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Q: Why
should I use cypress?
Because it's a beautiful, straight grained, light
colored wood with a wonderful fragrance that is very
durable. With its legendary hardiness and durability,
cypress also works well outside the home, including
siding, trim, decks, fences, shutters, window boxes and
landscape design elements. When milled, cypress
typically displays a predominantly yellow tone, with
reddish, chocolate or olive hues. Noted for its color
consistency, density, and relative lack of knots,
cypress is superbly workable, easily machined and
installed, and readily finished.
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Q: Where
does cypress come from?
In the United States, most cypress trees are natives of
the South. They are found primarily in wet, swampy areas
along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Delaware to
Florida, and west along the Gulf of Mexico to the border
of Texas and Mexico. cypress also thrives along the
Mississippi Valley from the Louisiana delta to southern
Indiana. While cypress has always been THE architectural
choice in the South and East, many builders and trade
professionals throughout the U.S. are using cypress in
what had traditionally been cedar, redwood and treated
pine applications.
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Q: How much
cypress is grown in the United States? Is it being
replenished?
Annual cypress production is about 100-120 million board
feet (6000-7000 truckloads). It is generally believed
that cypress trees are growing at a faster rate than
they're being harvested.
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Q: What
cypress grades does Jimmy's Cypress sell?
We sell Common #2 grade, which is very suitable for most
every building project. We do have a Select grade and
Pecky Common grade available for certain products. Our
cypress is selected by certified lumber graders
according to National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA)
rules. These rules are outlined in the "Rules for the
Measurement and Inspection of Hardwood & cypress"
available from the NHLA.
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common #2 grade
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select grade
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pecky
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Q: What
lengths are Jimmy's Cypress boards?
Our cypress is sold in random lengths from 6' to 16'
unless specified otherwise. Generally, 12'-14'-16'
lengths are the most common. Rough Sawn 4x4 to 12x12
timbers (which are custom cut for your job) are
available up to 16' long.
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Q: What does
rough sawn and smooth planed mean?
Rough sawn wood has a rough saw texture and APPROXIMATE,
ROUGH DIMENSIONS. It could have stick marks left during
the drying process, weathering (grey or charcoal
colored), and small metal banding marks where it was
bundled together.
Smooth planed wood has been run through a wood planer
which gives it a smooth finish, similar to a 2x4 you'd
find at the lumberyard. It's milled to exact dimensions
and planed on all four sides unless specified otherwise.
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Q: Is
cypress a softwood or hardwood?
Cypress is a softwood, but it is graded under a special
section of the National Hardwood Lumber Association's
rules. Although it has needlelike leaves typical of
softwoods, cypress loses its needles during the autumn
and winter, hence the "bald cypress" name is commonly
used.
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Q: How dry
is your cypress?
We dry our cypress to a moisture content of
approximately 15%. Timbers and items custom sawn (from
logs) for your job will be freshly sawn, wet wood with a
moisture content of up to 50%.
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Q: Is
cypress a good interior flooring material?
Yes, cypress flooring is a good choice, but it is a
relatively soft wood and will take on an "aged" look
when used in high traffic areas. To give it a harder
finish, you might consider sealing it with Waterlox's
"Oil Modified Urethane" or similar product.
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Q: Is
cypress easy to work with?
Yes! Cypress works well with both hand and power
tools. The wood planes easily and resists warping.
Although cypress is resinous, the resin (called
cypressene) isn't a sticky sap like other woods. It
glues well, sands easily and readily accepts finishes.
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Q: How many
different types of cypress do we have in the U.S.?
There is one species of cypress grown in the United
States, scientific name Taxodium Distichtim. Bald
cypress is the most common name, but it's also known by
many other different marketing names like
gulf cypress, red cypress, tidewater red cypress, white
cypress, yellow cypress. It's called bald cypress
because it loses it's needles in the Fall.
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Q: Is
cypress durable?
