The board you buy today is smaller than the one it replaced — by design.
Modern 2x4 lumber actually measures 1.5 by 3.5 inches, a standard formalized in 1964 after post‑WWII milling changes reduced dimensions. While most buyers accept the nominal sizing, veteran builders ...
Talk to any contractor or carpenter — or most people who are reasonably familiar with home construction and repair — and they’ll tell you that a “4×4” piece of lumber is not actually four inches by ...