We have to rebuild two or three window frames for our old house. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to using poplar instead of pine in this application? No matter what the material is everything will be thoroughly primed and painted.
Any thoughts greatly appreciated
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Replies
I like poplar for a lot of interior mill work applications, but I don't think it likes the weather. Gets blackened and what must be moldy in no time here in the Pacific Northwet.
That being said, I think there is more than one species that gets called "poplar". It's entirely possible that what I call poplar here and you call poplar there would have different characteristics.
Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
poplar is pretty much poplar. Sure Black Cottonwood is poplar, Quaking Aspen is poplar, Trembling Aspen is poplar, Lambarty poplar is poplar, and dozens of those are poplar, but it is all soft white wood of the same genus.
--"poplar is pretty much poplar. Sure Black Cottonwood is poplar, Quaking Aspen is poplar, Trembling Aspen is poplar, Lambarty poplar is poplar, and dozens of those are poplar, but it is all soft white wood of the same genus."
NOT "The Forest Service recently tested six hardwoods for their performance as siding on houses. Yellow poplar performed best, with red oak running a close second. In addition, the Forest Service concluded that yellow-poplar siding holds a finish better than Douglas-fir and does not develop raised grain as Douglas-fir sometimes does."http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1016/is_n7-8_v97/ai_11012473/pg_1Here, when I buy poplar, it is Yellow-poplar (tulip poplar). Ironically, the true poplars are not sold as poplar here.
Thank you for supplying a very interesting article. If I had any choice it is this wood for reasons explained in the article. It's strength-to- weight ratio aspect is was what caught my eye. Anyone interested in a wonderful wood that has been forgotten for outdated reasons would be a good choice to build with outdoors as well as indoors.
You are quite welcome.In this instance, confusion is caused by common tree names and hearsay. The use of scientific names or a standardized common name list would help.Besides, Liriodendron tulipifera is fun to say...all most as good as Liquidambar styraciflua.Article is a good read for anyone interested.
Well, Liriodendron ani't a poplar.
And Yellow "poplar" is not a poplar. You are quick to shout NOT and yet you say Yellow poplar is a poplar. Yellow poplar is in the magnolia family. So I guess if you include magnolias, oaks, pines and poplars in my statement about all poplars being pretty much similar, then I suppose you are ok in shouting NOT.
As I mentioned, most lumber sold as "poplar" is actually "Yellow-poplar" (also called Tulip-poplar).If I place an order at the local mill for poplar, I will get Liriodendron tulipifera AKA Yellow-poplar.In some markets, you will get the true poplars, when you buy poplar...not so here.You are correct that Aspen, Cottonwood, and the other Populus species are very similar. They are generally white woods that are soft, light and prone to decay. I'll even give you a pass on the spelling of Lombardy.Did you read the link? It has some very good info.BTW Yellow-poplar is hyphenated specifically because it is not a true poplar. Douglas-fir is also hyphenated, for the same reason, it is not a fir.Cheers,Basswood
Good thing on that spelling pass thingy. IF you spell D-fir correctly, it would be something like Tsugasua Menzizi. You definitely need to give me a pass there but phonentically it is about right whereas a true fir is much easier, try Abies.
I actually enjoy the scientific binomial thing. I like learning what the Latin and Greek roots mean, etc.You have the phonetics down...Pseudotsuga menziesii. Another ironic twist is that "pseudotsuga" means fake hemlock rather than fake fir (pseudoabies).I am an amateur linguist and dendrologist (but I do have a BS from Colo. St. U. in Forest Ecology)...how did you learn your trees?
Yes false hemlock. And it makes sense if you think about it. The needles are similar. The needles on a D fir grow out in all directions around the stem whereas on the hemlock they grow out on each side of the stem. And Tsuga is the genius for hemlock, so Psuedotsuga makes sense.
How do I know anything about tree? Well, a B.S. in Forest Resources and a B.S. in Forest Products (business) will do that to a guy. I am sure I have forgotten ten times that of what I recall after some 25 years or so.
