Poplar would provide the dent resistance and sharp detailing of hardwood and it would take paint better.

I wouldn't recommend painting maple, it doesn't accept paints well, even oil based. Your bad experience with poplar could have been a low quality paint job not prepped right as poplar is a decent paint grade wood with higher density than pine or even mdf, imo. It also gives you the real look of wood vs. mdf if that's a concern. Some homes look nice with wood grains showing through the paint which poplar doesn't give as much as other species, but more than the "plastic" look of mdf which is fine for some homes. Some homes look better with brushed on trim with the graining of wood, while others look sharp sprayed mdf. It's all about you and yours preference.

No diff in price??? MDF cost is less than 50% of real wood! I would suggest using MDF for all the crown because it doesn't shrink or expand like real wood. Then use wood for everything else.

Poplar will take paint better than MDF and maple and will also resist dents and chipping better and it is easier to sand. It usually has a pale yellow coloring similar to birch and pine but it can also range from pale green to pale purple.

It is highly unlikely the wood that caused you trouble before was poplar. If it was brown it was probably sweet gum and the original finish should not have been paint.

Because of it's superior quality I have specified poplar trim for dormitories at Princeton and Carnegie-Mellon Universities. I can't imagine a better paint grade trim at any price.

We have maple and the paint has required extra coats 6 months later because it soaks into the wood. The builder came out once and used a prep and another coat of paint but the wood grain still comes through a little. MDF is more sensitive to dings of course so I think MDF for crown and maple for baseboard makes the most sense.

I am pretty sure you can't get some of the more ornate trims in mdf is what often makes the decision.

We used pine for our trim - routed it ourselves. Sometimes the knots show through, but I prefer it to mdf.

"We used pine for our trim - routed it ourselves. Sometimes the knots show through, but I prefer it to mdf."

The knots need a coat of sealer like shellac.

Thanks for your responses. I'll need to double check but I'm almost positive my builder said the choice was maple vs. MDF, not poplar. Is poplar more expensive than maple?

Hard maple (for clear finish) should be more than double the cost poplar and soft maple (for painting) would probably be about 50% more than poplar.

Thank you. I need to have a talk with my builder.

Even soft maple isn't ideal as a paint grade. It's okay for stain while hard maple is best with a clear type finish as it doesn't accept stains well. Hard or soft, when it comes to paint, not great and as mentioned, pricy. Hard maple is one of my favorite species for cabinetry, counter tops, cutting boards or anywhere you want a rock solid, light wood with a clear finish. Cabinetry, woodwork that's stained dark is typically soft maple.

We had MDF in our old home and really liked it. However, we didn't have kids at the time. The thing about MDF is that is can dent easily. With wood you can putty dents and things but I am not sure if you can with MDF, that may be a question to ask.

I think the MDF looked really nice, we used an high quality oil based paint on it so the finish was really hard and durable. The paint went on very well. The other consideration is the moisture sensitivity of MDF. If you have it in locations that can get damp like a bathroom you may have some trouble with it if it isn't sealed well and a lot of water gets on it.

As far as price...our last home was in a different area and the MDF was considerably less expensive than real wood of any species. The home we are building now the wood is less expensive than MDF since MDF is not commonly used in this area for some reason. We have decided to do real wood trim in our current home since we have two little boys and two dogs. We feel the real wood will hold up better and can be repaired if something happens. I agree that the paint has everything to do with the prep and quailty of paint used, we will go with the crazy expensive oil based paint from Sherwin Williams again since it held up so well with the last home.

Painted Maple will probably result in better Indoor Air Quality than MDF.

Brickeye - thanks for that advice about the shellac over knots. Can I spot shellac the knot over the paint then paint over that? Should I prime and then paint?

Thanks

"Can I spot shellac the knot over the paint then paint over that?"

Never tried that.

I spot the knots before doing anything else to create a barrier to the sap and extractives that remain in the knot even after drying of the wood.

Maple is a VERY paint paint base.

Poplar has one of the highest ratings for paint adhesion, but can be as soft as pine.

'Hardwood' and 'softwood' do not refer to physical properties of the wood, but the type of tree it came from (deciduous or conifer).

Balsa is a hardwood.

Douglas Fir and Southern Yellow Pine are a softwoods.

"Maple is a VERY paint paint base."
Maple is a VERY poor paint base.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. At this time, I think I have bigger fish to fry than the baseboard - I'm thinking master bath!