We went through a price change in redwood today. Our supply mills have reached the exact point where redwood is becoming an endangered species.
Supply is limited and pricing inconsistent because the costs of production vary significantly as stock diminishes. The size, grade and pattern you want may not be millable from stock on hand close enough to your job site to accurately predict pricing on our website.
For the moment we can still source redwood from the old timer mills who stockpiled timbers but we can no longer advertise prices online since they change frequently and are dependent on inventory in hand at time of inquiry.
Redwood has been a favourite of ours for many years. We originally got into the redwood business because my dad and I just loved the wood. It has been a great product and I am sad to see it go.
REDWOOD is rare and expensive but VALUE enhancing. People just love it. Redwood Lumber is a durable softwood - lighter and easy to work with compared to exotic Hardwoods - resistant to cupping and warping.
Redwood lumber, siding and decking are often specified by architects due to a reputation earned when they were milling 2000 year old trees. The thing about today's redwood is that it is primarily 2nd growth trees being milled. This means it is one of the most sustainably harvested woods on the planet but it also means redwood does not perform like it used to.
Things you should know about Redwood before you buy it!
Redwood - SAP & HEART woodRedwood - All HEART wood
Redwood Lumber is divided into distinct grade categories:
All HEART Redwood & SAP Redwood grade.
Sap Redwood Lumber contains a mix of Heart and Sap wood. It's defining characteristic is the stark contrast between the light and dark colors of the board. Color can range from bright white and creamy yellow to dark red on the same board. The primary SAP Redwood lumber grades are Construction Common, B Common and Clear Common.
If you don't see the word "Heart" associated with a redwood lumber grade it means sap wood is allowable in the grade. There is no grade limit on the amount of sap that is allowable but rule of thumb is about 50/50 white wood to red wood. I personally think Sap Redwood is the best value in appearance grade wood available. It is so strikingly different from anything on the market that it creates curb appeal and VALUE!
REDWOOD HEART LUMBER
All Heart Redwood Lumber is milled from the center of the tree and is often specified for its natural resistance to moisture and insects and reduced maintenance. The primary grades of All heart Redwood are Construction Heart, Select Knotty Heart, Heart B and Clear All Heart.
Due to the use of 2nd growth trees the decay resistance factor for "all heart" redwood has been downgraded from excellent to moderate. What this means to you is that if you use heart redwood you will still need to protect it to keep it looking beautiful.
Redwood is milled in Northern California in limited quantities which means that fewer lumber yards outside of the West Coast carry it so shipping can make it a more expensive option than Cedar.
We will keep our Sap B decking pricing until that stock runs out and then it will be call for quote from then on.
Redwood Decking Prices
Redwood's Sap "B" decking grade is a step up from STK that we refer to as "Near CLEAR". It is an architectural quality redwood lumber grade containing a mix of sap and heart wood, with limited knots and other characteristics not permitted in Clear grades. Down one grade from CLEAR (and a few dollars) SAP B grade allows a few small knots but preserves the beauty and appearance of this majestic wood.
Redwood Decking SAP B Grade
We give “ballpark” prices to help you plan your project. Due to global uncertainty we are unable to guarantee those prices because prices may fluctuate. Price is only locked in once you've placed your order.
Please call 877-960-9663 or email sales@buffalolumber.com for updated pricing on all projects. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
Redwood's Sap "B" grade is a step up from STK that we refer to as "Near CLEAR". It is an architectural quality redwood lumber grade
containing a mix of sap and heart wood, with limited knots and other characteristics not permitted in Clear grades.
Down one grade from CLEAR (and a few dollars) SAP B grade allows a few small knots but preserves the beauty and appearance of this
majestic wood.
All wood needs to be sealed on 6 sides prior to installation and then maintained as needed throughout the lifetime of the
wood.
Cedar and All Heart Redwood can resist moisture for a time if maintenance is not kept up- Sap
Redwood cannot. The difference with Sap Redwood is there is no margin for error.
I personally think Sap Redwood Lumber is the best value in appearance grade woods available. It is so strikingly different from anything on the
market that it creates curb appeal and VALUE!
If you are dedicated to proper installation and maintenance techniques a Sap
Redwood Decking & Lumber package will set your home apart like no other wood we have. It has that WOW
factor.
The contrast is "absolutely magnificent" according to one of our customers who loved this wood on her pool house.
As an example of the SAP B Grade "look" check out this striking
Redwood Sided Timberframe Home
built by one of our customers.
We went through a price change in redwood today. Our supply mills have reached the exact point where redwood is becoming an endangered species.
REDWOOD HEART B "NEAR CLEAR" 2x6 DECKING
Supply is limited and pricing inconsistent because the costs of production vary significantly as stock diminishes. The size and grade you need may not be available
from stock on hand close enough to your job site to accurately predict pricing on our website.
For the moment we can still source redwood from the old timer mills who stockpiled timbers but we can no longer advertise prices online since they change frequently
and are dependent on inventory in hand at time of inquiry.
Redwood Lumber and Decking - HEART Select Knotty
Redwood Lumber and Decking - HEART B
Redwood Lumber Con-Heart grade is a Construction-Common & Better grade, that offers the best performance and least waste at the lowest price.
This seasoned redwood decking lumber is a "CUSTOMER SELECT" - NOT a downgrade. Every redwood board will be usable. There will be some knots you will work around.
Redwood Lumber Select-HEART is a mill select tight-knot all heart wood grade resistant to both insects and decay. It is high quality construction grade that should
result in no waste.
Our Heart B "near CLEAR" is an excellent grade for people who want a clear look but do not mind a few small knots to save on the cost of CLEAR Redwood. The RIS Heart B grade description allows one or two small knots per board and has consistent runs of knot free boards.