I agree. Poplar that I have is fairly dense and the grain is very close or there is little difference between early and late wood. Ideal for stabilty and holding paint.
Doug fir has a very large differnece between early and late wood. It does not hold paint well at all.
I aree with Jim, I build a lot of windows and frames and also restore them. The old ones are mostly old growth pine which resists moisture very well. Even the pine we get now a days seems to stand up quite well. Poplar does not like any moisture and will not stand up at all.
Out here douglas fir is the window and door species of choice. I think a lot of it has to do with what's readilly available in any particular region. I don't know of any custom millwork shops hereabouts using pine much.
A few years ago I built some cabinets for a customer here who HAD to have southern yellow pine. We were able to buy a few hundred feet in Seattle, but ultimately had to order a bunch of it shipped up from the southeast. That's still the only time in...holy smokes...30 years here in WA that I've seen southern yellow pine - reminded me a heck of a lot of dfir - dense, strong, stable if vg...good stuff. Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
Here in the eastern part on Canada we don't see much southern yellow pine.I have seen some window frames in Fir but that seems to be the exception.I guess it was what was available in the area.
I hope this has enough to do with the thread.Can you tell me what vertical growth wood is?Don't all trees grow upwards?
Sorry for the lack of clarity. When I wrote "vg" I meant vertical grain - that is, if you look at the end grain on any particular board, and the grain is perpendicular to the width of the board, and the grain runs straight along the length of the board, that's vertical grain, or "vg" in carpenter speak.
That grain orientation is the most stable because as it swells and contracts with seasonal moisture fluctuations, it moves in a uniform way because opposite sides of the board absorb and release approx. the same amount of water vapor.
As opposed to flat sawn stock, which cups as one side absorbs or releases more than the opposite side - at least that's my understanding.
Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
Think more like tangential vs. Radial expansion and contraction, some woods have more problems with the ratio of T.vs.R than others, and the quatersawn boards behave better dealing with the stresses.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
so vg and qs (quarter sawn) sound the same.thanks
Sorry for the lack of clarity. When I wrote "vg" I meant vertical grain - that is, if you look at the end grain on any particular board, and the grain is perpendicular to the width of the board, and the grain runs straight along the length of the board, that's vertical grain, or "vg" in carpenter speak.+++++++++++++++++++That'd be quarter-sawn, where a log is cut with each board 90 degrees to the centre.Rift-sawn also comes close, that's where a log is ripped lengthwise to the centre, used to be popular for siding, as when done correctly the boards are not parallel, but wedge-shaped.When flat-sawing you get what you describe as vertical grain on the centre and each cut to the side of it, (depending on the thickness of the cut).Cypress might be a wood to consider also, as it's highly rot resistant.Leon
Yeah. But try asking for "quater sawn" fir hereabouts and you'll get a quizical look from even experienced salespeople, maybe a guffaw if they are sarcastic.
Douglas fir, western red cedar, a group of species they group and call "hemfir", tight knot, clear, c+btr, cvg...those are far and away the tradional building materials and terms used here in the Pacific Northwet.
"Heartwood", "quarter sawn", "southern yellow pine"...those terms I'd bet not one in ten carpenters at my local yard Monday morning are familiar with.
It's a big old country we live in. Even though we share a language and a government, our culture here is as different from New England as Finland is from England. As different here from Florida as Denmark from Italy. Texas from Minnesota as Spain from Switzerland.
Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
Jim,I was putting in a LVL header for a garage door yesterday (out in my shop) and I was calling the studs supporting the header "jacks" and the guy helping me looked at me like I was an alien...had no idea what I meant...it did not help that I had a handyman jack and a hydraulic bottle jack sitting out (for snugging the header into the top plate). <g>I learned "jacks, kings, and cripples" also call jacks "trimmers."
Yeah, we call the 2xs directly supporting the header "trimmers". "Cripples" are the shorter 2xs between the sill and the bottom plate, or the header and top plate. "Jacks" is not often used in wall framing on any crews I've worked on out here - I think of it as a stick framed hip or valley term.
