8 Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing Lumber (And How to Stick to Your Budget!)

worstontheblockFebruary 23, 2021

Have you ever used your time, energy and money to take a trip to the store, brought your wood home and began working on it, only to realize that it’s all wrong and you now have to go back to the store to get more wood–and spend more money?

I have. It stinks.

There’s so much inspiration out there to help you create the home of your dreams. Here at worstontheblock.com, we show you how to transform your home, one diy at a time.

A lot of what we do, and how we’ve been able to stretch a buck while updating our home, is from simple building projects with wood.

But what if you have absolutely no experience working with lumber?

I didn’t either.

I am no expert carpenter and I do not pretend to be, but I have learned a few things over the years (mostly by making mistakes) that have helped me to be successful (and stick to the budget) when creating wood projects.

In this post I’ll share those common mistakes with you so you don’t have to learn them the hard way (as I did).

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Working with Wood

Learn from my mistakes and follow along. These tips will help you to save both your time and money–two things we can always use more of!

1. Not Having a Plan

Any other Girl Scouts out there?! I like to be prepared.

Even if it seems like your building project is simple, it’s always a good idea to have a plan before jumping in and going to purchase your wood.

Especially if you’re a beginner.

This may look different for everyone. I like to sketch out my ideas (I am NOT a good drawer- it’s just a rough idea) and then make a list of what size and length boards I’ll need to complete my entire project.

Figure out what you’ll need to complete the project first.

Going to the store with your list of board sizes will save you the time of having to make multiple trips and you’ll save money by not purchasing the wrong sizes.

It’ll also help you to get in and out of the store in a timely manner so you can move on with the rest of your day.

2. Believing the listed size is accurate

Wood measurements are weird.

When planning a wood project, one thing you must keep in mind is that the labeled measurements of lumber are not accurate.

They’re typically off by about half an inch.

This can be incredibly frustrating when trying to plan a project, but if you remember this fact, it can save you a lot of heartache (and money!)

So for example, if you’re purchasing a 2×4 from the store, the actual measurements (if you take a tape measure to it) are really about 1.5″x3.5″.

Rumor has it that the measurements are made based off of the wood when it is first cut, then the boards shrink during the drying process, and is reduced further when it is sanded down.

I think it’s done so we purchase the wrong size and then the wood people make more money when we have to buy more.

Conspiracy?! Dun – dun – dunnnn…… 😆

Whatever the reason, this is why I carry a tape measure in my purse.

Depending on what you’re building, the “actual” measurement vs “labeled” measurement may not make a difference.

However, if you’re building something with very specific measurements that are to fit into a certain space (like a cabinet), it is certainly important to know this fact as your boards will not fit right if the actual measurements are not taken into consideration.

This was very important for us when we were building our mantle. I had to go back to the store a few times on this one.

3. Purchasing more than you need

Once you have your plan and know what size lumber you need, do some math and make it work for you, your situation and budget.

There is usually an efficient way to purchase board lengths so that you can save a few bucks and don’t over-buy.

Typically that means purchasing longer boards (reducing the overall cost by having to purchase less boards) and cutting them to size.

For example, when we created our raised garden beds, I made my plan and found I needed:

(6) 4′ boards
(1) 6′ board
(1) 2′ board
(1) 10′ board
(1) 8′ board

Instead of puchasing all different size boards, I went with (4) 12′ boards and cut them into the required sizes. This worked out exactly with no excess wood and I saved a few bucks by doing the math.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is some benefit to having some leftover wood, especially if you’re doing very intracate work or creating wood projects often.

It can be helpful to have a stash leftover. If you have a workshop, storage space and extra cash, go for it.

HOWEVER, extra wood means extra money spent and having to find a place to store it.

So for the rest of us in a small home and trying to stick to a budget, you’ll want to decrease that amount purchased to exactly what you need.

4. Not checking your wood for knots and other imperfections

This and the next mistake are to be taken into consideration while actually shopping for and picking out your wood.

When you’re in the store and find the size you need, it’s important to make sure you look at the piece of wood before throwing it on your cart.

Knots are a natural part of wood created from tree branches. They show up as dark, circular areas on your lumber from being cut vertically.

While knots can provide a beautiful, more natural looking plank, depending on your project, they can also come up as distracting, dark circles that are hard to cover up.

They also create an area of weakness in your board.

For this reason, it is important that you check out your lumber for knots before purchasing. Typically, the less knots, the better, especially on boards that will be visible.

It’s also important to look out for other imperfections.

I often come across boards that have been broken, whether in an area where a knot was cut into, or from wear and tear (perhaps in shipping to the store).

Sometimes one side of the board looks great, and then you turn it over and there’s a whole chunk of wood missing.

Obviously, you wouldn’t want to buy something like that.

