Best wood to stain dark for paneling, ceiling, and bookshelves?

11 years ago

our library will be all wood. The floor is a dark stained maple, almost an espresso color. I want the walls, bookshelves, and ceiling to be a little bit lighter and am not sure what species of wood to use. I hear maple is not the best choice. The carpenter does not use poplar or birch. Cherry is much too pricey for us and I'd guess walnut is, too. Any thoughts? thanks!

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Comments (7)

User
11 years ago
Maple and a lighter stain.

The problem with maple is that it splotches a bit when stained. An experienced finisher can overcome that problem, but many carpenters do not have the experience in finishing.

That is the reason many carpenters do not like maple.
brickeyee
11 years ago
Birch or Ash.
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gregmills_gw
11 years ago
Oak stains very well both red and white. Easier on the carpenters. But maybe not the popular choice but its an idea.
brickeyee
11 years ago
"Oak stains very well both red and white. "

It just is a lot more work to finish smooth.
gregmills_gw
11 years ago
Brickeye. Its not actually. Not saying oak is the prefered species for this application but if you do prep it correctly it doesnt take any more work to get it smooth.
User
11 years ago
Filling the grin is not more work than simply sanding/scraping?
brickeyee
11 years ago
"Filling the grin is not more work than simply sanding/scraping?"

On oak?

Are you kidding?

Paste wood filler and all the hassle of using it.

There is a reason much oak furniture looks so bad.

You cannot sand or scrape out the pores in oak.