Truth of the matter is though, one of the greatest things about carpentry is that it has a language beyond words or specific terms. One carpenter points at a section of wall and says - "81+1/8" header holder uppers in this area, 31" little guys under the sill" and the other one would know exactly what he meant.
A buddy of mine spent quite a bit of time in Asia in the 90s working with Japaneese and Korean framers teaching them our techniques. He said they seldom could communicate verbally because of the language barriers, but that didn't slow them down much because the visuals of how weight and stresses were transferred from one framing member to another were so self evident. Ever wonder why "holistic" doesn't start with "w"?
I learned the "jack" term in Colorado, but don't know if it was common...maybe just that crew. I don't frame much here in MN, so I don't know the local terminology.Saying "trimmer" sounds like you are mumbling compared "Jack"--one nice, sharp syllable--better for yelling to the cut guy. May not catch on though.True that not much needs to be said.Cheers,Bass
A good friends FIL framed in the S.Cal. area in the early fifties. There in his time it was King, Queen and Jack according to him. He was lost when he visited his son here in Or. until he relearned the terms. Trimmer = Queen.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I believe it was Winston Churchill who commented that England and America were united by a common history and divided by a common language.I'm not surprised to find that the Pacific NW has a bit different "trade language" than the Central East Coast.The original discussion here is a good example -- if I went to Wall's and asked for poplar, I'd get tulip poplar. I doubt Steve stocks aspen, and if he did, he'd list it as aspen, not poplar.
Leon
The LVL header I installed yesterday was made of Aspen and labeled as such...never noticed that before.
"Douglas fir, western red cedar, a group of species they group and call "hemfir", "
I assure you red cedar is not included in the group called hemfir.
For that matter Douglas fir is not included in hemfir. Hemfir is not a prefered structural grade. It is softer fir, such as grand fir and hemlock, hence the Hem and Fir.
I guess I didn't write that very clearly, DoRight. I was listimg the most prevelant building lumber here in the Northwest - Douglas Fir being one. WRC being another. A group of alpine firs and hemlock they lump together and call "hemfir" is a third.
And you're absolutely right about the structural characteristics of DFir in relation to hemfir. I have often seen beams and joists called out on plans this way - "#2 dfir or #1 hemfir.
I'll eat your peaches, mam. I LOVE peaches!
Well maybe you dodged being a pinhead now..or is that a pin hole? Still have that cool camera?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
sphere you have to actually be a pinhead to be a pinhead. You of all people should understand that. Or, . . . maybe not.. . .
harryhandsaw, not to hijsck the thread, but you say you build alot of windows . . .
If someone were building a new house with quite a few fixed windows, and were interested in wood windows from Andersen, Pella, or whoever for all opening type windows; would it make any sense to buy double glass from a glass house and just build your own stops in your window openings for all the fixed windows? Sorry for the run on sentence.
fill out your profile. What part of country do you live?
I'm in Buffalo, NY.
Using poplar is a BAD idea. It is NOT stable or rot resistant. It is great for pain grade INTERIOR trim. Old growth is a different story. But you can't get that any more.
Eastern white pine is what most window manufactures use today. At least those that still use wood. Dough fir is another option.
Prime & paint wont help if the wood is not rot resistant to begin with.
Yellow-poplar is very stable and is rated as moderately decay resistant.
Not exactly a dry climate here. Lots of very old houses/barns here with tulip poplar siding.
That's why I used it. Keep it drained and it works very well, windows included.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
a benefit would be easy removal in a few short years as they fall apart on their own.
poplar is a great interior wood ...
terrible choice for exterior.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff, terrible for exterior? Maybe. There is a big beautiful barn just down the road sided in rough-sawn Black Cottonwood and Aspen. Been there for fifty years. I guess it has been kept painted, but then again I have never seen anyone paint in thirty years. Maybe the rough-sawn just sucked teh paint up years ago. Anyway it looks great. I know the siding is cottonwood. I have been told the rafting minus posts and beams are also cottonwood, but I can not confirm that.
