Douglas Fir

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Sample is square-edged solid strip. Top portion is finished with a water-based urethane; the bottom with an oil-modified polyurethane.

Appearance
COLOR: Heartwood is yellowish tan to light brown. Sapwood is tan to white. Heartwood may be confused with that of Southern yellow pine. Radical color change upon exposure to sunlight.
GRAIN: Normally straight, with occasional wavy or spiral texture. Nearly all fir flooring is vertical-grain or riftsawn clear-grade material.
VARIATIONS WITHIN SPECIES AND GRADES: Wood varies greatly in weight and strength. Young trees of moderate to rapid growth have reddish heartwood and are called red fir. The narrow-ringed wood of old trees may be yellowish-brown and is known as yellow fir.

Properties
HARDNESS (JANKA): 660; 49% softer than Northern red oak.
DIMENSIONAL STABILITY: Above average (change coefficient .00267; 28% more stable than red oak).
DURABILITY: Durable but easily dented. Somewhat brittle and splinters easily, especially with age. Used for flooring, but may not be suitable for all applications due to its softness.

Workability
SAWING/MACHINING: Harder to work with hand tools than the soft pines.
SANDING: Sands satisfactorily.
NAILING: Good holding ability.
FINISHING: Some boards develop a slight pinkish to bright salmon color when finished with some products. Because of tendency toward color change, care must be taken to avoid oversanding when refinishing an existing floor.
COMMENTS: HSometimes milled for flooring as end-grain block, which is significantly harder than plain-sawn.

Cost (relative to plainsawn select red oak)
MULTIPLIER: 1.70

Availability
Readily available.

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