I finally picked between pine and poplar for a painted built-in, and the paint job has me second guessing

William Wright · 2026-10-18T10:05:04.973118+00:00

I built a window seat with bookshelves for my sister's place in Dayton back in May, and I had to pick between cheap pine boards or poplar that cost me about $90 more in total. I went with poplar since it's supposed to hold paint better, and honestly the finish came out smooth with just two coats. But last month I dropped a level on the corner and it dented pretty easy, so now I'm wondering if the pine would have held up the same for way less coin. What do you all use for stuff that's getting painted and takes some knocks?

Vivisector

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I finally picked between pine and poplar for a painted built-in, and the paint job has me second guessing | Carpenters - Vivisector