Wood or timber is a material obtained from the stems and branches of trees and other woody plants.
Dry wood consists of cellulose fibers (40%–50%) and hemicellulose (15%–25%), bound together by lignin (15%–30%). Wood tissue supports plants, allowing them to stand upright and reach considerable sizes. Therefore, it has good mechanical and strength properties. It is a natural composite in which cellulose fibers have good tensile strength, and the lignin connecting them is resistant to compression. These properties make wood an extremely suitable material for making various structures, especially in construction and furniture.
WHERE IS WOOD USED?
Wood is one of the main materials in construction. It has been an important structural element since humans began building shelters and remains widely used today. In medieval Europe, for example, the most widely preferred timber in construction was oak, which was used to make beams, walls, doors, and floors.
In many parts of the world, new residential buildings still have a wooden frame structure. The use of industrial wood is becoming increasingly important in construction, being used in both residential and commercial buildings as a structural and decorative material. Even in buildings made of other basic materials, wood is often present as roof structures, doors and their frames or cladding. It is often used in the formwork for pouring concrete. Another widespread application of wood in buildings is as flooring - directly or in the form of derived products.
DOES A TREE HAVE A SHORT LIFE?
Building materials are selected based on a number of factors such as durability, cost, availability of raw materials, ease of construction, warmth and aesthetics. Wood has better or equal qualities compared to other building materials in all of the above-mentioned requirements. Like other materials, wood is susceptible to rotting under adverse conditions. Of course, with appropriate design details, good construction techniques and adequate maintenance of the building, wooden structures can last an extremely long time. Wood has been used as a durable building material for thousands of years and there are historic wooden buildings that are still standing strong as proof of this.
In buildings where durability is an important component, many designers do not choose wood because the common belief is that wood structures have a shorter lifespan than other building materials. However, recent research has proven this belief to be false. Wood has been studied as a building material in buildings that have collapsed and in fact, it has been proven that wood structures are not the cause of this.
ADVANTAGES OF WOOD MATERIAL
There are special places for the application of wood, where its natural durability capabilities make it the best material.
- Wood is resistant to some chemicals that destroy steel and concrete. For example, wood is a preferred material when it comes to buildings in areas with high humidity and maritime climates.
- With proper design and careful workmanship, wooden bridges demonstrate remarkable durability and strength.
- Piles and columns that are driven into fresh water last for centuries. Many of the foundations of important buildings are built on wooden piles, including much of Venice and the Empire State Building in New York.
HOW TO PROLONG THE LIFE OF WOOD IN A BUILDING?
Wood has been a valuable and effective structural material since the earliest days of human civilization. With normal good practices, wood can provide you with reliability for many years. But like other building materials, wood can suffer as a result of errors in storage, design, construction and maintenance methods. How can you extend the life of wood in a building? The best approach is to remember that wood is for dry construction and must remain dry. If you are buying wood for construction purposes, buy truly dry wood, store it dry, design the wood structure or interior element to stay dry, and properly maintain the wood elements in your home. This is an approach called design durability. If the wood does not stay dry, you have two approaches. Since wet wood is at risk of rotting, you should choose a product that is resistant to rot. A good choice is to stop at wood from naturally rot-resistant species. This is called natural durability. Most modern wooden structures are treated with special preparations that make them durable and protect them from rotting. This is called the durability of the treated wood.
HOW ARE THE DEFICIENCIES OF WOOD COMPENSATED?
The use of wood as a primary building material from ancient times to the present day is due to its valuable qualities - it is easy to extract, process and install, has great elasticity, is light in weight, has good static properties, is easy to transport, etc.
Along with its good qualities, it also has some disadvantages that must be taken into account when choosing a structure: it has a non-uniform structure (it takes on stresses in different ways); it absorbs and releases moisture, as a result of which its volume constantly changes; if stored poorly, it is attacked by woodworms, rots and quickly collapses; it is highly flammable. A large part of these disadvantages can be compensated for by proper processing and storage, as well as by selecting appropriate structures.
WHY DOES WOOD HAVE A HEAVY COMPOSITION?
The growth of a tree is the result of the annual accumulation of layers of wood – annual rings. Annual rings have a different composition of wood elements – spring rings have thin cell walls, and autumn rings – thicker. This is the reason for the non-uniform composition of wood. There is also a difference in the properties of annual rings depending on the age of the tree: younger trees are more susceptible to deformation than older ones. They absorb and release more moisture. In addition, there is a difference in the durability of trees depending on their species.
When it absorbs or releases moisture, wood changes its volume – it expands or contracts. These deformations are not uniform, they are significantly larger perpendicular to the annual rings. In addition, wooden elements also warp depending on the annual rings. All this must be taken into account when designing wooden elements, seeking compensation for deformations by combining elements with different directions of deformation.
