Pecan wood is popular among users for its availability and inexpensive feature. Whether you’re considering pecan wood for flooring or furniture, it’s important to know what does pecan wood look like.
You can identify pecan wood by its color, appearance, texture, grain, and endgrain. While it may be tough to identify the wood using one feature, it becomes a lot easier when you combine multiple features.
So, let’s take a look at how you can identify everything related to pecan.
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What Does Pecan Wood Look Like?
If you’re only considering pecan wood, there are a few attributes to look for when identifying it. These attributes make the pecan wood appearance specific and easy to locate. So, without any further ado, let’s get to it.
Color And Appearance
If you’re considering pecan heartwood, the color will be anywhere between light brown to medium brown. In addition, there will be a reddish hue, which makes the wood easier to identify.
On the contrary, the sapwood of pecan will be pale and yellowish-brown. You will find a mix of both these colors in almost all planks. If you’re looking for a comparison, the color of pecan wood is slightly lighter than walnut wood.
Texture And Grain
The next thing to check when identifying pecan wood is to look at the texture and grain. Pecan is one type of hardwood. The grains are almost always straight. However, they can be wavy on occasion.
As for texture, it’s medium and has a low natural luster. You may notice a few knots. In addition, slight indentations make pecan more interesting.
Endgrain
Another feature to look for in pecan wood is the endgrain. You will notice ring porous or semi-ring porous endgrain on pecan. You can also expect narrow rays and close spacing in pecan endgrain.
Odor
Even though this feature can’t be used singularly to identify pecan, you can use this when combined with the others. Pecan does not have any characteristic odor to stand out in the crowd.
So, when you see the features above and no significant odor, you can be certain that you’re looking at pecan wood.
Stain
Pecan is not easy to stain. The culprit behind this is the high density as well as closed grains. If you face difficulty while staining pecan, there is a hack for you to use.
Dip the wood block into hot water to open any closed grains. Then, allow the blocks to dry entirely. Now, the wood will stain with perfection.
Pecan Identification
If you want to identify pecan as a whole, not just the wood, there are other methods. I have included individual aspects below for you to locate pecan.
Pecan Tree
You can identify pecan trees by one or two features. For instance, the length of an average pecan tree can be anywhere between 20 meters to 40 meters. Another thing that can help identify a pecan tree is its monoecious feature.
This means one pecan tree can grow both male flowers and female flowers. You can differentiate male flowers from female ones by looking at their sizes. However, both flowers do not bloom at the same time.
Pecan Leaves
Pecan leaves are alternate. They can be anywhere from 30 to 45 cm long and have 9 to 17 leaflets on each leaf. Each leaflet can be 5 cm to 13 cm long and 3 cm to 7.5 cm wide.
The color of the leavescan be is yellowish-green. However, once the leaves mature, they turn green. In winter, pecan trees will lose their leaves.
Pecan Fruit
If you are familiar with other species of hickory, pecan fruit should not be difficult for you to identify. The nuts look almost similar with six to seven cm in length and a hard shell. Pecan fruit is a very rich source of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
Common Uses Of Pecan Wood
If you want to use pecan wood for some reason, you should know where it will shine the most. Pecan is not expensive and can offer you great value. However, if you utilize the wood where it’s not very effective, you may end up regretting it.
Flooring
Pecan has several reasons for being popular for flooring. Many people are using pecan for their floors these days. But why?
Well, pecan can offer a variety of color options when it comes to flooring. In addition, the mixture of dark and light colors in pecan wood also allows the user to have a unique pattern on the floor.
Another thing about pecan is that it doesn’t scratch as easily as other hardwood floors. Even though you will still have to be cautious about not scratching the floor, it’s better compared to other options.
If you want to protect your wood floor, there are a few things you can do. For instance, use rubber pads on your furniture legs. Avoid dragging the furniture across the floor. Instead, lift them and then move them around.
If you own a pet, make sure to cut their nails regularly as they’re one of the primary reasons for scratches on wood floors.
Furniture
Whether you’re considering pecan for making a bed, chair, or kitchen cabinets, pecan can be your go-to wood. It’s excellent for kitchen cabinets due to its moisture resistance. As for making furniture, pecan is durable, as well as, aesthetically pleasing.
Firewood
Any nut-based tree is excellent as firewood. All features required for perfect firewood are present in pecan. For instance, it’s easily available and convenient to split.
In addition, pecan also burns slowly and offers strong heat, which is the key requirement for good firewood. Overall, pecan is a great option for firewood.
Smoking
If you’re a cooking enthusiast, you would know why pecan is a favorite name for smoking. It’s enriched with great flavor when you’re cooking a variety of dishes. The flavor works great with turkey, chicken, ham, and brisket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is pecan expensive?
Pecan is usually an inexpensive species due to its availability. However, this may differ from place to place, depending on how widely the wood is available. In the USA, pecan is popular for furniture due to its inexpensive feature.
Is pecan easy to work with?
Pecan wood is not easy to work with. It requires skill, precise methods, and machinery to shape pecan wood.
Final Words
It’s not easy to provide a verbal explanation of what does pecan wood look like. However, once you come across the wood and match the description with your visual experience, it becomes easier. Regardless of why you want to identify pecan wood, make sure that you know the ins and outs before utilizing the wood. Not all wood types are suitable for all purposes.