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The Benefits of Western Red Cedar for Trim and Boards

Bob talks with Paul Mackie from the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association about the features and benefits of western red cedar in home remodeling projects. The wood comes from Northwest America and western Canada. The wood is beautiful, durable, and rot- and insect-resistant because it has natural preservatives within it. There is very little sapwood within the tree itself. Bob then reviews some of the types of red cedar boards being used in the project. A local company was called in to replace the floor and ceiling of the porch with red cedar. Doug Coyle from House Doctors reviews how the boards were installed for the ceiling. The joints were staggered to give the ceiling a more finished appearance. Bob explains that the crown moulding was also a custom job. Western red cedar is lightweight, easy to work with, and takes a good coat of paint. Stainless steel nails and fasteners work best for this type of wood.

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The Benefits of Western Red Cedar for Trim and Boards

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The Benefits of Western Red Cedar for Trim and Boards

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" Paul Mackie is joining us now from the western red cedar lumber association. To Dennis. A few explanations about why it's it's a good idea to use red cedar it's it's a native American wood and it's sustainable right that's definitely correct Bob -- And comes from the province of British Columbia Washington State. And little bit in Idaho so we're still getting it from the upper northwestern states and from Canada that's correct what are some of qualities of the wood that make it such good product for outside use well other than its natural beauty which you can see in the ceiling yeah. It's naturally durable with me to rot and decay resistant. And it also is insect resistant why is it. Would fit that makes it resistant to insects and rot it has in -- preservatives that are called cannons and extracted and internationally that naturally occur in the heart with a speech. So when you're buying it do you have to worry about ordering just hardwood in the excluding any sapwood. The good thing about western red cedar is there's very little sapwood in the tree. The tree only contains about three quarters of interest sapwood in the entire tree that we're looking around the whole ceiling there's only a couple of little places like up up there. And over in the corner over there where you can see that it's a lighter shade it's almost white that's correct and that indicates the sapwood which is the outer part that the -- just under the -- that's definitely not only got a lot of work going on in this neighborhood but let's look at some of the different uses that we're making sure of the western red cedar being -- one by eight board that you see here obviously is its simplest form. And we're using that to replace some of the fascia boards along the top edge here where the gutter is attached and then of course the ceiling was specially milled for us with that profile. The beat if you will and it's tongued and grooved so that we've got an installation there that's not gonna go anywhere for a long time it's absolute correct. We got another local carpenter crew come and remove the decrepit old ceiling and replace it was beautiful new ceiling of western red cedar. The beadboard matches the original exactly and it's gonna be beautiful. Ed Collard and his crew are local franchise of the house doctors we found among line and they cover all."

" Out of territory here in the north shore of Massachusetts. We're staggering the starting points of beach. Of course on the ceilings. Generally for cosmetics. It really doesn't look very good when you have. Lots of joints and -- If you stagger the joints -- did you much better. -- finished appearance."

" Crown molding was a custom job as well. And came out beautifully. While what are some of the other attributes of western red cedar. Well Bob it's naturally lightweight and very easy to work with yeah and it's the best substrate for primer and paint it takes a good coat of paint I would like to specify a stainless steel nail or screw when you're. Fastening that's the best fastener to use western red cedar thanks Bob."

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