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Discover the natural beauty and enduring strength of hardwood. Perfect for furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and custom woodworking projects, our hardwood selection includes a wide variety of species such as maple, ash, walnut, birch, cherry, and more. Whether you’re looking for rough-sawn lumber or live edge slabs, we carry top-quality hardwoods in a range of sizes and finishes to meet your needs. Each piece is carefully sourced for character, grain consistency, and long-lasting performance, ideal for both DIYers and professional craftsmen. As a proudly Canadian company with locally owned stores, Windsor Plywood specializes in hard-to-find wood products and offers expert, one-on-one service to help you bring your vision to life. Visit your local store to browse our full hardwood selection and get the guidance you need for your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lacewood and what makes it distinctive?
Lacewood is the commercial name for quartersawn Australian silky oak (Cardwellia sublimis) and related species, named for the distinctive lace-like pattern produced by the large medullary rays visible on quartersawn surfaces. The ray fleck in lacewood is larger and more prominent than in quartersawn oak, producing a striking decorative pattern in a pale reddish-brown to tan colour.
What applications is lacewood used for?
Lacewood is used for decorative furniture panels, veneer, cabinetry accents, musical instrument backs and sides, small boxes, and turning projects where the distinctive ray figure is the design feature. It is most commonly used as a veneer in furniture and architectural panelling where the visual impact is desired without the cost of solid lacewood for large surfaces.
How is lacewood best finished?
Clear oil finishes and varnishes that do not obscure the distinctive figure are the best choices for lacewood. The ray fleck pattern becomes more vivid with a clear penetrating finish. Oil-based finishes with UV inhibitors help preserve the warm colour. Water-based finishes may raise the grain more on lacewood's open ray cells and require additional sanding between coats.
Is lacewood difficult to work with?
Lacewood can be prone to tearout along the prominent ray cells if worked against the grain. Sharp tools and light passes when hand planing or routing are important. It sands cleanly to a smooth surface. The open ray structure means it absorbs finish unevenly between the rays and the surrounding wood — a shellac sealer coat before applying a topcoat produces more consistent results.
Does Windsor Plywood carry lacewood?
Windsor Plywood carries lacewood as a specialty exotic hardwood subject to current availability. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm whether lacewood is currently in stock and in the dimensions required for your project.