The popularity of DIY projects has skyrocketed in the past few years – especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced people to look inward and find new stay-at-home hobbies.
However, DIY has been increasingly gaining steam with the rise of the Internet; today, thousands of websites, blogs, and Reddit pages are dedicated to wonderfully creative and crafty folks that always find new ways to put their talents to good use.
These online gathering places are also great for asking questions about DIY – and one of the ones we see most often is “Where do you get wood for your projects?”
Naturally, this also depends on what you need the wood for and what you’re making. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the most common wood sources for DIY!
Home Improvement Shops
This is one of the most obvious choices. You can find plenty of home improvement stores that offer a decent choice of lumber – at least for the average home carpentry project. Plus, this wood tends to be reasonably priced, though depending on the store, you may face limited variety.
Lumber Yards and Saw Mills
People who know someone working in a sawmill or a lumber yard are in luck – you can always find excellent deals on lumber cut-offs, which can be used for various small DIY projects. Also, they may sell lumber – if they do, it’s probably more affordable than the prices you’d find in retail stores.
The only questions are whether they regularly sell to individuals and whether they have some kind of minimum quantity you’d have to buy. Talk to people in your local lumber yard in Brisbane for more info, find someone in a nearby woodworking club, or simply search for lumber yards online – you’re bound to find something.
Woodworking Stores
Home improvement stores aren’t the only places to get quality wood for your DIY project. Depending on your location, you may also have access to specialty stores that sell wood and woodworking tools. Usually, you can find them in major cities.
These stores generally offer a wider wood selection; you may be able to find all kinds of exotic woods and hardwoods there. However, while it’s usually high-grade and well-seasoned, bear in mind that wood from specialty stores is usually more expensive.
Furniture Shops
If you know someone who works in a local carpentry shop and is willing to sell their cut-offs, you’ve got another great source of wood for projects. Still, this is only okay for smaller DIY crafts. And you may not necessarily have one of these nearby.
