Q. What kind of wood do you sell?
Q. What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?
Q. What is a "board foot"? A square foot? A linear foot?
Q. Is your veneer paper-backed; or is it in flitches?
Q. Do you sell pine, redwood, or Douglas fir?
Q. Do you carry dimensional lumber (as in, 2”x4”, 4"x4", etc.)?
Q. What woods work best outside?
Q. Do you sell hardware?
Q. Can I get moulding already primed or painted?
Q. Do you sell turned table legs?
Q. What kind of doors do you sell?
Q. Do you install: floors, mouldings, mantels, etc.?
Q. Do you do furniture repair?

Q. What kind of wood do you sell?
A: Arroyo Hardwoods started out as a source for "exotic" hardwoods - woods that were hard to get and came from far away. We still deal in a wide selection of exotics; but we also currently sell all of the more common domestic hardwoods (oak, cherry, walnut, etc.) that you are likely aquainted with. In addition to lumber, we also sell a wide variety of veneers, mouldings, stair parts, plywood, and flooring.

Q. What is the difference between hardwood and softwood?
A: Wood that comes from conifers or needle-baring trees is classified as softwood: pine, Douglas fir, spruce, redwood, etc. The wood from deciduous trees (trees which lose their leaves each year) is classified as hardwood. There are some woods that are classified as “soft” that may be much harder or stronger than woods that are classified as “hard”. Balsa, for example, is considered a hardwood although it is of course much softer than, say, spruce.

Q. What is a "board foot"? A square foot? A linear foot?
A: A "board foot" or "square foot" or "linear foot" are all ways of measuring wood. A board foot is the measure of the volume of a piece of wood. A square foot is the measure of the surface area of a board (or group of boards.) A linear foot is the measure of the length of a board.

Q. Is your veneer paper-backed; or is it in flitches?
A: Our veneers is are almost all paperbacked (10 mil.) There are only two exceptions - these are the flitches of Brazilian Rosewood and the crotch Mahogany flitches. (A flitch is an unbacked, irregularly shaped unpieced veneer.)

Q. Do you sell pine, redwood, or Douglas fir?
A: We have a selection of moulding profiles and veneers available in each of these woods. Since we specialize in hardwoods, we do not carry these species in lumber.

Q. Do you carry dimensional lumber stock (as in, 2”x4”, 4"x4", etc.)?
A: Hardwood is sold by the board foot, according to thickness, and comes in random lengths and widths. (See “What is a Board Foot” and our Board Foot Calculator) When choosing hardwood lumber for your project, there is almost always some waste involved. As part of our milling service, we can dimensionalize the lumber you purchase from us if you choose.

Q. What woods work best outside?
A. Generally, hardwoods do not perform well in outdoor applications unless very well protected and maintained with a marine-grade varnish. The exception to this is teak, which holds up very well outdoors and which is often used for boat decking and trim. Exterior wood mouldings should be pine, redwood, or Douglas fir.

Q. Do you sell hardware?
A: We do not stock hardware. Check our links page for sites that offer specialized hardware for woodworkers.

Q. Can I get moulding already primed or painted?
A: We offer two types of moulding that come pre-primed: Ultralight (MDF) and Primed Finger-Joint Pine. Pre-painted moulding is unavailable, and in our opinion would not be desireable since it must be touched up with matching paint once it is installed.

Q. Do you sell turned table legs?
A: The turned newel posts and balusters that we offer in our stair parts department can often be used for very functional and attractive table legs.

Q. What kind of doors do you sell?
A: We sell very high quality, custom-made cabinet doors in a wide range of wood species and melamine. We do not sell interior or exterior entry and exit doors.

Q. Do you install: floors, mouldings, mantels, etc.?
A: We do not offer installation. As a service to our customers, we do give referrals to a very limited number of contractors and carpenters with whose work we are familiar with. Such referrals are independent and are understood to imply no guarantee of the contractor’s performance.

Q. Do you sell wood panelling?
A: Yes, we offer several options. We have tongue-in-groove, V-groove paneling available in red oak, and tongue-in-groove beadboard panelling in red oak or poplar (paint grade). We also sell 1/4” plywood which can be used as sheet panelling, in a variety of species (see our Plywoods page).

Q. Do you do furniture repair?
A: We do not do furniture repair per-se. But we do offer very individualized milling services that may allow us to to repair or replace various hardwood pieces and objects that are otherwise irreplaceable.