EXTERNAL CRACKS ARE NOT DANGEROUS
During the drying process, cracks appear in the wood - both internal and external. External cracks are almost inevitable for some softwood species and are not as dangerous. More dangerous are internal cracks, which remain invisible and can weaken the structure.
Particularly serious are the defects that occur as a result of damage to the wood by insects and fungal diseases. Fortunately, however, a large part of these defects can be avoided if the requirements for proper harvesting, drying and storage of the wood are followed, as is done in our country.
WHY ARE WOODEN BEAMS THE MOST USED BUILDING MATERIAL IN THE WORLD?
Why wooden beams are preferred for roof construction can initially be found in the characteristics of wood. The properties of wood can be traced back to its origins. The cellular structure is strong and, due to its linear construction, gives wooden beams a strength comparable to that of steel, which is why wood is very suitable for roof construction.
Two types of wooden beams are used in the construction of roofs. The first, which are of higher quality, but also more expensive, are beams made from a single piece of wood. The second type of wooden beams are made from identically sized pieces of wood that are glued together with permanent adhesives. With us, there are no compromises with quality.
Wooden beams are widely used, both in the construction of house roofs and in the construction of roofs of modern residential buildings. Beams are most often used in the construction of a wooden frame of small houses, although they can be applied in other types of construction. They are also widely used for decoration in the home, building sustainable, beautiful sheds and barbecues.
Wooden beams are the most widely used building material in the world. No other building material has such a wide range of uses – they can be seen in structures all over the world from Europe to the Far East. They are also used in home interiors.
BEAMS ARE GOOD INSULATION IN BOTH SUMMER AND WINTER
Beams are designed to withstand bending and are incorporated into structural elements such as floors and roofs to distribute the weight of the structure and provide strong support.
The type of wood the beams are made of and their size are key in determining their load-bearing capacity. Healthy trees with dense wood are preferred for beams due to their increased strength, as well as resistance to insects and rot.
During the structural design phase of a building, architects will determine what materials should be used for supporting structures. There may be a trade-off between structural requirements and aesthetic aspirations, for example, in cases where wooden beams are not suitable due to the excessive height and load of the structure - then "fake" wooden beams can be installed on or around beams made of other materials such as concrete and metal to achieve a beautiful aesthetic appearance and a durable structure.
Wooden beams are very suitable for building one, two or three-story villas. They are also widely used for building alpine houses in the mountains. They insulate very well both in summer and in winter.
THE CHANGE IN THE COLOR OF THE WOOD IS NOT A DEFECT, BUT AN EFFECT
Insufficient fire resistance, as well as the possibility of gradual decay, are sometimes perceived as a disadvantage of wooden beams and wooden structures. If we proceed from the biological nature of wood, they are actually a problem for architects and interior designers, but by using appropriate modern construction products, wooden beams can be protected from decay, increase their durability, service life and fire resistance.
Wooden beams that are exposed to atmospheric attacks from the outside of the building gradually undergo a change in color, but this should be considered a characteristic of the material and an effect, not a defect. The application of special varnishes and oils to protect the wood is mandatory to ensure their long-term and trouble-free use.
WOODEN BEAMS ARE ALSO FAVORITE TO ENVIRONMENTALISTS
The use of wooden beams is also related to the environment, the greenhouse effect and the preservation of the world. For years, there have been a number of debates and legal measures aimed at limiting the effects of global warming.
Wood has the lowest carbon footprint, and the forest is where the timber for various construction purposes is sourced. In addition, the timber and timber in buildings effectively sequester carbon rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.
For this reason, wood, and in particular wooden beams, are at the top of various environmental assessments and are required for every new building in most developed countries around the world.
BOARDS, BATTLES, RIBS - WHAT IS WHAT?
Wooden boards, battens and ribs are mainly used as elements in the implementation of roof structures, in the production of furniture, for formwork in construction and repair works. They enjoy widespread use due to the qualities of wood, which we have already explained in detail.
The boards are produced by sawing wooden logs. They have a rectangular cross-section. The lengths are most often 3 and 4 m, maximum 5 m. They are used for making all kinds of furniture, wooden countertops, roofing materials, etc. They can also be used for formwork, for under-tile cladding of roof structures and other roofing materials.
There are two main types of boards – clean and formwork. A variety of another type are the front boards. They have a functional, but rather decorative purpose. They are installed under the gutters of the house or villa. For the sake of a good aesthetic appearance, there are always ornaments on the front part of these boards.
Ribs have almost identical uses as boards.
Laths are used primarily in the construction of roof structures, being placed under the tiles. They also come into play in the construction of siding cladding on buildings, as well as in the furniture industry.
WHAT DO WE OFFER?
With us you can find high-quality, durable and practical wooden materials. We offer dry processed wood - beams, ribs, laths, formwork and end boards. The differences in lengths, widths and thicknesses will give you the opportunity to choose what you need.
With us you will also find a wide variety of OSB boards, formwork columns and plywood.
The prices in our store are affordable.
