Find Your Store
Discover the natural beauty and enduring strength of hardwood. Perfect for furniture making, cabinetry, flooring, and custom woodworking projects, our hardwood selection includes a wide variety of species such as maple, ash, walnut, birch, cherry, and more. Whether you’re looking for rough-sawn lumber or live edge slabs, we carry top-quality hardwoods in a range of sizes and finishes to meet your needs. Each piece is carefully sourced for character, grain consistency, and long-lasting performance, ideal for both DIYers and professional craftsmen. As a proudly Canadian company with locally owned stores, Windsor Plywood specializes in hard-to-find wood products and offers expert, one-on-one service to help you bring your vision to life. Visit your local store to browse our full hardwood selection and get the guidance you need for your next project.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is hickory wood and what are its main characteristics?
Hickory is one of the hardest and strongest domestic hardwoods, with a Janka hardness of approximately 1820. It has a pronounced colour variation between the pale sapwood and darker reddish-brown heartwood, a coarse, open grain, and a rustic character that is distinctive in flooring and furniture. Hickory is known for extreme toughness and shock resistance, making it the traditional wood for tool handles and sporting goods.
Why is hickory popular for hardwood flooring?
Hickory's extreme hardness makes it one of the most durable domestic hardwood flooring options available. The colour variation between sapwood and heartwood creates a distinctive rustic character that suits farmhouse, craftsman, and country-style interiors. Because hickory machines less smoothly than maple or oak, hickory flooring is often available in wire-brushed and hand-scraped finishes that complement its natural character.
Is hickory difficult to work with?
Yes. Hickory's extreme hardness and interlocked grain make it one of the more challenging domestic hardwoods to work with. It dulls cutting tools more quickly than softer species and can be prone to tearout if tools are not kept sharp. Drilling requires sharp bits and slower feed rates. For hand tool work, extra effort is required. The difficulty is accepted in exchange for the excellent durability of finished hickory pieces.
What finishes work on hickory?
Hickory accepts stain, though its colour variation between sapwood and heartwood means stain will produce noticeably different tones across the board. This is typically embraced as part of hickory's rustic character rather than treated as a defect. Oil-based stains penetrate the open grain well. Clear finishes including polyurethane and oil finishes are also appropriate.
Does Windsor Plywood carry hickory lumber?
Windsor Plywood carries hickory hardwood lumber subject to current availability. Hickory is less commonly stocked than oak or maple due to its specialty nature. Contact your local Windsor Plywood branch to confirm whether hickory is currently in stock or available to order, and to discuss your project requirements.