Thread: Old House wood type curiosity

Does anyone know the type of hardwood used on houses from about 1950's and earlier (especially around Middle Tennessee)? It is tough stuff, more termite proof perhaps?

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Originally Posted by David J. Edens

Does anyone know the type of hardwood used on houses from about 1950's and earlier (especially around Middle Tennessee)? It is tough stuff, more termite proof perhaps?

I am sure it was not hardwood unless you want to call old stand (lob lolly) pine (southern yellow) Try to drive a nail or screw into it and you would think it were worse than hardwood.

Originally Posted by David J. Edens

Does anyone know the type of hardwood used on houses from about 1950's and earlier (especially around Middle Tennessee)? It is tough stuff, more termite proof perhaps?

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Could be any species of wood native to your area.

When clearing land some owners would setup a sawmill on site to process the timber for use.
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Possibly AKA "kindling", i.e., wood with large amounts of sap used. Gets *REAL* hard when it ages, burns *REAL* fast though.

I owned a house in Gainesville, Florida which was built in 1894 from that stuff - I had to pre-drill all the nail holes whenever I wanted to do any nailing to it.

Was very resistant to termites too (termites like wood, not sap).

But I imagine it would have 'gone up quicker than a mobile home' had anything caught on fire.