Timber
About Timber
Purchasing timber may or may not be a daily occurrence in your day to day life. A shopping drive of such a product may sound like a daunting task, even more for a first-time buyer. To get it right, you must grab enough information before buying. The tips here on this page will particularly help in that aspect.
The foremost reason most of you choose timber is that this wood type lasts for hundreds of years. And it looks really elegant. Apart from obvious reasons, you can also consider being morally right. As humankind is seeing depletion of forest lands, buying from brands that assure preservation is a small action from your side but would mean a lot to future generations. Indeed, brands and manufacturers supply woods and plant trees to make it equal give it take with nature. That being said, it would be in everybody’s best interest if only you scrutinise the brands’ authenticity or reputation before buying any product from any of the popular names. This may be a step for later stages. Right now, you can start your research by knowing a little about the types of timber wood.
Types of timber wood
Hardwood and softwood are two types of timber wood. In layman terms, softwood is the type that comes from a conifer and remains evergreen. In contrast, hardwood comes from slow-growing trees. The basic difference is that hardwood is denser than its counterpart. Due to this difference, the applications differ, or some usage depends on personal preferences too. For example, the flooring of your home can be of both hard and softwoods. The decision may also depend on your budget as softwood is budget-friendly compared to hardwood. Another example is boat making, which can only be from hardwood as softwood can absorb moisture. Talking of budget, you can also check the cheapest place to buy timber online in the UAE but don’t compromise on quality. You can nonetheless make your purchase cost-effective and quality-driven. All you have to do is spend ample time to research, explore, and compare.
Oak timber
Oak timber is one of the premium variants of hardwood type. From construction, finishing, to decoration, this type is versatile and inherits great strength. The appearance of this timber wood comes as gorgeous shining material after the application of oil or other finishing substance. You can choose the touch smooth or hard based on your choices. Also, the care of oak wood items is also specific because you can only hand-wash them and must avoid soaking them in water. You can use food-safe mineral oil to grease them frequently to maintain their beauty and durability. As you can clearly notice, the maintenance cost here needs to have a separate budget overall. Keep note of this before hitting the buy button on oak or any other timber wood.
Decking timber
As the name says itself, timber for building decks and patios are decking timber. You can use hardwood and softwood both, based on your preference and budget. But no doubt, hardwood would be more durable for the outdoors. The preference for buying softwood can be due to the fact that it is the cheapest decking timber. However, its appearance has knots and other flaws, which rather than unwanted, looks appealing. Most buyers especially prefer decking softwood for such an appearance. If you choose one, make sure of the maintenance afterwards. This kind has to be treated with finishing touches that prevent swelling due to humidity. You also need to reduce the risk of collapsing when working to build outdoors. Well, you can hire a seasoned professional and stop worrying about side effects. In fact, you can consider breaking down the labour cost to predict the overall budget. It will help make an informed decision.
Treated timber
Timber is already a durable product, but climate changes can still have unwanted effects. In that case, timber treatment can preserve the wood and add more to the durability factor. Wood decay and insect attack are two common problems the treatment is effective for. You can choose between two types of timber treatment: non-pressure process and pressure process. Choosing one may need a little research from your end. Ask an expert or watch a video online to get a basic understanding. Rest is up to your budget and personal preferences. However, after the treatment methods are done, you can expect the product to prolong its life by maintaining quality standards. So, the time spent will be worth it in the end. It will not matter you choose a cheap treated timber or an expensive one if you have thoroughly inspected the product and gone through all ins and outs.
Tips on how to buy Timber
You must have already decided whether you want to go for hardwood and softwood, depending on the purpose. Your focus now is on finding the best product without compromising on quality. You can only do that by keeping a keen eye on the product and knowing some of the top manufacturers and the quality standard they maintain. Once you start exploring different products, you should keep a few bullet points in mind to make an informed decision. The points may be fundamental but necessary to know.
- Appearance is what matters – Some of you might be wanting a product with visual defects to make the floorboard or furniture look natural. For that, you need to check the grade stamp, and you will see the actual percentage of defects. For example, one knotless face with 10percent visual defects is what you will see written as the specifications. You can then use them in construction, finishing, or even decoration.
- Quality is equally important – Apart from looks, you should check if the wood has passed the quality tests. However, if you want to buy unprocessed wood, you should get to know the age and fell of the timber, which is sufficient to predict the quality. If you are buying processed wood, the grade stamp again will help you in determining the quality.
- Research a bit – If you see a very expensive floorboard online, there could be two reasons for setting up this price. First is, of course, quality, and second is the import because the faraway locations add to the price tag. If you research the supply and manufacturers, you can then create a budget conveniently.
- Shop around and compare – A product should fit your needs as well as your budget. If you are ready to spend some time scrutinising the products, budget shopping with quality is guaranteed. After the research, when you know what is best for you, then it is time to compare different products and choose the best-suited.
- Inspect the product – Knots, size, number, position, and condition are some of the must-read specifications. Straightness along the length is another aspect of quality standards. After reading all the specifications, and once satisfied with the product, it is time to add the product to your cart.
Be sure to keep the tips in mind while shopping around. They will definitely help you to narrow down your purchase. In fact, you may already know that quality timbers as floorboards can last up to a hundred years without fail. So, it is indeed a one-time investment where you should not mind putting in more effort and investing more time.
Question & Answer
How is timber processed?
The processing of timber takes place in four steps. The first step is falling and cutting trees. It could be seasonal natural fell or cut down by professionals. The second step is the seasoning of timber. The newly fell trees contain water content in the form of sap and moisture, which is dried, and the process of drying is known as seasoning. After that, the third step is the conversion of trees by means of cutting them into a suitable section. Then, the fourth and last step is the conversation of timber to make them durable to increase their life. Every step performed diligently gives results in the form of high-quality timber wood.
How is timber graded?
Grading of timber is necessary to separate the available material into groups so that the selection becomes simplified. More grading depends on the species, where and how it was grown, and the age at which the tree fell. Once the wood undergoes a combination of simple and complex quality tests, professionals grade them in terms of appearance, structure, visual stress, machine stress, quality control, and many others. After that, every group of wood gets a grade stamp, including grade, producer, identification number, and condition. So, whenever you see a budget difference in products, all these aspects come into reasoning.
Which timber flooring is best?
Hardwoods can be the most durable choice you make. For example, oak timber, maple, and cherry are some ideal options. Although hardwoods are expensive, their looks and quality are so impressive that the price tag seems justified. Softwood is no less in terms of looks. If you are on a budget, you can go for softwood like Baltic pine. The only downside of softwoods is that high-heeled shoes or dog paws can scratch and dent the floors, and they are also noisy. However, that cannot be the reason to avoid this buy as you can use rugs and runners to absorb sound.
Where to buy timber online in the UAE?
Be it a personal or professional need, you can totally rely on our product search engine to fulfil all your timber requirements. Whether you are indulging in a DIY project or outsourcing a home renovation, you can find all your supplies upon visiting the platform. It is authentic, affordable, and easy to navigate. A list of reputed brands awaits you to explore them. A few brand names include Accoya Wood, Timber Living, and Shou Sugi Ban. You will find more upon your visit. Irrespective of the scale of your project, you can find products fulfilling your needs.