U.S. ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK - The Drafted Perspective

Why Poplar? The Poplar Advantage

1/29/2020

Guest Contributor:
Carol Phillips, Sales & Marketing Koetter Woodworking

With the variety of paint grade moulding options available in the market, making the right choice isn't always easy. If you ask trim carpenters their preferred species to work with, the large majority will tell you "Poplar". Sometimes referred to as the "Tulip Tree", Poplar can grow up to 160 ft. tall in the virgin forests of the Appalachian Mountains. Often, the tree does not develop limbs until it reaches 80 - 100 ft in height, No limbs means fewer knots and longer, straighter trunks, making Poplar the #1 choice for interior millwork & doors!

Features & Benefits

Poplar has a tight, straight grain, providing a smooth painted finish. There is virtually no grain raise/telegraphing, as often seen with Pine.
Poplar is more durable than man-made substrates such as MDF, resulting in less damage in the field and fewer callbacks.
Trim carpenters prefer Poplar for its ease of workability in the field.
- Easy to cope
- Easy to miter
- Easy to handle & install
- Mills well with a variety of machine or hand tools
Poplar is available in a wide selection of profiles. Other species can be milled to match.
Poplar offal can be re-purposed into fingerjoint, providing long length, paint gradeproducts at a greater cost savings.

When milled, Poplar produces crisp, clearly defined profile edges, providing more pronounced details and greater visual impact.
Poplar is a versatile species.
When finished by a qualified professional,
Poplar can be stained to mimic other
high-end species such as Cherry, Maple - even Walnut!
Poplar has excellent screw, nail and staple fastening properties.
- Nail holes won't pucker or volcano
- Accepts screws and nails more readily without splitting.
Poplar is environmentally friendly.
- Renewable, Natural Resource
- Organic
- Sustainable
- USA Sourced & Manufactured

It's All Relative: Proper Job Site Conditions

5/24/2018

As temperatures and humidity levels rise, it is more important then ever to ensure all wood products are properly handled in the field, including acclimation, finishing and installation. Architectural millwork, is indeed, much like fine furniture. If the indoor relative humidity is not controlled on the job site there is a chance that the owner will encounter wood movement throughout the life cycle of the project.

Here are several key factors to take into consideration for the successful installation and finishing of a millwork trim and door package:

The job site should be fully enclosed and protected from the elements.
HVAC must be up and running with the temperature maintained between 68 – 72 degrees.
Relative humidity should be between 30 – 45% (see chart below)
Allow products to acclimate for at least 3 – 5 days prior to installation.
Make sure all “wet work” has been completed before delivering wood products to the job.
Never store material in areas with newly poured concrete, or in rooms that have been recently dry walled or plastered.
Surface doors must be properly sealed, including the top and bottom, to prevent warranty against warp & twist from being void.
Never start and stop the finishing process. It is crucial that it is completely sealed.
Never install a pocket door prior to finishing, The average moisture content of framing material is 15-19%. Once a pocket door is pushed back unfinished, it will absorb the framing moisture causing it to bow and/or warp.

Additional Resources To Help You Plan Accordingly

Moisture Meters
Humidity Forecast

Why Poplar? The Poplar Advantage

Features & Benefits​

It's All Relative: Proper Job Site Conditions

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Features & Benefits