If you have wandered through the baby sections of many stores and still have not found the perfect crib for your new baby, it might be time to look into custom carpentry. However, it is important to remember that there are many safety requirements and guidelines that apply for all of the mass market cribs and any crib that is custom designed should meet or surpass those standards. Therefore, when choosing a carpenter to create a one-of-a-kind crib for your one-of-a-kind baby, it's a good idea to discuss the following details about a few of the hard and softwoods that might be used for the project.

Understanding Hardwoods Versus Softwoods

One of the more common misconceptions about soft versus hardwoods is that those descriptions can be taken literally. The truth is, healthy wood of almost any type, will usually be firm and strong enough to use in some form of woodworking and carpentry and the alleged hardness of a wood is likely to refer to its density and hardness.

Sadly, some types of hardwood are quite expensive and it can be quite challenging to find specific types of hardwood, since those trees take longer to grow and are more rare than their counterparts.

Choosing Softwoods

Although it can be tempting to choose a type of wood due to its aesthetic appeal, it is better to choose a wood that will contain your baby for many hours a day for the next few years based on other properties as well. For instance, some types of softwoods are cedar, fir, and pine. However, cedar has a distinct smell that some people don't tolerate very well, so it would rarely be a good choice for a new baby.

Fir is an affordable soft wood, but doesn't stain well and has a dense grain that might be challenging to smooth over entirely, so it's not the most popular choice for custom cribs. Pine has often been in-demand for carpentry work, since it is easy to stain and to carve, but it's crucial to be sure that it has been treated and sealed prior to its use, as otherwise there is the possibility of leakage.

Opting For Hardwood

Common types of hardwood include oak, maple, and cherry. Oak is a heavy wood that is considered to be ideal for many household types of construction and is resistant to moisture, so the messes that accompany new babies won't be a problem. However, it's a bit grainy and may not always take staining very well. Maple is unusual in that it can be found in both hard and soft varieties, but its hard form is often so dense that working with it is difficult.

Fortunately, maple presents with a consistent grain, so if you choose it as the medium for your baby's custom crib, it is likely to be quite uniform in its appearance. Cherry is more expensive than many other hardwoods, but tends to age well and is easy to use for carpentry projects that will eventually be used inside.

In conclusion, a custom crib can be designed in standard or unusual designs and can present as a truly unique item that your little one can rest comfortably in for years. Since the safety specifications of cribs are both essential and extensive, your baby's security when using that crib can be impacted by the choices that are made in its design. As a result, it is a good idea to discuss with each carpenter you might hire the above pros and cons of common types of wood that could be used to create your baby's custom bed.

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