Pro tip: Hard maple vs soft maple cost me $600 on a kitchen job last spring

I was quoting out a kitchen reno in Cleveland last April and figured I'd save the client some cash by using soft maple for the face frames instead of hard maple. Looked up the Janka hardness ratings online and found out soft maple is actually about 30% less dense than hard maple. That means screws pull out easier and it dents way faster. I redid the whole bid with hard maple and the client was actually happier with the price difference being smaller than expected. Has anyone else had soft maple fail on them down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_rivera19d ago

Did a buddy use soft maple for his shelving and regret it?

kai_stone9918d ago

Agree with that, soft maple's kind of a weird middle ground. I've seen shelves made from it sag after a year or two if they're holding anything heavier than paperback books. The wood's just not dense enough for spans over like 3 feet without some serious bracing underneath. Maybe it's just me but I'd rather spend a bit more on hard maple or even poplar if I wanted something paintable.