Frequently Asked Questions

Spalted maple is the term used for regular maple wood that has been colonized by various fungi and has started the process of decomposing back to soil. In that process the fungi create colors, lines and textures that are true wonders of nature -clean yet unpredictable, mesmerizing in their semblance of coordination, and beautifully alive in their lack of uniformity.

Historically, due to its scarcity, spalted maple has been considered a very choice material by artisans, reserved for use in relatively small scale, high-end woodworking projects. Whether it was an intricate veneer marquetry inlay project from the 1700s, a custom built guitar from 1970, or the dashboard of a 2023 Rolls Royce, people have revered spalted wood as something truly special/unique for hundreds of years.

There are many factors that come into play to determine how long it takes to spalt wood. Essential factors include moisture, temperature and light. It typically takes 2-4 years for new wood to be transformed into the magic that is spalted wood.

Spalted maple can offer a bright rainbow of pigmentations due to the various fungi which cause the spalting. The winding lines can be black, brown or even reddish, while the wood can turn a darker yellow, or be bleached white. hades of pink and gray may also reveal themselves.

We have used many metaphors to describe the value of spalted maple - from “a diver finding a pearl in an oyster” to “stumbling on truffles in a forest.” In short, spalted maple is rare, beautiful and unique - and therefore valuable. However, with Vermont Wildwoods proprietary spalting method we are able to more consistently produce beautiful spalted maple products at a more affordable price point.

The Sugar Maple is a hardwood and is more dense in the spectrum of most commercially available North American hardwoods. It is a strong and stiff wood. However, the fungi responsible for creating such beauty also decrease the strength of maple in the decay process. But due to the fact all of our material is sliced into veneer and glued to a solid core material to make spalted plywood - the decrease in density is not an issue for the strength of the final product.

Spalted maple is not a species of maple, but is rather any type of maple that has been allowed to begin initial stages of decay. The partial decay gives the wood distinctive dark lines and coloring that is called spalting. The spalting process takes approximately two years and when sold, the decay is halted as the wood is dried in a wood kiln. The resulting veneer is hand selected to ensure it is usable for its intended need.

For most healthy people, spalted maple in no way causes any more respiratory or skin irritation than any other North American hardwood. Though like any wood, some people may find exposure to spalted dust to be a minor health annoyance.

Spalted wood is in no way a mold. The organisms responsible for spalting wood are harmless local naturally occurring Vermont fungi.

It should be noted that although spalted maple is the result of fungus and decay, the products made from spalted wood are not dangerous to consumers. Once the fungus has dried out, it dies and offers no threat either to the wood or to humans.

In order to spalt, wood needs high moisture, darkness, and heat. Once you remove any of those three items, the spalting process stops. All of our products are properly kiln dried and the moisture is removed which stops the spalting process.

At this time we believe we are the only company in the world that is intentionally spalting maple to produce spalted veneer and plywood. There are other companies who sell spalted wood, but there are none who intentionally spalt it.

Our inventory is always increasing. In 2021 we produced about 200,000 square feet. We are aging approximately 750,000 square feet to be sliced in 2022.

At our Vermont facility we only age the wood. We have off-site manufacturing partners who slice the veneer for us and produce the plywood.

Our minimum order is 1,000 square feet. We sell our veneer in boxed quantities from 1,000-10,000 square feet per box.

All of our veneer is sold as one blended grade. We take the densest black line components and mix them with other more subtle blended color hues to make a perfectly imperfect presentation.

We ship all orders via LTL common carrier motor freight. All veneer is crated and shipped in one of the strongest boxes in the business. We use ¾” plywood top and bottoms and solid wood framing material for the sides.

For veneer orders the lead time is approximately three weeks from receipt of a 50% deposit. Plywood has about a five week lead time.

We ship samples all the time. Our standard sample is 12”x12” with at least 2-3 veneer leaves shown in a random plank pattern - the same pattern that will be delivered in every order.

Spalted wood is much more fragile than most any conventional veneer, due to its lack of strength as it is decomposing. As long as your team knows that and has enough repair tape to hold together any cracks, splits or tears then you should have no problems.

Conventional maple is described as having a fine, uniform texture with generally straight grain, creamy color and generic uniformity. In contrast, spalted maple has lines and textures that are true wonders of nature - clean yet unpredictable, mesmerizing in their semblance of coordination, and beautifully alive in their lack of uniformity.

We are very excited about what is coming along in the aging rooms. We will be slicing spalted beech available towards the end of 2022. Early in 2023 the spalted basswood, poplar, pine and yellow birch should all be ready to slice.

We think that the beauty of what we produce is that each and every log ages differently. And that is what is so unique and exciting about it. When taken as a whole it starts to feel like it is all the same - yet different - all at the same time.

We hand select every order to meet the same high visual standard that we have taken 10 years to create. It's a blend, and we think you will love it. So, no, you can not select the veneer, but we are happy to show you pictures of what we will put in your order.

After the logs have aged to perfection we saw them into lumber. At the sawmill we grade the lumber and select what will be sliced into veneer. At that veneer mill the lumber is passed over a stationary blade. Each time the board is passed over the blade a single piece of veneer is sliced off the board. Each board is sliced into approximately 60 pieces of veneer.

The veneer ranges from 4”-12” wide with an average width of approximately 7” wide.

An individual piece of veneer is called a leaf of veneer.

Typically there are between 45-55 leaves in a bundle.

We sell our veneer in random lengths based on the percentages of lengths we get from the logs. It works out to be about 60% 8’+ long material and 40% 4’-8’. In 2022 we anticipate our 8’+ long material to be about 80% of what we produce.

We slice our veneer at 1/40”(25/1000”) thickness - the standard thickness in the hardwood veneer industry.

We sell all of our veneer as raw unbacked, also known as loose leaf veneer. However - our manufacturing partners have the ability to produce paper backed sheets.

We sell either loose leaf veneer or plywood. In the manufacturing process the veneer is spliced into sheets, but that is not how we sell the product currently.If you want your order to be spliced and paper backed we can arrange that service for you.

Very specialized machinery is used to spread just the right amount of glue on the edge of the veneer and each glued piece is fed through a machine that applies just the right amount of pressure to two glued edges. Think writing your name on a grain of rice - this is the degree of precision required for this process.

We were recently asked about providing a peel and stick backing for a lighting manufacturer - we don't offer it currently but may add it for 2022.

Currently we can produce plywood 5’ wide x 8’ long. We are currently aging maple veneer logs to be able to produce 10’ long spalted maple veneer and plywood.

We can produce every thickness of plywood available in the market from ⅛” bendable plywood up to 1” and thicker for special projects.

If the core is available in the US we have access to it.

Typically most clients want our spalted plywood with spalted veneer on just 1 side with what is called a ‘mill-option backer’ on the backside, but we can certainly put spalted veneer on both sides.

Every panel we produce is sanded. Typically 150 grit sandpaper is used in the wide belt sander to produce an even smooth panel that is ready to be finished by your team.

We will do our best within the limits of our inventory to work with you to produce the sizes you are looking for.

We do offer a UV cured prefinished product in the sheen of your choice. It can be either clear or tinted with the color of your choice.

The gloss range is from satin to high gloss.

We do not recommend that you use our products for any exterior applications.

Our veneer is manufactured at industry standard thickness, and that is not thick enough to be considered a good choice for most any horizontal application such as floors or countertops due to the chance of scratching, denting and abrasion that could tear through the veneer into the core material.

Distinguishing Traits: Irregular lines resembling ink drawings producing a marbled effect.

Color: White to brown with occasional shades of black, gray or pink.

Distribution: Primarily temperate regions in the Northern Hemisphere.