Red Oak vs Yellow Poplar
Red Oak (Quercus rubra) and Yellow Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) are two woods people often weigh against each other. Red Oak is the harder of the two at 1220 lbf on the Janka scale, versus 540 lbf for Yellow Poplar, which affects how each handles wear, tools, and denting.
| Property | Red Oak Quercus rubra | Yellow Poplar Liriodendron tulipifera |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Hardwood | Hardwood |
| Cost | $$ · Moderate | $ · Budget |
| Hardness | 1220 lbf | 540 lbf |
| Workability | Good | Excellent |
| Seasonal movement | Medium | Small |
| Outdoor-friendly | No | No |
| Origin | Domestic (North America) | Domestic (North America) |
| Commonly built | Shaker-style cabinets, Hardwood flooring, Dining tables, Bookcases, Interior trim | Painted bookshelves, Drawer boxes, Crown molding, Toy boxes, Mock-up prototypes |
| Overview | The workhorse American hardwood, strong, affordable, everywhere. Coarse open grain takes stain readily but reads busy. | The budget hardwood of choice for paint-grade work. Soft, cheap, easy, just don't expect to show off the grain. |
Finishing
Red Oak
Takes stain readily and evenly, one of the most forgiving woods to color. The very open, porous grain shows through most finishes, so fill the grain with a paste wood filler first if you want a glass-smooth surface. Its high tannin content can react with water-based finishes and iron (steel wool, some fasteners) to cause dark spots, so favor oil-based finishes or seal first. Not suited to outdoor use even when finished; the open pores wick water.
Yellow Poplar
The premier paint wood: closed, uniform grain takes paint flawlessly, which is its most common finish. Under clear finishes its green/gray streaks are divisive, and it blotches under stain, so if staining, condition first or use dye. For a natural clear finish most people accept the color variation or choose another wood; for paint it is hard to beat.
Want to weigh these against a third wood, or compare different species? Use the interactive comparison tool.