Paint-grade (timber)
Paint-grade timber is chosen to take and hold paint (straight grain, low resin, sands clean), not for a clear finish; dark red meranti is the volume joinery example.
Ask Chalkline about this →Paint-grade timber is timber chosen because it takes and holds a painted finish well, rather than for a clear-finish (stained or oiled) exposed appearance. The qualities that matter are a straight, even grain, low silica and low resin content, dimensional stability, and a surface that sands clean, so the paint film keys properly and the joinery stays straight. Because the timber will be covered, figure and colour do not matter; performance under paint does.
It is the opposite selection to clear-grade (or stain-grade) timber, where the grain and colour are the whole point, so a feature timber like Western red cedar is chosen for how it looks. For painted joinery you want the cheaper, more stable, better-painting option: dark red meranti is the volume paint-grade hardwood for Australian timber windows and doors, priced well below clear cedar. Paint-grade also tolerates fillers and finger-joints that a clear finish would expose.
Specify paint-grade where the joinery is going to be painted, and clear-grade only where the timber will be seen. Paying for clear-grade timber and then painting over it is money wasted, and a knotty or resinous paint-grade timber under a clear finish looks wrong. Prime all faces before fit-off and keep the painted timber maintained; a recoat every 7 to 10 years is typical for painted timber windows. See dark red meranti and fit-off.
Also known as: Paint-grade timber, painting-grade, paint-quality timber.
Category: Materials / Timber and joinery.
Related
See also
References
- AS 5604 Timber, Natural durability ratings, Standards Australia (verified 2026-05-13)
- WoodSolutions: timber finishes and coatings (verified 2026-05-13)
Last updated: 2026-05-30. Verified: 2026-05-13. Quarterly review for currency.