Timber for garage doors

[Greengrass]

Hello, new to the forum, first post.

I am 21, and currently on a carpentry course hoping to get into the industry. My father was a excellent carpenter so I've grown up around woodworking. I am currently a self employed gardener, but I am sick of it and hopefully I can make a career of carpentry/joinery like my dad.

Anyway... I am going to build a new pair of garage doors and am just looking for a bit of advice as to what timber would be most suitable? I prefer the look of a darker hardwood but I dont have fortunes to spend. Any ideas what it might roughly cost of the timber? The garage opening is 7ft.

all the best,

GG

 

[Lowlife]

You could use Western Red Cedar, cheaper than most hardwoods and naturally rot resistant, it's often used untreated for roofing shingles but you can paint it or oil it if you want.

 

[master beaver]

hemlock is a good wood to use and is a good price
lee

 

[Argus]

You could use Western Red Cedar, cheaper than most hardwoods and naturally rot resistant, it's often used untreated for roofing shingles but you can paint it or oil it if you want.

What sort of prices is Western Red Cedar sold for these days?


.

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Priced up some the other day for a customer. Redwood (softwood - Scandinavian pine) £150 for materials. So your looking £250 for hardwood timbers.

 

[jordec66]

Hemlock is durable and reasonably priced, you can get an excellent finish on it, and it will hold finished tolerance well.

 

[Lowlife]

What sort of prices is Western Red Cedar sold for these days?

Prices seem to vary considerably between suppliers, I get mine from SL Hardwoods in Croydon who are the cheapest local supplier that I've found, as an example 25mm x 100mm sawn is £4.49 + vat per metre, the nearest equivalent PAR (approx 19 x 115) is just under twice that.

If you're buying a lot, as I did for my boat, then joining their Woodclub for £20 would save 10% on those prices, with a similar saving on anything else bought in a 12 month period.

For reasonably priced dark hardwoods I would consider Utile, Sapele, or Iroko, all of which are a similar price to WRC, slightly cheaper in fact, I think the WRC has risen relatively in price since I bought mine.

 

[RogerM]

For reasonably priced dark hardwoods I would consider Utile, Sapele, or Iroko, all of which are a similar price to WRC, slightly cheaper in fact, I think the WRC has risen relatively in price since I bought mine.

For garage doors weight may come in to the equation, and I would suspect that WRC would be significantly lighter in weight than Iroko?

 

[Lowlife]

I agree Roger, that's why I initially suggested WRC, and if it's varnished or oiled (my preference) it goes a nice deep honey colour not unlike some hardwoods, where I've used it on the boat it's actually quite hard to distinguish it from the Utile which I've also used.

 

[Lowlife]

I agree Roger, that's why I initially suggested WRC, and if it's varnished or oiled (my preference) it goes a nice deep honey colour not unlike some hardwoods, where I've used it on the boat it's actually quite hard to distinguish it from the Utile which I've also used.

 

[Greengrass]

Thanks a lot, great help. Think I will go for the western red cedar.

all the best,
GG