# furring strips vs. poplar



## someone423 (Jul 2, 2012)

Hey guys,
I need some help with a kitchen nook/ day bed for my house boat. I have drawn up some plans to make a two bench/table kitchen nook for my boat where the table would detach and fit into slots on the benches to form a level, flush platform. I could then use bench cushions as a mattress to form a day bed for sleeping if i have a guest. i plan on using furring strips to make the shell and staining some type of wood to sort or panel the outside to make it look nice and match the hard wood interior flooring. 

Now my question is could i just stain and poly the furring strips, and use them for the entire thing to cut costs? Or am i better off using poplar, pine or oak for the stained paneling?


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

The last time I saw furring strips, they were some of the worse pieces of wood around. Lots of knots, lots of tearout. In general a surface which was expected to be covered.

If you are intending to do any staining, a rough surface will look awful. The stain will be thick in the rough spots.

I would cover the furring strips with a decent and smooth piece of wood. Poplar stains well and frequently has fewer knots than the pine I see at the big box stores.

Also consider dying instead of staining. Take a look at a recent thread on this topic.
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f8/staining-prem-douglas-fir-40384/


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## Ryn0nTX (Jun 27, 2012)

*Cool thread...I use them often...*



Dave Paine said:


> I would cover the furring strips with a decent and smooth piece of wood. Poplar stains well and frequently has fewer knots than the pine I see at the big box stores.



I have stained some furring strips in some of our projects. It turned out pretty good. I would say that you will have to do sand them...and sand them...and sand them getting to really fine grain. They splinter very easily so be careful when sanding. You will also have to spend some time digging for "straight" ones.

That said...it is sorta funny because my wife went to town today and asked if I needed anything from Lowes. I needed a 2x2 for some benches I am building. While waiting on the rain to stop...I looked at the receipt and saw she bought furring 2x2's. I explained the same thing to her as well. Poplar is a little pricy depending on the size of the project but the "Top Choice" pine 2x2's are only a few bucks each and are much easier to work with. 

Here is a pick (or two) of some stained 1x4 furring strips that I just did.




















Sorry about the large pics....not sure how to control that....but at least you can see how the sap is a pain and it is tough to get an even coat. These boards were conditioned and then stained with Special Walnut (Minwax).

Poplar...for me was NOT easy to stain. Maybe dye is better? I did a premium 1x8x6' piece in Ebony. Again, I sanded from 220 to 340 grit and conditioned it. I really liked the result, however it was a complete accident because it was my first try at poplar and I had no idea that it is almost impossible (at least in case) to get rid of the green tint. Here is a pic of that.


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