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Who has the best quality lumber?

1125 Views 20 Replies 16 Participants Last post by vfrjim, May 17, 2006

Luke_Y

Discussion Starter · May 15, 2006

Hi, About to make a sizeable lumber order for the basement/HT and was wondering if the HD or the Lowes store has better quality. Hard to tell walking through the store and looking at the lumber. Looking for input from those who have made a sizeable order and got it home to work with. How much was bad to start with? How much of it dried and warped before you could use it? etc...

It may be 6 in one, 1/2 dozen in the other. The pricing is about the same but my main concern is good STRAIGHT dry wood. Are these stores about the same or should I go with someone else like 84 or a local supplier?

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1 - 20 of 21 Posts

Paul_PDX

· #2 · May 15, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luke_Y
Hi, About to make a sizeable lumber order for the basement/HT and was wondering if the HD or the Lowes store has better quality. Hard to tell walking through the store and looking at the lumber. Looking for input from those who have made a sizeable order and got it home to work with. How much was bad to start with? How much of it dried and warped before you could use it? etc...

It may be 6 in one, 1/2 dozen in the other. The pricing is about the same but my main concern is good STRAIGHT dry wood. Are these stores about the same or should I go with someone else like 84 or a local supplier?

In my town I have a lot better luck with Lumber yards if I am after consistant good wood unless I am hand picking and transporting myself -- price actually ends up pretty close either way.

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BritInVA

· #3 · May 15, 2006

Best option is to hand pick - otherwise get additional 10%. If you use HD or Lowes you can return extras.

BIGmouthinDC

· #4 · May 15, 2006

Actual quote from a HD employee who happened to walk by when I was "hand picking" to find some straight ones and heard me direct a complaint in his direction that I couldn't find a straight one.

"Yea I know, I don't my my lumber here"

Try the lumber yards. If you can get fir it will stay straighter than the pine. It will cost more but you will have less waste.

richh

· #5 · May 16, 2006

I have been having very good luck with my lumber from Menards. Their kiln dried lumber beats anything at Home Depot or Lowes. Cheaper too. For the last two weeks, I have been going there every other day or so and picking up a load of 40 to 50 pieces, and I have yet to reject more than 5 pieces when I load up the cart. I was at Lowes this past weekend and I would say easily half of the stuff in their pile I would reject.

BritInVA

· #6 · May 16, 2006

I got my stud 2x4 timber from HD and hand selected each - I think I had a 75% rejection. I over estimated by 10% and when finished framing took surplus back.

My soffet 2x2 timber I got from Tart lumber - they just gave me bundles and didn't seem to want me to hand-select each piece.......had I hand selected I probably would have rejected 20% so overall quality was better and as I needed loads of short pieces not had any that were totally unusable.

Toxarch

· #7 · May 16, 2006

I hand picked the lumber for my risers. I went through most of the stack before I found enough of the ones I liked. I rejected probably 80% when looking for the joists for my risers.

larryep

· #8 · May 16, 2006

i hand picked mine for a 1300 square ft. basement with theater. I prefered lowes lumber over home depot. home depot 's lumber seemed to have rounded edges and split easier.

taker

· #9 · May 16, 2006

In my plans the desinger is using engineered lumber it's all straight and it cost more

http://www.trusjoist.com/PDFFiles/1071.pdf

drunkpenguin

· #10 · May 16, 2006

It must vary by location. I just framed my own house (2400 sq ft) using home depot lumber and was extremely impressed. The stuff they delivered was very high quality. Most of it was 10' 2x4s also which generally warp pretty easy. Im in southern NM for whatever its worth.

BIGmouthinDC

· #11 · May 16, 2006

Yes it is regional. When I lived in CA I never had a problem with lumber. Here in DC it's more hit and miss. I think we get a lot of southern pine and it just doesn't want to stay straight. I would go out of my way to buy fir.