Cypress has a natural preservative oil known as
cypressene which gives the heartwood resistance to
insects and decay. With a suitable surface treatment,
cypress generally has a superior durability, holding
paint well and resisting weather.
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Q: How does
cypress compare with pine and cedar?
Cypress grows slowly, so the rings are much closer than
in most wood species. These close rings tend to make
cypress more energy efficient, and decreased shrinkage
makes it more durable and stable. In its natural state,
the wood is a pale honey color and unsealed, weathers to
an even gray on the surface (natural color can easily be
restored if desired.)
Pine grows quickly, which results in wider growth
rings, and a more porous surface. This means treatment
is required to prevent rot and insect attack. This
porous wood stains through the face and with treatment
becomes somewhat darker. Untreated material will stain
deep toward the core leaving permanent marks and
becoming subject to mold and rot. For this reason,
natural weathering is not recommended. Wet pine is
well known to move (shrink and warp or cup)
substantially as it dries.
Cedar is a darker wood with heavy odor (check for
allergic sensitivity). A lightweight and porous wood, it
weathers and absorbs treatment resulting in darker
tones. Knots tend to be loosened after time and much
more frequent than in cypress.
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Q: What is the difference between Board Feet, Square
Feet, and Linear Feet?
Board Feet is a measurement of volume. It's a term used
within the lumber industry equal to a piece of wood
12"x12"x1"thick (144 cubic inches of wood). Our products
are offered in Linear Feet.
Square Feet is a measurement of area. It
is like the area of your home, simply width x length:
40'x30' = 1200 square feet.
Linear Feet is a measurement of length. It
only measures how long something is, not it's width or
thickness. So, a piece of wood 1"x6"x16' and another
piece 4"x8"x16' are both 16 linear feet long. Also
sometimes referred to as "running feet".
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Q: How do I find out how many Linear Feet I need to
cover a certain area?
First, determine how much square footage (area) you have
to cover. If it's a wall 10' high and 50' long, that's
10'x50'=500 Square Feet. Next, pick the cypress product
that you want to use. Determine the coverage for that
product. The coverage (in inches) is shown on each of
our product pages. Then, divide 12 by that number, and
that new number is what we call a Conversion Factor.
That Conversion Factor is how many linear feet you'll
need of that product to cover one square foot of area.
Then multiply your Square Footage by that Conversion
Factor, and voila!, you now know exactly how much of
that cypress product you'll need to cover that area. We
suggest you add 5%-10% extra to be safe.
Example: cover an exterior wall with cypress 6"
Select Bevel Siding, item #60scy:
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Area to cover: exterior wall
13'x18.5'=240.5 square feet.
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Item chosen to cover wall: cypress 6"
Bevel Siding, Item #60scy (coverage of 4-3/4")
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12 divided by 4-3/4" = 2.53, which is
the Conversion Factor
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Multiply 240.5 square feet x 2.53
Conversion Factor = 608 Linear Feet.
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Add 5%-10% extra.
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Q: How does Jimmy's Cypress ship its products to me?
For orders under 10,000 pounds, we use nationally known
LTL (less than truckload) trucking companies to deliver
your cypress in an enclosed trailer. The order
will be palletized, wrapped in plastic and strapped to
pallets using corner protectors. You can also
chose to pick up your order at the LTL freight
companies' terminal at your convenience, but please let
us know that when ordering.
For larger or bulky orders, we'll use
flatbed trucking companies. The order will be
strapped together using corner protectors and tarped.
Either way, we only use insured trucking
companies. They'll call you the day before
to let you know when they will arrive. Usually the
truck can deliver right to your site, but they are only
obligated to deliver to the nearest approved public road.
You are responsible for unloading.
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Q: Can I pick up my order in New Orleans at your office?
Yes, you can pick up your order here. There will
be a "mill to New Orleans shipping charge" plus 8.75%
sales tax added to your quote. Usually
we can ship your order to your address for less!
Our administrative offices are here, but we don't
normally ship from New Orleans; rather we ship directly
from our mills across the Gulf South which are not
customer pickup points.