This said, I would not gamble on cottonwood for a home and certainly not in a window situation where once wet might not dry out well.
have at it then.
head to the closest lumberyard ...
order a stack of "poplar" ...
and install away.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I guess you are incapable of reading. So, perhaps you should be on your way to school. Of course if they are public schools, good luck.
good luck with the poplar.
great advice for exterior wood.
do it right!
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff,It was not Do Rights' advice to use Yellow-poplar for exterior applications...it was American Forests Magazine making the suggestion, based on research by the USDA Forest Service in Madison Wi.http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1016/is_n7-8_v97/ai_11012473/pg_1Here is an article about a house sided in Yellow-poplar over 160 years ago:http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:PyNVe2_McMcJ:www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/faculty/hunt/casestudyhunthouse.pdf+yellow+poplar+exterior+use&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=14&gl=us&client=safariThe Forest Service research suggests use of Semi-transparent stains on Yellow-poplar in exterior applications. They note that water repellant and/or chromium pretreatment greatly improves performance:--"Semitransparent (pigmented) finishes gave good performance on yellow-poplar for 38 to 50 months before refinishing was required. The performance of semitransparent finishes was significantly improved (doubled or tripled) when the surface was pretreated with a chromium trioxide solution to control ultraviolet degradation and mildew growth."Basically, Jeff, you do not know what you are talking about.Cheers,Basswood
I am refurbishing 150+ YO windows and 95 or so YO windows..they are Yellow-Pop, and going back in the holes for another 100 years..good nuff for me.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Redwood or Cypress it is not, and should be properly finished to last, but I think it suffers from an undeserved bad reputation...maybe guilt by association with the true poplars.
Theres hundreds if not thousands of miles of horse fence here outta Yel-pop and oak, and with a spray paint every few yrs, it still holding up.
I like cypress for hand millng mouldings, it is lubricious and stable. I abhorr Redwood..and cedar..too soft ( at least what I have been exposed to).Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
Interesting about the fences. Is the paint used film-forming or more of a semi-transparent?Redwood and Cedar are too soft for windows (to bring things back to the OP), but have other good exterior applications. I have made storm windows out of 5/4 cedar though.On Yellow-poplar, It is probably as good a choice as pine for windows and there are plenty of pine windows, new and old, doing just fine.
Not to hi-jack even more..(G) but, yes the paint is the same as used on the barns. Oil based, REALLY stinky , "Barn and Fence" paint sold at every feed store around here.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
On a fence, that is likely to work fine...though a stain might be better.Houses often "leak" moisture from the inside (condensation from warm moist air sneaking out to the cold siding), that is one problem with the film-forming finishes (especially without back priming).
Brian
You're suggesting that yellow pop is fine for outdoor use and I'm not arguing that, just interested in the characteristics of yellow pop? Is it the poplar that has the greenish tint/streaks in it?
Didn't you mention that locally when you order/buy poplar that you do not really get pop but something else? What are you getting up there that I wouldn't be getting here? Or am I getting the same thing you are and I'm just under the impression that I'm getting true yellow pop?
In the words of Bobcat Goldthwaith, "I'm so confused"
Doug
It is confusing. In most markets, the stuff sold as "poplar" is not actually a true poplar, but rather "Yellow-poplar" AKA Tulip-poplar a member of the Magnolia family.http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/hough/thumb/plate_02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/specialcollections/forestry/hough/WoodsPart_I.html&h=164&w=111&sz=12&hl=en&start=121&um=1&tbnid=Io6R4MaRSbU9SM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=66&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Bpoplar%2Bwood%26start%3D120%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DNI gotta learn how to do the "link shrink" thing...sorry about that.Aspen, Cottonwood and the other true poplars are being sawn into lumber too and sold as poplar. Those species are often used in pulp and OSB and most match sticks are Aspen.Here is the most interesting use of Yellow-poplar as siding (with a 75+ yr. life without any finish or treatment:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.partonlumberbark.com/images/Yellow-poplar.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.partonlumberbark.com/faq.htm&h=400&w=299&sz=41&hl=en&start=18&um=1&tbnid=QpgScPeu8kJUBM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dyellow%2Bpoplar%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DX
"Basically, Jeff, you do not know what you are talking about."
well then ... I stand corrected ...
just run into HD, Lowes, or your local lumber yard and buy some 160 year old poplar and you'll be just fine.
till that happens ... poplar is a poor choice for exterior applications.
