How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods | Ask This Old House

Ask This Old House general contractor Tom Silva walks host Kevin O’Connor through the types of woods available and the best uses for each.

Cost: Varies

Steps:
1. The terms hardwood and softwood do not refer to density but rather to the type of tree- hardwoods come from deciduous trees and softwoods from conifers.
2. Softwoods grow fast and straight so they are a good option for framing material like fir and spruce. The less knots, the stronger the wood. These woods are typically dried in a kiln to prevent warping and shrinkage.
3. Some softwoods like pine are inexpensive and can be used for interior trim, but they can warp and twist.
4. A hardwood like maple is used for cabinets whereas oak is a good choice for flooring. Both of these are more common hardwoods.
5. Fine hardwoods are denser and include species like walnut and mahogany. They’re used for balusters and decking and are more expensive than common hardwoods.
6. Exotic hardwoods like purple heart and zebra wood are the most expensive and usually used for accents on fine furniture.

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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.

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How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods | Ask This Old House

[Aethelvlad]

I can't believe I've struggle for so long trying to remember which trees are hard and which are soft, this makes its so simple lol

[MarkowskyArt]

Best explanation about the difference between different woods I've seen on the web, well done! TRUST This Old House!

[Py_FoeHammer]

I wish I could just follow him around for a few years and learn everything!

[Robocoppat]

I loved taking shop in school..
Wood shop
Metal shop
Leather shop
Mechanics shop
Home economics
I learned so much from all the shopi was in. Now 30++years later, I'm still get excited when I get to build something out of metal and/or wood. To bad most schools due away with shop classes.

[maksgonopolsky]

halfway through and im blown away by the amount of information in this video and the older gentlemans awesome accent. You guys just got a new sub.

[IplayDrooms]

0:29 he was shocked when he picked up the lignum vitae however he was the one who brought it into frame at the start

[blackfender]

Good stuff guys as always.I am 57 years old and I have watched this show forever.Back to the Bob Vila days.

[acidxero]

Apparently I'm the only one who has been miserably let down by this video. I watched it hoping to learn how to identify hardwoods and softwoods, but all they really do is give you some information about where they come from and show you that some rare type of wood sinks. If I have a random scrap of wood in my hand and I want to determine what type of tree it came from, this video does absolutely nothing to help me figure that out. And considering the information they give about some hardwoods being soft and some softwoods being hard, this video has left me even more confused in regards to identifying the type of wood I'm holding in my hand. Which seems like a reasonable thing one might expect to be able to learn from a video labeled how to identify hardwoods and softwoods.

[nofurtherwest]

They should teach this to every kid in high school. I feel I was deprived.

[brianreese]

Great guys great info never distrust them they been in the work for years

[keithsarty]

Extremely informative 👏 Great video, thank you so much!

[mekatrol]

'Hardwoods come from deciduous trees' is probably true for North America, but for other places (eg Australia) hardwoods are not deciduous. A few examples, Australian Buloke (harder than Lignum vitae), Reg Gum, Tasmanian Oak. Great article though, and can't get enough of this channel.

[jmvasq]

Wow talk about making it quick and easy to remember.

[olf-xjpc]

can you also make one about different kinds of plywood, mdf, multiplex etc. and when to use what?

[sawdustcrypto]

2:17 "Twist and Wop"

Hey, that was my uncle Vinny's favorite dance!

[joeellis]

Might have missed it, but while you shared interesting facts about different types of wood, I don't think after watching this video many people can identify whether a stick of wood is a hardwood or a softwood. The title of the video
is: How to Identify Hardwoods and Softwoods.

[MyDearKyoKun]

Thank you for this clear explanation - has helped me with a school project I'm doing ^^

[smellthewooodcom]

Quick, easy, and beautifully explained. Thank you!!

[ginoasci]

There is a restaurant located a half hour north of boston that used zebra wood for thier bar
they finished it with a high gloss urethane and it's amazing. Beautiful

[olelaustsen]

Great explanation on soft and hard wood guys! Thanks for the video!