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DIY Install for Wainscot Accent Wall Mouldings (Shop Talk)
DIY Install for Wainscot Accent Wall Mouldings (Shop Talk)
Does your living room or dining room need a little more than just a simple chair rail? A great way to upgrade your interior design is by implementing some wainscoting ideas. Raised panel wainscoting is a diverse and effective way to incorporate unique designs into your home, and give your rooms a built-in step up above the rest.
With a wide variety of modern and traditional wainscoting styles and design ideas, you can have a simple and easy DIY project that will look like it was professionally installed. Combinations of mouldings and millwork, and other design elements like paint colors and stains create a striking visual interest. Whether you choose to use full wall paneling or just a half wall, your home’s makeover will leave you satisfied.
Homeowners all over are constantly looking for room ideas to revamp their house. In the entryway, mudroom, living room, or even just an accent wall that needs a new vibe, wood paneling is a safe way to remodel and introduce new home decor.
Check out Baird’s content studio for more interviews with the personalities from the Outdoor Channel’s Renovation Hunters — even some before & after videos filmed on-site at the projects!
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What’s The Ideal Temperature for Kiln Drying Lumber? | Shop Talk
Due to the nature of both hardwoods and softwoods, all types of woods will absorb moisture depending on the relative humidity of its surroundings until it reaches the equilibrium moisture content. If lumber has too high of a moisture content, you can see adverse effects such as warping, cracking, weakness, etc. Wood also goes through shrinkage as it dries out, so it is important that the wood is dried before it is used.
In this video, Ben Baird talks a little about the process of kiln drying wood – specifically, the ideal temperature of the dehumidification kiln. Wood kilns are used to reduce the moisture level of wood by controlling the temperature, airflow, and humidity of the wood products’ surroundings. Utilizing air circulation, the controlled environment removes excess moisture from lumber before it moves on in the sawmill for planing. This is particularly important for “green lumber”, which is lumber with a moisture content over 19%.
When kiln drying, the ideal final temperature is 160 degrees. This temperature is high enough to efficiently dry the wood, while also killing off insects such as termites that could have infested the wood. It also avoids drying the wood too rapidly to avoid drying defects that can occur when removing moisture from green wood.
This process of drying wood is a far more efficient method than air drying, as air drying time is significantly longer than kiln drying time – air dried lumber can take several months or longer to lower the wood moisture content to an acceptable level.
A dehumidification kiln is not the only type of lumber kiln. There are also several types of kilns for drying wood, including but not limited to: solar kilns, vacuum kilns, steam kilns, and hybrid kilns. Each of these types of kilns are suitable for different drying processes that depend on the species of wood being dried.
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Rough Sawn Lumber vs S2S | Shop Talk
Whether it is for building material for decking, fences, outdoor furniture, cabinetry or whatever your next project may be, rough sawn lumber can be a great choice. However, keep in mind that when you’re buying rough sawn lumber, you have multiple options to choose from.
In this video, Ben Baird discusses your options when purchasing rough sawn lumber. Rough sawn wood is hardwood lumber that does not receive further treatment in the sawmill, other than being kiln dried or air dried to lower the moisture content. The lumber does not get planed (smoothed out). This leaves the surface of the wood textured, which can be used for design choices, and it can also be preferable because of the price of board feet in rough lumber being cheaper than finished lumber.
However, when you buy rough cut lumber, you have the option of getting S2S lumber. This type of lumber is rough sawn wood that has 2 of its surfaces finished, leaving the edges rough. This leaves it similar to a live edge board, but without any of the bark.
You can purchase rough cut lumber in a wide variety of wood species, including red oak, white oak, hard maple, and many more to fit into almost any woodworking project.
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How to Install Baseboard on Uneven Floor | Shop Talk
When dealing with an old house remodel, addition, or home improvement project, it’s not unusual to find issues with uneven hardwood flooring. Because of this unevenness, trying to install baseboards becomes difficult to cope with, especially for beginners, as you now have to fix gaps between the baseboard trim and the floor. In this episode of Shop Talk, host Steve Stack is joined by Christy Miller from Oak Hill Millworks on one of the Renovation Hunters’ job sites to discuss how they addressed the issue.
When your floor is uneven, you do have options. One option is to build up the subfloor with shims, which are thin wedges of wood that serve as a filler between the subfloor and the wood floors you install. However, you may find that you can’t completely level your floor this way, and will then see large gaps between the baseboard moulding and the floor.
When installing baseboards on a floor that is out of level, you must scribe baseboards. First, use a miter saw to cut your baseboards to length and place them against the uneven wall to see where the gaps are. This is when you mark the spot on the baseboards where you will remove parts with a jigsaw or circular saw, and clean the cut-up with a block plane if needed. If the inside corners are raised, remove part of the baseboard corners.
If there are still inconsistencies with the level line, you can install shoe moulding or skirting boards in front of the baseboards to help hide them.
Check out Baird’s content studio for more interviews with the personalities from the Outdoor Channel’s Renovation Hunters — even some before & after videos filmed on-site at the projects!
Want more woodworking and carpentry content? Subscribers to our channel stay up-to-date on the latest content on hardwood products, DIY tutorials, tips & tricks, and interviews. Follow us on social media: @BairdBrothers
Browse and buy online: www.BairdBrothers.com.