Often HD had a premium stud available and it was usually fir. It always cost more but I was a lot happier with the end result.

chinadog

· #12 · May 16, 2006

I think its hit or miss. I've had some great luck hand picking some days, but other days, forget it. I also had a 100 or so 2x4s delivered by 84 Lumber (bought through my neighbor, a builder) and it was pretty rough stuff. I don't think I would have picked half if it, but ended up using it for framing walls.

I think we're a pretty picky bunch (rightfully so)!

Bud

tlogan6797

· #13 · May 16, 2006

I already answered this in the other forum you posted it to, but for the benefit of the others my .02...

I hand pick the "prime" lumber at HD and on BIGs advice only pick what I expect to use in a weekend. I go in on Wednesday or Thursday night to pick for the weekend. The sweet spot in the pile seems to be in the middle. Sometimes it's already picked through on Wednesday, so I go back on Thursday and there's ususally a new pile to go through. The prime cost a few cents more, but tends to be straighter and more importantly, drier. Once I find the sweet spot, I can pick about 7 or 8 out of 10. I've found that I can keep it at home up to weeks without any warping, then it's unusable. Fortuantely, I've only ruined about a half dozen by not using them right away.

Tom

Luke_Y

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 16, 2006

Hmm... Lots of votes for hand picking. I am getting about 300 boards in this order so hand selecting is probably out for me. I don't have a truck so several smaller loads is cost prohibitive with delivery charges.

Guess Ill have to pick one and hope for the best, while working as fast as possible

greywolf

· #15 · May 16, 2006

A lot of builders are using steel and laminated studs to avoid the problem.

JosephShaw

· #16 · May 16, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by greywolf
A lot of builders are using steel and laminated studs to avoid the problem.

And you don't have to worry about termites as much with steel. When we build our final house, we're definitely using steel beams.

Joseph

BIGmouthinDC

· #17 · May 16, 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luke_Y
Guess Ill have to pick one and hope for the best, while working as fast as possible

Your enemy is the change in temperature and HUMIDITY that the lumber goes through from the day it was cut until it's been in your wall for a couple of months.

Winter is the worst time to be building in the basement because of the low humidity. The humidity has been coming up the last month and it will work to your advantage.

If you are a slow worker you might want to think about:

1) Stack the wood off the floor. Use some scraps layed perpendicular as a base.

2) Stack the wood like you see in the store. A nice tight stack.

3) I was working in the winter So I even wrapped my stack in water proof tarps and just folded back the top when I was working on the basement.

4) Always plan on using the pressure treated lumber within a couple of days or plan on wrapping it very tight until you do. That will keep it much straighter.

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sdspga

· #18 · May 16, 2006

Quote:

I think its hit or miss. I've had some great luck hand picking some days, but other days, forget it. I also had a 100 or so 2x4s delivered by 84 Lumber (bought through my neighbor, a builder) and it was pretty rough stuff. I don't think I would have picked half if it, but ended up using it for framing walls.

My experience is the same as Bud's. Some days Menards has the good stuff, some days HD. Haven't tried Lowes. I remember when we did our basement, I had a friend from Poland doing the work and he kept commenting how lousy the lumber is in the US. I know he went through and hand picked all the lumber, though. Every board was perfectly straight. Guess that's one reason he has since done three of my neighbor's basement's as well.

scott

Paul_PDX

· #19 · May 16, 2006

After reading this thread I see this is a regional thing -- here in Oregon ordering from a local yard (not a chain like HD, Lowes, or even 84) gets you good straigt fir or cedar right from the drying process at a local mill.. If a bundle has even one sub grade piece I am usually surprised. At HD or Lowes I would have to pick thru two bundles to get one good one.

I am glad I don't live far from the supply chain.

budk

· #20 · May 17, 2006

I live near 84 lumber headquarters and no one buys lumber from them.... except builders who are looking for the lowest cost and don't care what it looks like. As stated, it is hit or miss although you can find some smaller lumber yards that carry better wood... but you pay for it.

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

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