Can we talk about the switch from pine to poplar for painted trim?

My whole crew used pine for years because it was cheap, but we had constant callbacks for nail pops and warping. Last month we did a full house in poplar for a client in Springfield, and the difference is night and day. The poplar held a crisp paint line with zero splits after three weeks. What's your go-to for interior trim now?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor3052mo ago

Pine's fine if you prep it right...

spencer_moore391mo ago

Buddy of mine tried what @taylor305 suggested and it still twisted like a pretzel.

richardknight2mo ago

So what's the prep routine that actually works on pine to stop it from moving around? Because sealing the end grain and using ring shank nails still gave me trouble on that last batch from the big box store.