Wood is a natural, renewable resource that has many benefits for your home.
Wood is a real material that has an inherent beauty and can add value to your home. There are many types of wood that you can use, each with its own unique characteristics. Using wood in your home is a great way to enjoy the natural beauty of this material and gain some of the many benefits it has to offer
In addition, wood is biodegradable, meaning that it will decompose over time. this is also cost effective and can be used to create a variety of different structures.
There are many types of wood available, each with its own unique properties.
The benefits of wood
No other material has the character, warmth and individuality of wood. It has timeless good looks and provides a sense of well-being;
No other material grows naturally and helps make your home a healthier place;
Good quality wood windows are an investment as well as being aesthetically pleasing;
Wood has huge environmental benefits over other building materials. Wood product manufacturing, produces far fewer greenhouse gases and uses less energy to process than steel, concrete, aluminium or plastic;
Wood is the green choice. It is completely bi-degradable and as the world’s only renewable building material, wood can not only be recycled but regenerated as well.
Wood is a natural insulator and enhances the thermal performance of a window.
90% of the wood we use in the UK comes from European forests. The owners of these forests are regulated by strict laws which require replacement of harvested trees. Because of the carbon sink effect of the forests (trees absorb carbon dioxide as they grow), wood from these sustainably managed forests can actually be better than carbon neutral.
Wood is a high performance material, low in weight, yet high in density, with excellent load bearing and thermal properties, and the availability of a wide range of timbers, each with its own characteristics, means wood can be suitable for most special requirements.
Wood is resistance to heat, frost, corrosion and pollution; the only factor that needs to be controlled is moisture;
Wooden furniture combines timeless beauty with robust practicality and can be made to suit a contemporary or traditional style.
Woods strength, lightweight and stability means wooden furniture is exceptionally durable, ageing gracefully over the years.
Wood creates naturally healthy living conditions. It is easy to keep clean, helps maintain an optimum humidity balance, helps a room warm up more quickly and keeps condensation to a minimum.
Types of wood and their uses
| Species | Durability | Surface treatment | Basic price | uses |
| utile | durable | good | medium | Quality internal and external joinery |
| sapele | durable | good | low | All-purpose hardwood – doors / windows |
| idigbo | durable | good | low | All-purpose hardwood – windows / doors. Can be used as an alternative to oak |
| meranti | moderate | Poor / good | low | General joinery |
| African cedar | durable | good | low | Softer grade of mahogany. Good all round timber – windows / doors |
| iroko | Very durable | moderate | medium | Natural oils make this a good durable exterior timber ideal for windows / doors |
| European oak | durable | Moderate / good | high | Quality internal and external joinery |
| American white oak | moderate | good | medium | Quality internal joinery – stairs / furniture & panelling / flooring |
| Tulipwood / poplar | Non-durable | excellent | low | Internal joinery – furniture / panelling & mouldings |
| cherry | moderate | good | high | Quality joinery – cabinet making / furniture / shopfitting |
| ash | Non-durable | good | medium | Quality internal joinery |
SOFTWOOD
| Species | Durability | Surface treatment | Basic price | uses |
| European redwood (red deal) | Non-durable | Moderate / good | low | Quality internal and external joinery |
| Whitewood (spruce) | Non-durable | Moderate | low | All-purpose hardwood – doors / windows |
| Canadian yellow pine | Non-durable | good | low | All-purpose hardwood – windows / doors. Can be used as an alternative to oak |
| Southern yellow pine | moderate | good | medium | General joinery |
| Honduras pitch pine | durable | good | low | Softer grade of mahogany. Good all round timber – windows / doors |
| Siberian larch | Durable | good | low | Natural oils make this a good durable exterior timber ideal for windows / doors |
| Douglas fir | Durable | good | medium | Quality internal and external joinery |
| Western red cedar | Durable | good | Medium / high | Quality internal joinery – stairs / furniture & panelling / flooring |
| hemlock | Non-durable | good | low | Internal joinery – furniture / panelling & mouldings |
ENGINEERED TIMBER
| Species | Durability | Surface treatment | Basic price | uses |
| Accoya* (modified wood) | Very Durable | High | Medium / High | All exterior applications include windows, doors, cladding. Has the properties that match those of hardwood. |
| *supplier offers guarantee of 50 years above ground. |