Frequently Asked Questions
Why Redwood?
Why should I use redwood for my project?
Use redwood for its long-lasting beauty.
No other softwood has the rich beauty or long-lasting performance of redwood.
Use redwood for its dimensional stability.
Redwood is less likely to warp, split, cup or check than other wood. With redwood you get both natural beauty and quality performance.
Use redwood for its natural durability.
Redwood heartwood is naturally resistant to decay and insects.
Use redwood simply because it is a pleasure to use.
Redwood is a favorite with builders because it is lightweight but strong. It is easy to saw, nail and drill. Redwood has little or no messy pitch or resins.
Use redwood because it is easy to paint, stain and glue.
No other softwood holds paints, stains and other coatings better than redwood. Redwood also bonds exceptionally well.
What about decks?
What is the truth about deck maintenance?
All decks require maintenance.
All decks, like all walking surfaces, require some level of maintenance. You will want to keep your deck free of dirt and debris. Your deck should be kept free of mildew. This is true for all types of decking whether it is wood or a wood plastic composite.
Redwood low-maintenance option.
Redwood is popular for decking because there are a variety of maintnenance options. For a low maintenance option you may let the redwood weather naturally. This is possible with redwood because it has greater dimensional stability than other woods. It is less likely to warp, split or check. Over time, your redwood deck will weather to a natural gray color.
See Naturally Weathered Redwood
Redwood with a protective finish.
A stain or finish can enhance the color of a redwood deck while giving addtional protection to wood. There are a variety of products available. California Redwood Association recommends finishes that contain a water repellent, a mildewcide and ultra violet protection.
What spans can I use for redwood beams, joists and decking?
Beam Spans.
For non stress-graded redwood lumber (Construction Heart), with a live load of 40 lbs. per square foot.
| Beam Spacing | Beam Sizes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 4X6 Span | 4x8 Span | 4x10 Span | |
| 6 feet | 4'0" | 5'0" | 7'3" |
| 8 feet | 3'3" | 4'3" | 6'3" |
| 10 feet | 3'0" | 3'9" | 5'6" |
| 12 feet | 2'9" | 3'6" | 5'0" |
Joist Spans.
For non-stress graded redwood lumber (Construction Heart) with live load of 40 lbs. per square foot.
| Joist Size | Joist Spacing | Joist Span |
|---|---|---|
| 2x6 | 16" on center | 7'3" | 2x6 | 24" on center | 6'0" | 2x8 | 16" on center | 10'9" | 2x8 | 24" on center | 8'9" | 2x10 | 16" on center | 13'6" | 2x10 | 24" on center | 11'0" |
Decking Spans.
Construction Heart or Construction Common 2x6 decking should be nailed to joists which are spaced no more than 24 inches on center.
What can I do to build a deck surface which will look good and be low maintenance?
Install decking bark side up.
Install decking with the bark side up to minimize grain-raising.
Use one nail per bearing.
Use only one nail per bearing to minimize splitting. A staggered nailing patter permits slight movement during the wood's natural seasoning process.
Leave space between deck boards.
Leave about 1/8-inch space between deck boards to permit drainage of water. This will also help to keep dirt and debris from accumulating between deck boards.
What kind of fasteners should I use for my redwood decking?
A variety of fasteners work well with redwood from nails or deck screws to hidden fasteners that leave the deck surface free of hardware.
Fasteners must be non-corrosive. Stainless steel, aluminum or top-quality, hot-dipped galvanized fasteners perform well. Electro-plated galvanized fastners do not. Poor quality fasteners will cause unsightly stains.
What redwood grade should I use for an economical deck?
Choose a grade among the garden grades of redwood for an economical deck. These grades contain knots and have a rustic look that fits right in with most gardens.
The garden grades include: Deck Heart, Construction Heart, Deck Common and Construction Common. You can choose grades that are all heartwood.
What redwood grade should I use for a top-of-the-line deck?
Choose a grade among the architectural grades of redwood for a top-of-the-line, luxury deck. These grades contain have few or no knots and have a sophisticated look that suits high-end projects.
The architectural grades include: Redwood Reserve, Heart B, Clear grade and Clear All Heart. You can choose grades that are all heartwood.
What about fences?
What is the proper way to set posts for a long-lasting fence?
Construction Heart redwood is often used for fence posts. The most common dimension is 4x4.
Post depth should be 1/3 the above-ground height plus an additional 6 inches for the rock or gravel bed (Fig. 5). If you experience frost where you live, dig postholes down to a foot below the normal frost line to minimize damage from ground shift due to alternate freezing and thawing of soil.
