What Is Spalted Lumber

Spalted wood is traditionally something that s been found by woodworkers rather than produced.

What is spalted lumber.

It s like the equivalent of finding truffles in the forest. Spalting is any form of wood coloration caused by fungi. Our facility produces birdseye maple lumber curly maple tiger maple lumber and we stock over 70 species of exotic wood. You can say spalting refers to the process where fungi take color away from the wood adding dark or white layers.

Cate caruso the founder and principal of studio c first encountered spalted wood furniture at last year s field supply in upstate new york where a smooth expertly crafted spalted maple table. Spalted maple lumber turning wood hobby wood and instrument wood. When the fungus begins to grow withing the wood the process is referred to as spalting. This spalting mainly occurs on dead trees pieces of wood that were cut from their trunks and left lying around.

Simply put spalted wood is wood that is colored with the help of fungi through a process known as spalting. Spalted wood is any wood that has begun to decay or rot as a result of a specific range of airborne fungus. Although spalting can cause weight loss and strength loss in the wood the unique coloration and patterns of spalted wood are sought by woodworkers. From spalted wood sara robinson spalting is a process that occurs on wood when fungi colonize the substrate and extract various nutrients.

Wood that is spalted is so sought after by woodworkers because it has such a distinct look with conflicting dark and light colors as well as black and brown lines running through the wood. Spalting is a common woodworking term used to describe the colorations and patterning created by the growth of fungus in wood. I m one of the first folks getting commercial volumes of spalted wood because i ve figured out a formula to produce it. Spalted wood is the coloration and detailed dark lines that occur from fungal growth in wood commonly referred to as spalting.

Although primarily found in dead trees spalting can also occur in living trees under stress. So in some sense it is fungi that create tattoos on the wood surface. The unique patterns and coloration of the spalting process can add value to wood which otherwise might have a low value.