Maple

Maple

Maple is the hardest working pale timber we stock, and if you want a bright, clean, modern surface that will not dent under daily use, this is it. Hard maple (Acer saccharum) is creamy white with a fine, tight, almost featureless grain, and it is dense enough at around 740 kg per cubic metre to be the standard timber for commercial flooring, bowling alleys, butcher blocks and school furniture. If you have specified a pale worktop or a light floor and been disappointed by how quickly it marked, maple is the answer. Imported from the United States and Canada and stocked in our yard for delivery across Ireland in thicknesses from 26 to 52 mm, kiln dried, with FSC and PEFC certified supply available on request. Sold by the cubic foot and priced on enquiry.

Why Hard Maple?

Density and consistency. It resists abrasion better than oak, it holds a crisp edge on a machined profile, and its closed pore structure means it needs no grain filling to reach a genuinely glass smooth finish. The colour is remarkably uniform board to board, which makes it easy to specify across a large job without hunting for matches.

Maple also throws up some of the most valuable figure in the trade, birdseye, curly and quilted, though that is bought separately and priced accordingly. Ask us if you want figured stock for a feature panel.

The honest difficulties are two. It burns easily, and a scorch mark on a near white timber is very hard to hide, so tooling must be sharp and feed rates steady. And it is a nightmare to stain evenly: the tight pore structure makes pigmented stain blotch badly, which is why maple is nearly always finished clear. If your client wants a dark timber, do not start with maple.

Installation guidance

Give it two to three weeks acclimatising in the room it will live in, stickered flat with air on both faces. Maple moves a moderate amount and a floor laid straight off the pack will gap in summer.

Keep every cutter sharp and take light final passes to avoid burning. Pre drill near ends and edges, because at this density it splits rather than compressing. On worktops, seal both faces equally so the underside does not take up moisture the top cannot.

Finishing & maintenance

Interior timber, so this is short. A clear hardwax oil keeps maple looking natural and repairs locally, while a water based lacquer gives you a harder film for a floor or a commercial surface. Avoid oil based polyurethane, which yellows badly and undoes the reason you chose a white timber, and avoid pigmented stain for the blotching reason above. We stock finishes suited to pale hardwoods, so ask us which to pair with yours. Wipe spills promptly and clean with a barely damp cloth.