My friend argued that I shouldn't get a maple shelf for the Queen's Room closet. She told me not to do that on the basis that I would be spending more money than necessary. I explained that most builders get a piece of particleboard and paint it. So there you have formaldehyde in the particle board, and VOC's in the paint, and that toxic waste dump is in the middle of your closet, surrounded by your best clothes, and that makes no sense to me. A similar option is to get Melamine board, which has strong plastic coating, but once again is made of toxic chemicals (mainly in the particle board actually), and of course the whole thing is made in China.
I also explained the horrors of the lauan wood sold ubiquitously by Home Depot for everything.
She asked why I didn't just get a pine shelf. Actually, I hadn't thought of that. I suppose Home Depot sells pine shelves, though I haven't checked recently. But pine, I said, is slightly toxic. They make disinfectants out of pine oil for a reason. Maple, on the other hand, is edible, and we even eat the syrup made from sap.
Here's a discussion on eating maple, which parts are most edible. Notoriously red maple leaves are toxic to horses. But that is exceptional, other than that maple is non-toxic.
Maple also has the best sonic characteristics of any wood. It's the wood of choice for string instruments. It's also used in special audiophile stands.
It's also sustainably grown in the USA and Canada. Lauan is not sustainably grown, and one may have doubts about pine (much pine was old growth pacific until recently).
She relented and said that it's my house and my money, I can do what I want. Whew.
I added that it's not like I'm making a shelf out of diamond. Maple used to be the standard wood for making furniture, though not so much any more. I like to think of my house as a little jewel box, and that's my basic design strategy, make everything as nice as possible. I should have added, especially those things most people ignore.
Actually I'm very much looking forward to visiting the hardwood store. Seeking out harder-to-get stuff is what I do and enjoy doing most.
I also explained the horrors of the lauan wood sold ubiquitously by Home Depot for everything.
She asked why I didn't just get a pine shelf. Actually, I hadn't thought of that. I suppose Home Depot sells pine shelves, though I haven't checked recently. But pine, I said, is slightly toxic. They make disinfectants out of pine oil for a reason. Maple, on the other hand, is edible, and we even eat the syrup made from sap.
Here's a discussion on eating maple, which parts are most edible. Notoriously red maple leaves are toxic to horses. But that is exceptional, other than that maple is non-toxic.
Maple also has the best sonic characteristics of any wood. It's the wood of choice for string instruments. It's also used in special audiophile stands.
It's also sustainably grown in the USA and Canada. Lauan is not sustainably grown, and one may have doubts about pine (much pine was old growth pacific until recently).
She relented and said that it's my house and my money, I can do what I want. Whew.
I added that it's not like I'm making a shelf out of diamond. Maple used to be the standard wood for making furniture, though not so much any more. I like to think of my house as a little jewel box, and that's my basic design strategy, make everything as nice as possible. I should have added, especially those things most people ignore.
Actually I'm very much looking forward to visiting the hardwood store. Seeking out harder-to-get stuff is what I do and enjoy doing most.
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