Feel free to make poor choices, and please continue to give bad info.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
This is advise provided by the Forest Service, based on research at the Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wi.Read the American Forests article before you just shoot from the hip.
"Read the American Forests article before you just shoot from the hip."
how much exterior trim has the American Forest people torn out and replaced with a better material?
I don't need to read ... I've replaced enough "poplar".
plus ... I don't care what technically is and technically isn't "poplar".
walk into any Lowes, HD or a regular old lumber yard and ask for "poplar".
That's been the suggestions here ... "poplar" is a fine exterior material!
which ... it ain't!
"shooting from the hip" is sometimes called "years of hands-on experience".
have a nice time reading all the official forrest articles and using substandard materials on your jobs. When all that exterior "poplar" trim rots in a short coupla years ... I'm sure your customers will fell better after they read the articles you provide as back up. I'm not here to change your mind ... I could care less what you use ...
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Sounds like you don't want to be bothered with the facts.
At risk of wasting my time, I'll try to clarify things.The OP was asking if poplar is better than pine for a window...The true poplars are worse, Yellow-"poplar" is about the same as pine (more stable and better at holding paint, but still only moderately decay resistant).Painted Yellow-poplar, under some conditions, can retain water, accelerating decay. Semi-transparent stains are better especially with the moisture repellant/UV & antifungal 5% Chromium.There are better and worse choices for exterior applications.I don't buy wood from HD or Lowes. I get it from a local mill, they deliver it to my shop 1000 b.f. at a time (I installed over 1000 b.f. of oak during the last two weeks). This weeks' order will include White oak, Red oak, Cherry, Cedar, Pine and Poplar (of course, Yellow-poplar is what I will get).I have a few windows to install in my new shop office. The windows are pine, but for our enlightenment, I will trim the exteriors with Pine, Cedar and Yellow-poplar. I'll be sure to let you know how they hold up 20 years hence. They all have the same East exposure...should make for a fine test.
Painted Yellow-poplar, under some conditions, can retain water, accelerating decay.
Brian, still trying to make sense of some of this. It sounds to me that painting yellow pop is not that good an idea as opposed to the other finish that you mentioned(I thinks a stain of some sort).
But it also says, "under some conditions" so, does all the stars have to be lined up to make this all work or what?
I'm sure some of the old growth stuff is holding up just fine, I see some window jambs around here that have never been painted in 150 years are still in good shape but I doubt I'm going to get that same life out of any wood of the same species today.
I personally wont use pop outdoors but still trying to decide if one could get by with it. Your comment that I pasted at the top here suggests that it may be ok but then again it may not?
Doug
I gather, from another thread, that I could probably "side" my house with sail-cloth an spar varnish...doesn't mean it is the best idea.In any case, the suggestion by the Forest Service that Yellow-poplar be returned to exterior uses makes some sense to me. It is a historical use of the wood. There is not as much difference in new growth of Y-p and "old growth" as you might find in other species...This is because Y-p most often grows in disturbed, sites where plenty of sunshine allows rapid growth. This means the characteristics of old trees are similar to newer, plantation trees. Also, Y-p trees harvested 100 years ago and used as siding are likely "second growth" rather than "old growth" anyway.Y-p is strange in that the heartwood is lighter and more brittle than sapwood.On painting, it does paint well and holds latex paint longer than most woods, but it would be best installed over a rain screen drainage plain or at least with a very tight vapor barrier inside the house.I would also pre-treat the wood & back prime & prime cut end-grain...just best practices...as is best with pine on exteriors or cedar for that matter.Semi-transparent stains just let moisture back out better (more fault-tolerant), but have to be reapplied more often. The moisture proofing/UV/antifungal treatment with the stain can double or triple the life of the stain though. Any wood above 19% moisture will eventually decay...some just take longer. I'm all for using the best materials and practices. Azek is almost idiot proof, hardie CF siding is good stuff too, but I like using real wood.My house is cedar clapboards and a combination of cedar, pine and CCA pine trim. I will test out some Y-pop. on the shop, just for fun.I have to go measure up a job, collect a check, and place that lumber order...and, oh yeah, actually get some work done (entertainment center).
