both hand and machine tools; it sands especially easy.
Carving comments
An even texture, straight grain, and relative softness (similar to butternut) makes red alder easy to carve with both hand and powe tools. With only subtle figure, this is a wood you'll want to try for naturally finished relief carvings as well as three-dimensional carvings destined for paint or stain.
Knotty Alder is a smooth hardwood with a straight grain pattern and coloring similar to Cherry, ranging from a light honey color to a reddish-brown hue. Because of the prevalence of knots, it is appreciated for its rustic, informal appearance.
Cost of Maple Hardwood Flooring
Natural solid hardwood or engineered maple strip flooring costs $5 to $8 per square foot. Factory-stained maple flooring costs $8 to $12 per square foot.
Generally acknowledged as the hardest wood, lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum and Guaiacum officinale) measures in at 4,500 pounds-force (lbf) on the Janka scale.
Maple and alder are at two different points in the spectrum of cost, appearance and durability. One is considered an affordable mid-grade wood, while the other is a premium hardwood with a price to match.
The 5 best and most popular woods for kitchen cabinets are pine, oak, hickory, cherry, and maple. Pine, oak, and hickory are cheaper and easier to get. Cherry and maple look luxurious and cost more than the others. All 5 work well in the kitchen's hot and humid environment.
Due to its weight, structural integrity and affordability, alder is often used as an internal framing material on other types of woodworking projects. Alder is straight-grained and maintains its shape without warping or twisting.
Alder kitchen cabinets are characterized by light brown and reddish undertones. Alder has a straight and even-textured wood grain with indistinct boundaries between the heartwood and the sapwood. Alder has a stable staining surface.
HARVEST END ON ALDER
The color is warm-toned brown hue with dark undertones.
Oak will stand up to every day use and is a harder wood than alder. Both are beautiful woods, but if you have an active family, then the best wood to use is oak.
Oak is generally the best wood for staining because it has large pores that take stains easily. Cedar is also well known for its ability to take stains well. Other woods that take stains easily include chestnut, hickory, and ashwood.
Alder wood is resistant to rotting in water. The trees do not like ground that is regularly disturbed or trodden, but the wet soil deters most disturbance anyway.