What type of wood to use?

LI Pets · 10-08-2006, 03:29 AM

In redoing the interior petitions and cabinets my wife and I are trying to choose a type of wood to use that won't be too dark but look good against the freshly painted white interior skin.

In conjunction with the walls and cabinets what color to use on the floor.

Our first choice is cherry finished natural, we think if its a dark color it will make the space feel small?

We're keeping all the tambor, painted white.

mustang · 10-08-2006, 09:47 AM

I thought the color that matched stock in my airstream was a walnut
It is dark but the lighter walls alway make up for the darkness

10-08-2006, 09:57 AM

Cherry is somewhat of a dark wood ( pink and red) and it oxidizes when exposed to light and gets darker as it ages. If left in light with nothing but an oil finish it will eventually become a muddy brown. Most Cherry for furniture or cabinets is stained to produce a more even color: although not all. Birch ply (1/4") would probably be a better choice for partitions as the wood is almost white to light tan and could still be stained if desired without becoming too dark. It is also 1/2 to 1/4 the cost of Cherry ply. Maple would also be another good choice but it's much heavier than Birch for solid wood trim. A 3/8" medium honey colored oak floor would look good if your going with wood.

**wahoonc** · 10-08-2006, 11:09 AM

I am contemplating an full custom interior on my 1980 Excella II. About 2/3rds of th orginal is missing. The orginal was that plastic laminate wormy oak looking stuff. I am leaning heavily towards either natural finish Birch or maple. I love Cherry in it's natural state, but it does darken with age. Also my Excella has the dark tint windows so anything to keep the interior lighter is a plus.

Aaron

Fyrzowt · 10-08-2006, 11:19 AM

I agree, Birch, maple or alder are light in terms of color, and can be stained to personal taste.

**wahoonc** · 10-08-2006, 12:23 PM

I might also add that the hidden cabinet frames will be something inexpensive and light weight, we used to call it "whitewood" but typically was magnolia or beech.

Aaron

**Janet** · 10-08-2006, 01:38 PM

We've been looking at Bamboo Ply for walls - it's available in 1/4" 5 ply from specialty wood places and looks just amazing.

vswingfield · 04-12-2007, 11:31 AM

Another wood to consider is Zepra Wood (AKA Zebrano). It has pale yellow and mahogany stripes about 1/8" with good figure. It complements mahogany very well. I covered the sliding doors in the front cap of my 67 with it and it complements the birtch in that trailer very well too. Birdseye maple is also very beautiful. A friend has new edge bamboo floors in her house, and I am considering that for my Excella. It is very light in color, and I have dark brown carpet. I think the zebra would look good against the white, but could be pricy.

vswingfield · 04-12-2007, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Another wood to consider is Zepra Wood (AKA Zebrano). It has pale yellow and mahogany stripes about 1/8" with good figure. It complements mahogany very well. I covered the sliding doors in the front cap of my 67 with it and it complements the birtch in that trailer very well too. Birdseye maple is also very beautiful. A friend has new edge bamboo floors in her house, and I am considering that for my Excella. It is very light in color, and I have dark brown carpet. I think the zebra would look good against the white, but could be pricy.

OK, that is Zebra Wood not "Zepra" Wood. I have used it as veneer rather than boards or plywood. It can be kind of busy, but birtch cabinets with zebra doors or accents would be light and very nice.

zamboni · 04-12-2007, 08:45 PM

If you want to be environmentally friendly, as I know we all do, you could contact a local saw mill and see wha tthey have that was "recycled" from urban trees that had to be cut down for various reasons. Often they have tree species that woodworkers love at very reasonable prices...you will have to dimension cut it and plane it; but think of the stories you could tell.

I am an urban forester that works with local mills in the STL area to take the removed logs off our hands and mill it into usable lumber. We often have sweetgum, sycamore, oak, maple, poplar, ash that must be removed for various reasons. Generally, we chip and make landscape mulch out of all tree parts 12" or less, we save all tree parts 12" or greater and cut it into 12' lengths for our local mill resource to recycle into usable lumber. They often sell it for furniture, woodturning, hobbies, etc. at very resonable prices. I'm not sure of the exact web-link, but I will post that tomorrow...the local STL mill resource I deal w/ is Logs2lumber. You could search the web for something in your area.
FWIW, Bamboo is another very environmentally friendly wood product.

boatdoc · 04-13-2007, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LI Pets

In redoing the interior petitions and cabinets my wife and I are trying to choose a type of wood to use that won't be too dark but look good against the freshly painted white interior skin.

In conjunction with the walls and cabinets what color to use on the floor.

Our first choice is cherry finished natural, we think if its a dark color it will make the space feel small?

We're keeping all the tambor, painted white.

Hi LI Pets; I have wrestled with ideas for new interior since my wife does not like the dark interior of our Argosy. First and foremost concern to us, is the fact that we will not be able to regulate humidity level in the trailer all year long. This calls for Marine Quality plywood. After considering few available to us choices which are minimized by available thickness choice, I have settled on Okume, which is available from 4 MM to 3/4". Since 4 MM is the closest to the original thickness, it will fit the clips inside the moldings the best. Second reason for making such choice is the fact that OKUME is a marine ply which can withstand high levels of moisture because it is a marine ply. It can be stained into just about any shade. I will be finishing mine with Marine Epifanes varnish prior to final installation. This ply is AB rated, and it is available in two grades. One is certified by Lloyd's of London for marine construction [which is insurable performance by Lloyd's] and the second grade is made by the same plant in the same way, but the price is down to $37.00 per 4'x8' sheet in 4 MM simply because it is not certified by Lloyd's. The "A" side will be used as face while "B" side will be inside the walls and cabinets. 3/4 ply will be used on structural section of cabinetry and the counter top with Formica overlay. If anything I will be assured that I am protected from possible warping and de-laminating. The marine Epifanes is the finest marine varnish I have used. While it is bit pricey it is worth the difference. Thanks "Boatdoc"