Summer Patios

It's summer. School is out and the grills are being fired up. While some are already enjoing their fine patio furniture, there are still some who have yet to experience their yard with solid wood furniture. Now is a great time to check out some options and get some design ideas. Click here to read some great tips for your outdoor furniture selection.

Hardwood vs Softwood - The Misconception

There are two broad categories of woods: Hardwoods and Softwoods. .. You followin’ me so far?

Can you guess how the two are different?

If you said, “Hardwood is hard, and soft wood is soft,” you are wrong!

As surprising as that is, lets dig a little deeper and find out why.

Hardwoods are from trees with leafs; deciduous trees.

Some common hardwoods that End Grain Studios uses are: ash (think baseball bats), hard and soft maple, rosewood, and cocobolo. Balsa wood (extremely soft) is also a hardwood!

Softwoods are from trees with needles; coniferous trees.

Commonly used softwoods are spruce (used for 2x4’s), cedar, and fir (which is actually really hard).

I’m not sure what thoughtless person came up with these confusing terms, but if I ever find out… well… this softie wood have to go hard on him!