Post Anchor Alternative.
As an alternative to placing a posts in the ground, concrete footings and metal post anchors may be used, as shown in the example on the left.
What methods can be used to attach fence rails to posts?
There are a number of different ways to join the rails to the posts. Top rails can be mitered, butted, or notched and bolted, while bottom rails can be toe nailed, fastened with a block or metal brace, or inset into the post by cutting a dado or a notch. Non-corrosive metal hardware may be used. Toe-nailing provides the weakest connection.
What about redwood forests?
Are there different types of redwoods?
There are three redwood species. The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and the Sierra Redwood (Sequoiadendron gigantea) are native to California. The Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia) grows in China. The Coast Redwood is used to make redwood lumber and is the subject of this website.
Is the coast redwood an endangered species?
No. Redwood is not an endangered species. There are more redwoods today than when man first harvested the trees.
Are coast redwoods protected in parks?
More than 95% of redwood ancient forests are protected from harvesting.
There are over 257,000 acres of redwood parks along the coast of California. There are another 125,000 acres of public lands where redwoods are protected in publicly owned land and reserves. More than 95% of redwood ancient forests are protected from harvesting.
When were the redwood parks created?
We've been "saving" the redwoods for many generations and now have one of the greatest park systems ever created to preserve a single species.
Chronology of the Creation of California's Redwood Parks
| Year | Park | Current Acreage |
|---|---|---|
| 1902 | Big Basin Redwood State Park | 18,132 |
| 1907 | Muir Woods National Monument | 485 |
| 1921 | Humboldt Redwoods State Park | 52,246 |
| 1921 | Standish-Hickey | 1,021 |
| 1922 | Richardson Grove | 1,574 |
| 1923 | Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park | 14,004 |
| 1924 | Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park | 6,370 |
| 1928 | Mt. Tamalpais SP | 6,192 |
| 1928 | Paul Dimmick | 672 |
| 1928 | Humboldt Lagoons | 360 |
| 1929 | Jedediah Smith | 9,793 |
| 1930 | Van Damme | 2,155 |
| 1933 | Russian Gulch | 1,259 |
| 1933 | Pfeiffer Big Sur | 802 |
| 1934 | Armstrong Redwoods | 752 |
| 1943 | Grizzly Creek Redwoods | 394 |
| 1944 | Admiral Stanley | 45 |
| 1945 | Portola | 2,507 |
| 1946 | Samuel Taylor | 2,616 |
| 1947 | Montgomery Woods | 1,322 |
| 1954 | Henry Cowell | 4,136 |
| 1954 | Mailliard Redwoods | 242 |
| 1956 | Butano | 2,671 |
| 1958 | Benbow Lake | 975 |
| 1958 | Hendy Woods | 816 |
| 1961 | Julia Pfeiffer Burns | 2,040 |
| 1963 | Smithe Redwoods | 628 |
| 1963 | Forest of Nisene Marks | 10,095 |
| 1966 | Austin Creek | 5,107 |
| 1966 | Reynolds | 376 |
| 1968 | Andrew Molera | 4,749 |
| 1968 | Redwood National Park - original | 28,000 |
| 1975 | Sinkyone Wilderness | 7,407 |
| 1976 | Jug Handle | 756 |
| 1978 | Redwood National Park - expansion | 48,000 |
| 1978 | Big Creek Preserve | 3,858 |
| 1981 | Humboldt Lagoons | 360 |
| 1988 | Navarro River Redwoods | 647 |
| 1989 | Harry Merlo | 830 |
| 1989 | Fort Ross | 3,275 |
| 1980s | Misc. Casc. | 2,493 |
| 1980s | Misc. LaPurisima | 2,633 |
| 1980s | Misc. Wilder | 4,511 9,637 |
| Total | 257,306 | |
Is redwood harvested from parks?
No. There is no harvesting in the redwood parks.
Where is redwood harvested?
Redwood lumber is harvested almost entirely from private lands. These lands are zoned for timber production.
What happens to lands after redwoods are harvested?
After harvest, lands are replanted and managed to ensure that redwood forests are renewed.
Do redwoods grow slowly?
The Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is the fastest growing commercial softwood in the country. A coast redwood can grow to be 130 feet tall in just 30 years.
Is redwood growth and harvest sustainable?
Four of every five acres of commercial redwood forest are now independently certified as well managed and harvested on a sustainable basis. The major redwood lumber mills and landowners have completed independent third-party certification of their redwood forestlands. As a result, over 1 million acres, approximately 80 percent of the available redwood commercial forest are certified under one of the two most widely recognized certification programs: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI SM) program.