Colonial Shutters
The name Basswood is derived from the inner bark, or “bast” of the tree which was used by Native Americans to make rope. Basswood is one of the most versatile hardwoods available in the United States because its natural color is a light creamy-white and the wood is readily adaptable and moldable to almost any application. It is because of this versatility that Basswood is used in shutter manufacturing since it can be either painted or stained depending on the needs or desires of the customer.

While Basswood looks very nice painted and works out well in those situations, most of our customers do not have us use Basswood when they have a painted finish. For painted shutters our customers prefer the HDF because it is less expensive.

Basswood has a smooth, clear grain structure which, when staining, gives the shutters a classical or traditional look and feel. There are no open knots in Basswood so if the rustic knotty look is what you are after you may want to consider Knotty Alder.

The light, natural color of Basswood makes it very versatile when staining. Stain colors can vary from the lightest maple to the darkest cherry or oak color. No matter what stain color you have Basswood can be stained to match which gives you the beauty and natural variation of a hardwood combined with the ability to select the exact stain color that matches your décor.

Because Basswood does not have a distinct grain structure and its natural color is so light, Basswood is also a nice mimicker of other natural hardwoods like Cherry and Oak. Our stain can be custom tinted to match almost any color. Since the natural grain of Basswood is so light the wood can be stained to match almost any species or color of hardwood. While it is possible to make Cherry or Oak shutters most of our customers prefer not to pay the premium that would be charged for those woods especially since it is the color they are really looking for and not the expense.

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