Alder
The one that started it all
When we started crafting floors well over a decade ago, Knotty Alder was the only wood we used. We loved it then because it was a beautiful closed grain wood, making it great for staining and finishing. And we still admire the way the knots grow soundly and flow together with the rest of the wood’s grain. Visually, the grain flows around the solid knots in such a way as to create a feeling of being rustic and elegant all at the same time. That’s why we consider it to be the wood-of-choice for upscale rustic applications such as high-end cottages, chalets and residences with a craftsman motif.
As the merits of Alder gradually became more widely known, it started to become used in some woodworking circles as a substitute for American Cherry – a much higher priced and much sought-after American hardwood.
Knotty Alder is one of the great success stories to come out the West Coast forests of Canada and the US. Commonly found growing in stands of mixed Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar, the full potential of Alder was for a long time overlooked.
As the popularity of Alder increased, it became known more and more as one of the species most preferred by environmentalists. Alder wood characteristics include the unique property of “nitrogen fixing” the soil, which makes it a great species to promote environmental restoration after an area has been logged. Furthermore, it is a fast-growing species, which means that it gets high marks as a renewable resource.
