Want to know what wood would work for your DIY needs or even for your home project? Read on because we found some tips that can help guide you in the right direction!

Picking what wood would work is no simple task. In case you’re having some trouble finding the best wood for your DIY needs or even for your home projects, stop stressing and put your mind at ease by picking the right wood.

What Wood Would Work? [Infographic]

The classic preference to use wood when crafting a home has stood the test of time. Luckily wood has many attractive qualities including it’s fairly low cost, it looks incredible, it’s solid, it’s warm and comfortable and it can last forever. It can be utilized for almost everything from building furniture to warming the home to making fire for your fire pit.

When doing DIY projects, it’s always best to know what types of wood are most applicable for the project at hand.

Every variety has its own particular properties which will make a huge impact on the look and feel of your finished project. Some woods age beautifully, while others still need some paint or polish. Some are easily scratched and dented while others resist shrinking and swelling.

With the large number of wood varieties to choose from, knowing which wood would work best for various projects is essential to creating a cohesive and finalized product. The wood’s scent, color, and texture are components that draw you towards different styles. Similarly, these components, while adding to the feel of a home, are the challenging aspects when choosing your wood.

Kudos to the guys of Heiton Buckley who’ve come up with the amazing infographic below that will help you when picking the right wood for your project.

There is some great wood wisdom here, so have fun and enjoy!

What Wood Would Work?

Indoors

Best Woods for Furniture

Oak

Oak | What Wood Would Work? [Infographic] — image via Amazon – Click to Shop!

Heavy, strong hardwood
Great for cabinets and dining furniture

Cherry

Hardwood with fine straight grain
Easily shaped
Great for carved chairs and shaker-style furniture

Live Edge Cherry

Raw edged wood, left unfinished
Rustic feel
Great for counter tops, bars, tables

Walnut

Rich, durable hardwood with straight grain
High price point
Great for headboards, ornate dining tables, and mantels

Reclaimed or Salvaged

Any wood that’s been used before
Varying costs, depending on piece
Great for statement furniture and floorboards

Maple

One of the hardest woods available
Affordable
Great for heavy use items such as kitchen cabinets

Fir

Works well with many stains
Burn with a hand torch for deep, dark colour
Great for frames

Best Woods For Flooring

Solid timber hardwoods

Popular: Oak, walnut, cherry, ash, and maple

What to expect:

Solid planks all the through
May require sub-floor underneath
Can be noisy, especially upstairs
Extremely hard—wearing
Ages gracefully

Engineered Wood

Plywood or veneered base, with layers of criss-crossed hard or softwood boards and then a layer of timber

Flooring Is Graded By Appearance

Premium or select grades are smooth, knot-free and uniform (high-end)
Low-grade timbers are less uniform and more ‘rustic’ (low-cost)

Best Woods For Fireplace Mantel

Not all woods are suitable
Softwoods can crack or dent easily over time, even after varnishing
Hardwoods are the best choice

Mahogany

Hickory

Maple

Oak

Best Woods For Your DIY Workbench

Qualities of good workbench wood

Heavy
Inexpensive
Light in colour

Woods that fit the bill

Yellow pine
White oak
Ash
Red maple

Outdoors

Best Woods For Decking

Softwoods

Cedar

Pine

Larch

Redwood

Must be treated with wood preservative to avoid rotting
More economical

Hardwoods

Ipe

Yellow Balau

Oak

Iroko

Teak

Very durable and stable
Low maintenance

Wooded Decking Tips

Lay a deck fabric over the ground below decking to avoid weed growth
Pressure wash a couple of times a year to remove slippery algae

Best Woods For Raised Flower Beds

Wood Used For A Raised Flower Bed Should Be

Durable
Safe
Attractive
Sustainable

Woods that fit the bill

Cedar

Smooth and elegant
Easily takes stain/paint
20+ years lifespan
Chemical free

Redwood

Beautiful colour
Elegant
20+ years lifespan
Chemical-free

Juniper

Very long-life (50+ years)
Great for a modern look
Chemical-free
Inexpensive

Pressure-treated Wood

Easy to find
20+ years lifespan
Inexpensive

Best Woods For Burning In Your Garden Fire Pit

‘Seasoned’ Firewood

Left to dry for extended period of time
Easy to burn
Creates more heat that wet wood
Always choose ‘seasoned’ firewood if possible

Softwoods

Ignite fast
Good as starter wood
Best choices: yellow pine, spruce, fire, red cedar

Hardwoods

Better heat energy per volume of wood
Good for heat and cooking
Best choices: ash, red oak, beech, white oak, birch, hickory, hard maple, pecan, almond, apple, dogwood

Best Firewood For Cooking

Alder

Burns quickly, good for making charcoal
Delicate flavor with some sweetness
Good for smoking fish, pork, poultry and game birds

Apple

One of the best cooking woods available
Burns hot with little flame
Mildly smoky with a fruity sweetness
Great for poultry and pork

Almond

Long-lasting high heat
Sweet smoke flavor
Complements all meats

Grapevines

A rich and fruity aroma
Suitable for poultry, red meats, game and lamb
Gives off lots of smoke
Fast fires for quickly cooking small cuts of meat

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