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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, 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 pau amarelo and what makes it distinctive?
Pau amarelo (Euxylophora paraensis), also spelled pau amarello, is a South American hardwood with a vivid, uniform bright yellow colour — one of the most saturated natural yellows available in commercial wood. It has a fine, even texture and moderate hardness. Pau amarelo is used for accent work, inlay, marquetry, turning, and decorative woodworking where a consistent, strong yellow natural colour is the design goal.
Does pau amarelo maintain its yellow colour?
Pau amarelo's yellow colour fades with UV exposure over time, transitioning toward a more tan-yellow or orange-yellow tone. UV-inhibiting clear finishes slow the colour change. Keeping finished pieces out of direct sunlight preserves the vivid yellow longer. The faded colour is still attractive but loses some of the saturation that makes the species distinctive.
What applications is pau amarelo used for?
Pau amarelo is used for colour contrast accent work in furniture, inlay banding and stringing, pen turning, marquetry, small decorative boxes, and musical instrument accents. Its uniform, saturated yellow colour creates strong contrast with darker woods and is a valuable element in decorative woodworking that relies on natural wood colour variety.
Is pau amarelo difficult to work with?
Pau amarelo is moderate in difficulty for an exotic hardwood. It machines cleanly with sharp tools, turns well, and sands to a smooth surface. Grain direction changes should be monitored to avoid tearout. The natural surface oils may slow finish adhesion on some products — a light wipe with mineral spirits before finishing is recommended.
Does Windsor Plywood carry pau amarelo?
Windsor Plywood carries pau amarelo as a specialty exotic hardwood in small lumber and turning blank dimensions subject to current availability. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm current stock for your project.