Why Kiln Dried Lumber Costs More

February 08, 2023

As you search Craigslist, Facebook market place or check out some local sawyers for some slabs, you might notice that some slabs are cheaper than others. Often the cause of the price difference is due to the product being air dried or kiln dried.

Air drying costs the sawyer time but generally no money, so its cheaper than kiln drying. If a sawyer can purchase a log, or has access to their own wood, they can produce slabs to be air dried for not a lot of money, so they can sell the slabs cheap. But cheap isn't the best route when you're making indoor furniture. 

Kiln drying lumber increases the cost of production due to both purchasing the kiln and running it. Kilns are not cheap but once a wood product is properly kiln dried it produces a substantially better end product then air drying. 

At Maine Urban Timber Company, we don’t sell air dried lumber. We utilize an iDry vacuum kiln which has the capability to kiln dry thick slab lumber. Our slabs can be used for an indoor piece of furniture and will be more stable than any air dried piece of lumber. 

If you are going to spend the time, energy and cost to build a piece of furniture, its important to use the right material. Kiln dried slabs will produce the best end result and will save you time, energy and money from having to redo the project. 

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