How to select and purchase lumber for your home

There are numerous reasons why you may need lumber for your home. You may be building an extension, you may need to build a shed in your backyard, or you may need lumber to rebuild a window frame or a broken section of your roof. Whatever the case is, you will need to head to the lumberyard to purchase the necessary wood. When you get to the lumberyard, you will see a lot of different options, so it will help to know what lumber you need. Plus, you will need to know exactly what you are going to say to the person who will be helping you cut the lumber. Here is how to select and purchase lumber for your home.

Find a quality lumberyard in your area. Your first step is to find a quality lumberyard in your community. If you do a search online, you will be able to find a number of different lumber sources – like Lyndhurst Lumber Inc. Ideally, you want to read all the reviews. Not only do you want to make sure a lumberyard has a big selection – you also want there to be positive comments about the customer service.

Know what type of wood you want. Before you head down to the lumberyard, you want to know exactly what type of wood you want. If you don’t know what type of wood you want, you will have a much more difficult time. If you are remodeling your home, you will most likely need a tougher wood, like oak or fir. If you are working on your floors, you may want to go for a softer and more aesthetically pleasing wood.

Have the exact size and specifications. On top of knowing exactly what type of wood you will need, you also want to have the size you need. Most wood at a lumberyard will be cut into long planks or sheets. It is up to you to tell the person working at the lumberyard the exact sizes you need these planks and sheets cut into. If you are working on a fence, you may want to measure the height you want. You can usually use a measuring tape to know exactly what size you need.

Inspect the wood before it is cut. Before you get the wood cut to the exact size specifications, you will need to inspect the wood. Ideally, you want to look for knots, bowing and other imperfections. If you are building walls or support beams, you don’t want there to be too many knots in the wood – it could affect the support quality of the wood.

Make sure the wood is not too moist. On top of everything, you also don’t want the wood to be too moist. Moisture is a sign of poor quality. Ideally, wood should be dried thoroughly before it hits the lumber shelves. In the end, you can tell if wood is too wet by looking at the color and by touching it – what you want to find is the driest wood on the shelf.