Hardwood selection

Currently, the shop is stocked with maple, bird's-eye maple, black walnut and cherry wood of varying thicknesses.

Maple has a warm appeal and can brighten a darker or dimly lit room. Though it is pale after it is initially worked, maple wood darkens somewhat over the years and yellows slightly, ultimately tending towards butterscotch.

Bird's-eye maple is known for its unique figure: little round knots that resemble a bird's eye (go figure!). There is often a rippled, shimmery quality to this wood as well.

Rough-Cut Lumber

The dark warmth of black walnut is a classic. All the stains, tints and dyes that try to match the natural colour of walnut cannot come close, nor can they replicate the natural variation in colour that you can find within any given tree which can range from the creamy tan of the sapwood to the dark chocolate brown of the heartwood. Over time, these colour variations become more pronounced as the wood lightens a few shades.

Birch is similar to maple in colour, yet with time turns a warm honey gold. There can also be a greater variation in its colour from tree to tree and within any given board. Birch is known for having wavy, shimmery figure that is quite appealing.

Cherry wood can vary in appearance and coloration, ranging from its more characteristic pink or salmon hue, to the lighter, maple-like color of the sap wood. Unless specifically requested, Gerrybuilt furnishings made of cherry will be made of pink cherry which darkens to a rusty or even chocolatey red over the years.

The aging of any species of wood will depend on many factors including care of the individual piece of furniture, its exposure to sunlight, temperature and humidity fluctuations, and the characteristics of the individual boards within the furniture.