Green, Air Dried or Kiln Dried: Which Lumber Do You Need?

This is the question that decides whether you still like your project a year from now.

Green

Green lumber comes fresh off the mill, full of water, and it is going to shrink and move as it dries. It is the right call for timbers, posts, beams, fencing, barn siding and anything outside or rustic that is allowed to move.

Air dried

Air dried lumber has sat in a stickered stack and let our climate do the work. It is slower, it is cheaper and it is easy on the wood, which makes it good for timbers that need a head start and thick stock that should not be rushed.

Kiln dried

Kiln dried lumber was finished in the kiln and checked with a meter. It is what you want for anything that goes inside and has to stay tight: tongue and groove, trim, paneling and furniture.

Where people get in trouble

Green fir nailed up as an interior ceiling dries in the house. The boards shrink, the gaps open, and we get a phone call. We feel bad, but we did tell you. So tell us what you are building and where it is going. A rough ceiling liner in a barn and a kiln dried ceiling in a house are two very different orders.

And kiln dried does not mean waterproof. Keep it covered and out of the weather until it is up.