Be sure to look at all sides of the board you’re thinking of purchasing before putting it on your cart.

5. Purchasing Warped Wood

As wood dries, sometimes it’s shape can change. This happens if one side dries faster than the other.

You want your lumber to be as straight as possible, or it can make your building projects quite challenging.

Sometimes you can tell right away if a board is warped without even having to take the board off the rack, but this isn’t always the case.

Once you find a board that looks ok with minimal knots and imperfections, put one end on the ground and look down the board toward the ground.

It should be straight all the way down.

If it’s warped, you’ll see at the end it turns one way or another instead of being straight. Be sure to turn the board to look at all 4 sides to ensure that it is not warped at all.

This is the same board! It initially looks straight, but when you turn it to another side you can clearly see that this board is warped.

6. Ordering Your Wood Online

This is another one I learned the hard way.

When I started my very first wood project (our address sign), I had no idea what I was doing.

Like no idea.

I went to the hardware store one day on a whim (without a real plan of what I needed) and was SO overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to look or what I needed.

I couldn’t find anything, including an employee to help me, there were big burly men moving around me and I just felt like I was in the way. And like I had no idea what I was doing.

Because I didn’t.

So I went home and looked online to figure out what I needed. I then discovered that I could just order it and pick it up at the store. They would pick out everything I need and I could just pick it up!

Easy, Peasy.

Or so I thought.

After purchasing and hauling all my wood home, I realized after I started to work on my project that every piece of wood was either warped or had severe knots or imperfections.

So frustrating.

I then learned from someone who used to work at a hardware store that when people order online, the employee is to grab boards that have not been selling (the warped, knotted and imperfect).

So while it may seem like it’ll save you some hastle, it’s actually more work in the long run as you either have to go back and get different pieces or try to make due with what you have (as I did).

(The project turned out pretty good anyway. See the post here)

This is not to say that every hardware store will pick out junky boards for you if you order online. I can only speak to my experience. But beware here.

Now I use the above guide to pick out my own boards so I know exactly what I’m getting.

7. Not thinking about if it will fit in the car.

Unless you have a pick-up or work van, travelling with wood can be tricky.

For us DIYer’s (with regular cars), whether you can actually get the planks home is an important point to consider when purchasing wood.

I have had SUV’s for the past few years and am able to wedge a 10 ft board (at most) down by the passenger side floor and have it come up diagonally to the back-left side of the trunk.

I am able to get most purchases home this way. Keep in mind, noone else is in the car with me for this and I have enough space to put the rear seats down.

However, maybe you have a smaller sedan. Or perhaps need larger boards.

We have to get creative here. If you’re walking in the store with a plan, anything is possible.

Most often, the place you purchase your wood from will also be able to cut it for you.

It’s typically just a few extra bucks and totally worth it if you can get it home safely. It also saves you some time later as you won’t have to make as many (or any) cuts.

8. Not thinking about the necessary tools

Ok, so most of us regular homeowners do not have a whole shop full of carpentry supplies.

I feel like sometimes I’ll look online for inspiration and I find a project I love, but the instructions involve SO MANY TOOLS.

Especially when we first moved in, we did not have the budget to go and buy a bunch of tools that I would only use once.

Of course, it is a good idea to have some basic tools in your home (hammer, different size nails, wrench, drill and driver, etc.) but it’s really not necessary to go and purchase a bunch of expensive power tools to get one project done.

It was about 2 years before I even purchased a circular saw.

How did I complete so many projects without a bunch of tools? Pretty simply.

As mentioned in the previous mistake, I had the hardware store cut everything for me or asked family, friends or neighbors that had tools to give me a hand.

Don’t blow your budget on a bunch of things that you don’t need.

That being said, it’s important to know what you will need to complete your project.

Often, you can change around building plans a little bit to avoid using a tool you don’t have.

For example, if you don’t have a jig for pocket holes, that’s usually fine. Make a “butt joint” instead. Of course, this isn’t as neat looking, but if it’s something that you’re not worried about being perfect, it’ll come out just fine and function the same way.

You could bury the screw and fill it with putty. A little sanding and paint and you’ll never know the difference.

All that said, if there is some random (and inexpensive) tool or item that you need to complete your project, grab it while you’re at the store so you don’t have to stop in the middle of your project later to go back and grab it.

Time is money too!

Bonus Tips

So you planned out your project, bought beautiful, knot-free, straight as an arrow wood, got it cut at the store, make the trip home and are ready to work on your project.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention two more tips to help you be successful.

9. Skipping pilot holes

If you have a drill and driver set (or are borrowing from a friend), it is SO IMPORTANT to use that driver to prepare your wood for your screws.

Otherwide, the wood may split when you try to screw into it. Whole pieces could break off and could cause the whole board to be unuseable for your project (requiring you to purchase more).