DID YOU KNOW?
Wood is hygroscopic, which means it’s constantly absorbing or releasing moisture to stay in balance with the air around it. Wood swells and shrinks throughout its life, and that’s why wood can cup, twist, crook, bow, crack or check.Moisture can cause wood warping and damage to the wood if not properly taken care of.
Do these things to minimize problems
1.Store your lumber in a clean and dry place
Keeping your lumber away from moisture will help prevent it from warping. It’s also important that the lumber is not exposed to too much heat so that it won’t lose its color or vibrancy. This is the first defense for protecting the wood.
2. Stack Lumber Horizontally
The best way to store your lumber is horizontally instead of vertically. Storing lumber flat let’s it breathe better, which will help prevent bowing or other unwanted movement that results in waste when building.
If you don’t have the space to store lumber horizontally, keep vertical lumber supported on both ends, and as close to upright as possible.
3. Keep Lumber Off The Ground
Keeping lumber off the ground will help avoid a couple of potential disasters. Namely, water damage.
Don’t stack all your wood on one shelf – Lumber needs some space to “breathe”. Meaning, if you stack too much wood, the one at the bottom may get dented, and also hold too much moisture that it starts to rot. Too much weight can also cause the lumber to bend and change its form.
4. Store Lumber Indoors
And away from direct sun. The last thing you want to do is let your precious lumber get sun-bleached or ruined by a rogue rainstorm. Plus some woods like purple heart and padauk lose their vibrancy from exposure to UV rays, putting a damper on their stunning color.
5. Use Stickers Between Boards
Stickers (narrow hardwood strips) help support hardwood lumber while leaving space to let the lumber breathe. Poplar is a perfect choice to make your own stickers – it’s cheap and it won’t transfer color to the wood. Keep the stickers lined up vertically as you stack more rows of boards on top to keep the weight distribution going straight down.
6. Seal End Grain
End grain is where moisture gets in and out of you boards. So seal it up to prevent splits and cracks. Just apply a thin coat of shellac, wax, polyurethane, thinned wood glue or paint on the end grain. That will keep it as stable as possible.ks. Just apply a thin coat of shellac, wax, polyurethane, thinned wood glue or paint on the end grain. That will keep it as stable as possible.
