WESTERN RED CEDAR

Western Red Cedar Pacific Northwest of United States and Canada (Thuja Plicata)

Let’s start with the obvious: Western Red Cedar is gorgeous. It’s a top choice of designers and architects for its durability, resistance to rot and insects, low maintenance, as well as its natural beauty that becomes richer with time.

Western Red Cedar is pitch- and resin-free, and accepts a broad range of stains: go dark, go colorful, or opt for clear topcoats that reveal it’s inherent charm.

Heartwood is red to pinkish-brown with streaks of dark red or dark brown. The sapwood is yellow-to-white and can blend into the heartwood (not a straight line of demarcation as in some species). It’s this variegated color that gives Western Red Cedar its character.

Western Red Cedar is versatile, from rough-sawn timbers for home construction to decking to clear vertical-grain for more elegant interior and exterior applications, to soundboards for classical guitars.