Thanks Brian
Taken another stress pill, the first five seem to not be enough for you . No one is making any comparisions to cedar.
But, seeing is believing. Just because you are incapable of imagining don't make your small mind correct.
poplar is a poor choice for exterior trim.
trust me ... your poor choice of exterior trim materials does not cause me stress.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
basswood some people's minds are too small to handle openness to reality, they are stuck in a world of ####-U-ME ing.
I don't doubt that Jeff Buck has had to replace rotten poplar, maybe even Yellow-poplar (which species were involved, we will never know). Seems strange that he has no interest in learning more about it.I would be curious about where the moisture came from (leaky or non-existant vapor barrier, missing flashing, gutter issues, etc. and how moisture made it into the wood (no back priming or end-grain priming, etc.)To give some credit to JB and others who argue against any poplar use on exteriors, it would not be very fault tolerant. You would want to do everything just right and maintain the exterior.I live in the same region as the Madison lab where much of the testing took place, so if I used Yellow-poplar, it is in a nearly identical climate. The Madison results might not be relevant to a Gulf Coast application, for instance.In the Rockies, I know of houses roofed with lodgepole pine shingles...don't think that would work in wetter climes.Anyway, there is a continum of material durability...use the most durable material available in your budget. We can't all afford Ipe siding <g>Poplar has to be better than the hardboard siding failing all around us...I've lost track of where I'm going with this.Good Night,Basswood
To give some credit to JB and others who argue against any poplar use on exteriors,
I wouldn't argue against it (using poplar) just that there are better choices that I feel more comfortable with. You have mentioned that if not done properly then failure is a distinct possibility, that's not the case with other species.
Doug
Bottomline, is I have seen it.
Take a stress pill pinhead. I never adviced it.
However, I have seen 50 year old cottonwood siding. Standing up fine to 50 years of PNW winters. Facts are facts. The fact they you can't understand this is not my problem. IF your mind is so tiny as to have a problem , well so be it.
As a practical matter I don't know where most people would get the stuff. In the situation I am aware of there was a little mill two miles down the road, and the second growth forest in the immediate area was and is loaded with three foot diameter cottonwoods. Two and two togather.
If you need convincing that poplar isn't a good exterior wood, take some 1/4"x4" x 2' rips of various woods and leave 'em out on the lawn overnight.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Idaho, now take those strips and prime them and paint them and nail them in a verticle position with no contact to the ground then keep them painted and call me in 50 years. I am sure it ani't cedar which would likely stand those 50 years unpainted.
Idaho, now take those strips and prime them and paint them and nail them in a verticle position with no contact to the ground then keep them painted and call me in 50 years. I am sure it ani't cedar which would likely stand those 50 years unpainted.
Even for high humidity indoor applications I'd rather use doug fir. As a remodeler I see what happens to good intensions 50 years down the road. It's just human nature to not keep up on the paint all the time, owner after owner.
Like I said, with perfect paint any window will last indefinitely. The problem is only 1% of all home owners keep their paint that well.
Good painting.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Idaho, no arguement here. I would not use cottonwood as a window component. If your paint and chaulk were to fall, the repair is too costly. Likewise I would not use it for the trim, as trim is too close to those valuable windows. I would use is for siding, as I have seen it on barns in my area. Seeing is beleiving. I certainly would use it on outbuildings if I could get my hands on it.
All that said, the discussion is moot. YOu can't get popluar except as fine and relatively pricing boards intended for fine work. But, if you live in an area with lots of native cottonwood trees and small private mills, I would jump on it as dirt cheap siding, again particularly for outbuildigns.