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Q: Does Jimmy's Cypress have a minimum order size?
How much is shipping?
Yes, our minimum order is $250 plus shipping and
applicable sales tax.
Residential shipping charges start at $300-$500.
Commercial shipping charges start at $250-$400. For that
minimum charge, you can ship about 500 lbs. After the
minimum charge, shipping doesn't go up very much as the
weight goes up.
We don't ship UPS.
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Q: What is "Pay By Check" service?
"Pay By Check" service is a convenient way to pay for your
order instantly. Here's how it works:
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You receive your Quote/Order Form from
us.
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You sign the Quote/Order Form and also
make out your check payable to Krantz Enterprises
(our legal name) for the full amount and sign it.
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You fax the Quote/Order Form and the
check to us. Don't mail anything.
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You're done!
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We'll then process your faxed check by
entering your banking and checking information into
our secure automated check processing service. Your
checking account will be debited that business day.
We'll then email, fax, or mail your paid receipt to
you.
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The debited amount will appear in your
next regular bank statement with payee as "Krantz
Enterprises".
If it sounds scary, relax. First,
it's the same info you give anybody when you write them
a check. Secondly, we're only authorized to do it that
ONE time because we have your signed, faxed original
check for $x.xx dollars with your signature as proof of
your authorization. It's a very common form of payment
nowadays with long distance phone companies or home
shopping TV shows (maybe you paid your bill in the past
by giving them your check info verbally over the phone;
it's the same thing). It's a very convenient, hassle
free, way to send your check. We will wait for the
check to clear (10 business days) like a regular check.
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Q: How should I finish my cypress?
-For interior walls and ceilings, two coats of a
polyurethane varnish should be sufficient. The first
coat will raise the grain a little bit, so you might lightly
sand before applying the second coat. You can also
paint your interior cypress if desired, using standard
painting procedures.
-For exteriors you can let it weather naturally, but it will
perform better if sealed with either a clear stain, colored
stain, or paint. If using stains, use an oil
based wood stain with a mildew inhibitor. Clear stains last
1-3 years, semi-transparent colored stains (wood grain still
visible) last 3-5 years, and solid colored stains last 5-10
years, and paints last 10-20 years.
Furthermore, the USDA Forest Products Laboratory has
some great articles in PDF format:
"Selection
and Application of Exterior Stains for Wood" (11 pages)
"Finishing
of Wood" (38 pages)
"Finishes
for Wood Decks" (2 pages)
If it's going to be used indoors, you
should use varnish (polyurethane). The first coat raises
the grain. After a light sanding, apply a light second
coat for a very smooth finish. Varnishes are available
in glossy to non-glossy finishes and can be darkened a
bit to your tastes.
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Q: Why should I be very careful about buying cypress
mulch?
The cypress mulch industry is really growing. There is
so much demand for this product that some cypress lumber
mills are buying very small (3" diameter at chest
height) cypress trees and shredding the WHOLE TREE into
mulch. This is a short sighted source of income for them
as these young trees are way too small for building
material use and hurt the sustainability of our
industry.
Normally, cypress trees are stripped of
their bark prior to sawing into lumber. The bark is a
BY-PRODUCT of the cypress lumber sawmilling operation
and is often sold as mulch. Certainly this is
acceptable.
How can you tell the difference? The bark
of cypress is flimsy and darker than the wood, which is
blondish. The best way to be sure you're buying a good
product is to visit the place where the mulch is
produced and see for yourself what it's made from. We
don't sell mulch.
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Q: Can I buy samples?
Yes, we sell samples of our cypress for $10 each.
When ordering, please specify: common grade cypress sample,
select grade cypress sample, or pecky grade cypress
sample. Do not email your credit card information !
We strongly urge you to get a quote from us for your
total project before
ordering a sample so you know what your actual job
material costs will be. Our minimum order is $250 plus
shipping and applicable taxes.
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