An "All Heart" classification provides maximum performance in tough climates with minimal maintenance. There is NO performance difference between the three HEART Redwood Lumber grades priced above.
Calculate your
SQFT to LFT coverage.
Call for CLEAR, CLEAR VG and HEART Redwood Lumber & Decking Package - DELIVERED Price Quotes
CAH (Clear All Heart) Redwood Lumber is the best of the best.
We have customers who want the wood to weather naturally without any initial preservative on it and All Heart Redwood
is the only way to do that. You want an "All Heart" classification for maximum performance in tough
climates with minimal maintenance. Clear All Heart Vertical Grain redwood lumber (CAH VG) will last 30 years and still be beautiful.
With heartwood you can stain OR let the wood weather naturally to a color you like and then preserve that color with
treatments. Redwood will turn a beautiful silver grey color when exposed to direct sunlight (it can also turn black in wet climates so that
needs to be considered).
REDWOOD LUMBER 6x6 CON HEART Grade
The PRICING of CAH Redwood - Mixed Grain, Vertical Grain, Tight Grain
The blunt part of the equation comes with the
price of Heart Redwood. Once you have decided on all heart the next
thing that affects price is the number of knots you can allow. The fewer knots the higher the price. The next price jump is the angle of the
grain - mixed grain vs vertical grain. Vertical is rarer and Tight Grain - 9 or more annual growth rings per inch - even more rare and costly.
Sadly, the reputation for redwood's vaunted performance was earned during the clear cutting of 90% of all old growth redwood forests before the year 1960.
The products made from these 2000+ year old trees had incredible performance properties due in no small part to the tightness of the annual grain rings.
Sustainable harvesting methods are intended to preserve the species survival while maintaining environmental balance. In order to achieve these goals the
grade rules allow the use of products made from New Growth forests.
New Growth are trees that grew in an area after logging or another disturbance which removed Old Growth trees. 2nd growth redwoods can grow very fast, in
optimal conditions a redwood can grow as much as six feet a year or more. A forest in Humboldt Redwood State Park, logged 80 years ago reports New Growth
trees that are nearly 200 feet tall today.
This rapid growth creates annual grain rings that are spaced much farther apart than old growth. A product made from old growth could have as many as
50
annual grain rings per inch
. A product made from New Growth could have as few as 1 ring per inch.
If NO grain designation is made "Mixed Grain" is the standard.
The visual variation in a "Clear All Heart" Designation with no reference to grain is striking in both color and consistency.
In the All Heart Redwood picture above the Appearance, Uniformity of grain and Texture of the grain varies from board to board. The boards I am pointing to are both vertical grain -
the one in the center is
tight vertical grain. The surrounding boards are mixed grain. This was a Redwood Heart Mixed grain order that included some Vertical Grain
boards. There is usually some percentage of VG included with all mixed grain heartwood orders and you can select for a more consistent look by grading
through your lumber boards before you install.
If you want to preserve the red of the wood itself you can figure on re-staining every 3 or 4 years as needed.
You will be able to tell. Here is a
redwood sided house in Connecticut
done in mixed grain Heart B redwood stained with
Australian Timber Oil "Mahogany Flame". This is 1x6 T&G with a V groove. He used the smooth side of the board.
We have Redwood Heartwood in knotty (Con Heart) which allows knots every 6 inches on any given board and is pretty knotty. For knot
loving customers it is not a problem. This is the most economical grade of heartwood lumber.
Next we have Heart B which is an excellent grade for people who prefer fewer knots but don't mind a few. Our Heart B allows
one or two knots per board and has consistent runs of knot free boards.
Then we have Clear All Heart which means no knots. This is the premium grade and the most expensive of the lot.
Redwood "Clear All Heart" (CAH) grade contains only wood from the heart of the tree and is the finest architectural redwood grade.
It is free of all defects on one face. The reverse face is allowed slight imperfections.
Redwood "Clear" grade is the same quality as "Clear All Heart" - the finest architectural heartwood grade - except that it contains
sapwood in varying amounts and is allowed slight visual imperfections (which we consider character) on both faces.
As far as allowable flaws and defect is concerned it is very similar to Clear All Heart - as far as resistance to moisture, rot and insects is concerned
it is nothing like "all heart" redwood and needs to be protected in order to perform.
The other difference between CLEAR and CLEAR ALL HEART redwood grades is visual - the sap is bright yellow and the heart is deep red. The contrast can be striking.
This contrast is beautiful to some (myself included) and this is the least expensive way to get the fewest amount of knots. You are giving up resistance
and uniformity but you can augment resistance with technology and "tone" the contrast with stains.
Redwood Decking is sold by the linear (or lineal) foot. Your quantity requirements are calculated by multiplying the square foot area
by the actual dressed (not nominal) board width while allowing for proper spacing between boards using a ¼" spacer strip.
For example:
If you are building a 20 foot wide by 40 feet long outdoor deck with 2x6" redwood decking, you would need approximately
1680 linear feet for your deck: 20 by 40 = 800 sqft * 2.1 factor. Be sure to include in an extra 10% for trim.
We carry products from suppliers located all across the country so each delivery will be calculated based on location of customer, location of product manufacturer and weight of total shipment. See Areas we ship to and Delivery Information.
International Shipping and Delivery
Buffalo Lumber offers full 20 and 40 foot container quotes internationally. Europe, Asia, Africa - anywhere a container will go we can get it there. We can only quote full 20 and 40 foot containers - smaller shipments would be customer arranged.
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Making mistakes - Fixing something that goes wrong costs 10 times more than it does to do the job right in the first place. Consult with a Buffalo Lumber Milling Expert today.
