Talked to a guy who only uses cedar for his pickets now

I mean, I was at the lumber yard in Springfield last week and this older guy, Frank, told me he switched to all cedar about two years ago. He said the extra $1.50 per picket is worth it because he hasn't had a single call back for warping, even on south facing jobs. I always thought it was just for looks, but maybe he's onto something. Has anyone else made a switch like that and seen a real difference?

3 comments

3 Comments

grace_fox32mo ago

Only an extra $1.50 per picket? That price is hard to believe around here. Cedar costs nearly double what treated pine does at my local yard. Frank must have a very different supplier.

sam_anderson1mo ago

And honestly that tracks with everything I've noticed lately. It's like lumber pricing is becoming as unpredictable as gas prices - you can't trust what you paid last month to tell you anything about this month. I was at two different home centers last weekend and the same cedar pickets were three bucks apart just because of location. Makes you wonder if there's even a real market rate anymore or if it's all just whatever they feel like charging that day.

betty_reed612mo ago

My brother in law works at a lumber yard in Spokane. He says cedar prices swing wildly based on the mill and the season. Last month they had a batch that was only about 30 cents more per board than the treated stuff, but this week it's back up. It really depends on where you are and who you know.