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Dimensional Lumber Sizes Explained: Nominal vs. Actual Dimensions | Shop Talk
If you are new to woodworking and carpentry, you may have realized the discrepancies between nominal vs actual dimensions for hardwood lumber sizes. For example, the actual board size of a 2x4 isn’t quite 2 inches by 4 inches. In this video, Ben Baird, Finish Shop Manager at Baird Brothers, explains the difference between the nominal size of a piece of lumber and its actual size.
When dimensional lumber is processed in the mill, it goes through a dehydration process to reduce the moisture content, causing shrinkage. It then goes through the planing or surfacing process to smooth the board out before being ready for sale. The measurements of the piece of lumber before these processes are the nominal measurements. After the processes have been completed, the actual lumber dimensions are recorded as the final size. This is why a piece of lumber may be listed as 2”x4” (with the former measurement referring to nominal thickness and the latter referring to nominal width) when the actual measurements are 1.5”x3.5” when you bring it home.
The difference between the nominal lumber size and the finished size is typically half an inch. For example, as mentioned above, the standard size of a 2”x4” nominal lumber is 1.5”x3.5” in actual size.
This is why it is important to pay close attention when you’re at the lumber yard, both to your plans and the lumber’s label so you can purchase the correct dimensional lumber sizes. Whether it’s a large construction like decking or a smaller DIY project, always purchase based on actual lumber sizes, as nominal dimensions don’t always fit your blueprint.
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How Relative Humidity Affects Wood Moisture Content | Shop Talk
When you’re storing lumber, you need to make sure that the storage area’s humidity level will not interfere with the equilibrium moisture content of wood (EMC). If the room storing the wood is too humid or too dry, the wood moisture levels will be altered beyond the acceptable range. This can tamper with hardwood floorings, joinery, etc.
Before wood is sold, it typically will go through a drying process at the sawmill, whether by kiln drying or air drying. When a piece of wood goes through this process, the moisture level is decreased in order to avoid warping, swelling, and rotting. When the moisture readings are within the acceptable moisture levels range, the wood is ready to be sold. This range differs for different wood species.
However, if the wood isn’t sealed, the moisture content of the wood can still change. The amount of moisture in the wood is dependent on the relative humidity of its environment. The more humid the environment is, the more moisture the wood will absorb in order to reach the equilibrium moisture content. If the wood is in dry conditions, the moisture in the wood will decrease.
You need to keep the wood at the same moisture content as when you received it until you are ready to seal it. Changing moisture levels will result in visible changes in the wood itself. For example, with dry wood, you will observe shrinkage as the excess moisture leaves the piece of lumber. If the moisture content of the wood changes before you are ready to use it, you will have issues with your moisture measurements, the weight of the wood will have changed, and you will have to dry it once again.
If you live in an area that is typically very humid, consider purchasing a dehumidifier for your storage area, or a humidifier if you live in a dryer climate. The surrounding air where you store your wood products will have a major impact on the quality of the wood, and it cannot be neglected. You can purchase a wood moisture meter to check on the moisture levels as well.
Check out Baird’s content studio for more interviews with the personalities from the Outdoor Channel’s Renovation Hunters — even some before & after videos filmed on-site at the projects!
Want more woodworking and carpentry content? Subscribers to our channel stay up-to-date on the latest content on hardwood products, DIY tutorials, tips & tricks, and interviews. Follow us on social media: @BairdBrothers
Browse and buy online: www.BairdBrothers.com.
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How to Order Custom Mouldings From Baird Brothers | Shop Talk
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Quick & Easy DIY Wood Fireplace Mantel | Shop Talk
Whether it’s for a fireplace surround or a simple piece of home decor, it’s hard to find something that ties a room together quite like a classic wood mantel. Both wood and brick fireplace mantels are beautiful in terms of decoration and function, making them a great addition to any living room.
In this video, Steve Stack gives a tutorial for yet another great DIY project for woodworking fanatics. With this quick and easy method, you can give your tired old fireplace a complete makeover by replacing it with a brand-new DIY fireplace mantel.
Even if you don’t have a fireplace, these mantels look great anywhere in the house. With little more than a few pieces of Baird Brothers hardwood, a miter saw, and a nail gun, such as a brad nailer, you can have an all-new mantel in your home in just a few hours. Get some grit sandpaper and wood stain for when you’re done, and the home improvement is nearly instantaneous!
The best part yet? Installation is easy and effortless! Just screw a 2x4 or another type of wood beam into the studs so the front piece of your mantel fits right on it, giving it a clean, built-in look. You won’t need to worry about a mess with wood glue or needing wood filler for nail holes, the entire design is simple and clean.
The biggest problem with this project is needing more decorating ideas now that you completed your fireplace makeover with a DIY wood mantel. Put your photos and decorations on the top of the mantel shelf or hang up some stockings on the side of the mantel during Christmas, the sky's the limit!
Want more woodworking content? Subscribe to our channel to stay up to date on the latest fine hardwood content. Subscribers are the first to know about new episodes!
Browse and buy online: www.BairdBrothers.com
ORDERED easily. DELIVERED conveniently. ENJOYED comfortably.