Board Form Mock-Ups
Three woods, three pigments, and one specific vision.
For a new project, our team created three 6’ × 6’ × 8” concrete boardform mockups to help determine which combination of wood species and pigment would best achieve the client’s desired finish.
The three options were (from left to right):
1x12 Knotty Larch + ½ dosage Pebble Pigment
1x12 Vertical Grain Fir + Pewter Pigment
1x12 Hemlock + Outback Pigment
The goal was a clean, refined boardform look with tight horizontal spacing and minimal knotting, which is a bit of a departure from the naturally rustic character boardform is known for. To achieve that, we sourced clear, vertical-grain wood with minimal knots and experimented with three different species to see which would create the most desirable telegraphing and imprint in the concrete.
This was also new territory for us. We’ve traditionally worked with rough-sawn 1x4 and 1x6 kiln-dried cedar, so working with Fir, Larch, and Hemlock gave us the opportunity to explore how different wood species influence the final concrete surface.
And the winner is… Vertical Grain Fir + Pewter Pigment.
What set it apart? Consistency. The grain pattern in the VG Fir stayed uniform from board to board, creating the cohesive, refined surface the team was after.
The Hemlock sample was a great lesson in why mockups matter. Its boards varied from tight grain to much wider spacing, and when two contrasting boards sat side by side, the difference stood out. For a design built around clean lines and minimal character, that board-to-board variation was a detail the team paid close attention to.
For us, this project has been a valuable look at how wood species shape the final concrete surface, well beyond the rough-sawn cedar we’ve traditionally worked with.
