Durable Wood for (Possibly) Painted Project?

[andy bessette]

MDO for the top. And cheap, local hardwood for the edge.

[Gary Focht]

I’ve built a good bit of stuff out of poplar. Painted bookcases, indoor house trim, a bathroom vanity, etc. because I’m cheap and my wife wanted it all painted anyway. However, I’m not sure I would call it durable. It dings easily in my shop when building and have to break out the iron. It has done ok on my door trim though, but we aren’t banging stuff into that, although there is the occasional dent.

I just built a desk for my son out of poplar and managed to do a good job staining it and it looks nice. However, while finishing it the little plastic stand-offs dented the top - to late in the process to iron out. Will live with those.

[Mel Fulks]

Gary, in every use of the word that I've seen pertaining to wood "durable" means it lasts OK outdoors. It's a trade thing.

[Gary Focht]

Mel,

The original question was this: “Catch being that I want it to be durable from dinging. So pine is pretty much right out. (At least for the high wear areas).“

So that is what I was trying to answer and I don’t think poplar fits the bill based on my experience.