Wood choice for painted furniture?

[Charlie Velasquez]

I will try my hand with my first "furniture" project- a bedroom set for my son and new daughter-in-law. The first piece will be a bed; four poster, unless she changes her mind. This would be followed by two night stands, then a dresser/mirror hutch, finally a chest of drawers

I have marveled at the beautiful grains of the various woods of the furniture produced by the SMCer's. It seems planning how the various woods will complement one another in a piece is an art unto itself. But alas, my DIL is adamant she wants a painted finish (a soft antique white) so the grain of the wood may not be an issue.

Further, I have heard that some woods take paint better than others.

What wood(s) would you suggest, knowing the piece will be painted?

[Dave Falkenstein]

Poplar would be my choice for a painted finish. Poplar machines easily and takes paint exceptionally well, leaving a very smooth finished surface. It is best to use a sandable primer as the first coat.

[Steve Cox]

Something close grained that is not too expensive. Out here in the PNW my choices would be alder or our local big leaf maple. There, I'm guessing poplar or a soft maple. Pine would certainly work but might be too soft. Hard maple would work but would be too expensive to paint over for myself. I wouldn't use anything with prominent grain or open pores so no oak, mahoganies, etc. Birch would be another good choice if it is available in your area.

[Michael Gabbay]

I will second the vote on poplar and add to that maple. If you are doing a piece that is going to see a lot of abuse, maple might be a better choice for parts of the piece. I tend to make door frames out of maple and panels out of poplar. The maple is more stable and can hold weight better.

Unfortuntely for me, I've been doing more painted pieces lately than I would like. I hate to see nice wood get covered up with paint.

my 2 cents....

Mike

[Carl Eyman]

I second Dave's remarks with one caution. Poplar is pretty soft. You might want to consider birch or maple for any surface subject to denting, wear, etc. For instance. I'd not use poplar for a desktop.

Another thought is for large surfaces - headboards, footboards - use good plywood and edge band it with solid wood.

[Vince Sandy]

I used soft maple for the built-in cabinets/shelving units in our living room. It was only slightly more expensive than poplar. Also used MDF for the raised panels in the doors and sides of the units. Primed and painted all surfaces.

Vince in NC

[Ellen Benkin]

If she really wants a smooth paint finish, use one of the recommended woods and have the final product spray painted.

[Jamie Buxton]

I'd use whatever hardwood is inexpensive in your area. Right now, that might be ash. Ash trees are being killed by an invading bug, so they're being harvested for whatever the owners can get.

Other posters have suggested using a close-grained wood, but I don't agree. I've used ash under paint, and I like the effect. Even though the paint covers everything, the large pores are still visible. They remind me that this furniture is still made from wood, not some anonymous stuff grown in vats.

[Greg Scott]

Charlie,
I don't know where in Eastern Iowa you are but I've been able to get soft maple from a sawmill in Muscatine for $1.10 a bf. It's a nice stable wood and you can't get popler in these parts for less than $1.90 so if were me I'd use the cheaper of the two.
Greg

[Jerry Golick]

Let me play the devils advocate here for a moment and suggest you consider the use of MDF for any of the flat surfaces. You can work it the same as wood (though you do have to watch out for the dust) and it holds paint very well, no sanding required. Plus, there is no need to mill it down to a standard thickness. It would probably be cheaper than most of the woods mentioned as well. As long as the pieces will be painted, it might work very well.

Just my .02

[Jerry Olexa]

Poplar in your case. whatever is the most inexpensive if its to be painted. IMHO

[Chris Padilla]

If you are going for that "Pottery Barn" look that my wife likes so much, you will need to invest in a good sprayer (HVLP: Fuji, Apollo, Wagner Conversion, etc.) and some high-quality paint like Crystalac or Target (all water-based). Beyond that, you wil want a nice close-grained wood like poplar, birch, maple (all common, no too expensive depending). If you come across some cheap oak or ash, you will want to fill those woods with a filler to level out the finish. Finally, see a fairly recent issue of Fine Woodworking (#177) in which they go over quite extensively how to paint. Heck, they don't even use a sprayer so you may not need one.