All about the kiln-dried bar

On the shelves of construction markets and supermarkets, you can find two offers - kiln-dried timber or natural moisture. A feature of such proposals is the preservation of natural moisture in it or its removal in variable ways. The second has an undoubted advantage in a more democratic cost, although there are also disadvantages. But looking through all the information about the raw materials for construction, you can find other differences that cause difficulties when choosing an item of preference.

The use of this building material has been fruitful for millennia. The prevalence and demand in earlier times is explained by its presence in close reach, relative persistence and ease of processing. Previously, a log version was taken for construction, in modern conditions, glued is more often used, which has retained all the advantages of its predecessor, but is cheaper and has some undeniable advantages. One of them is versatility: developers can use timber for the construction of a residential building, a country mansion, outbuildings (a barn, a bathhouse, a cowshed, a chicken coop or a stable). Hence the division into three main types.

• Building - a log processed from all sides to give it a rectangular shape, which has everything you need for ease of construction - strength, heat capacity, quick fit and ease of installation of corner joints. However, for trouble-free operation, not only additional processing is needed, but also taking into account the probable shrinkage, which postpones the final finishing of the walls for a long time.

• Profiled in demand in the construction of seasonal houses. It has an excellent appearance, a varied profile structure, there is no need to caulk, but for capital construction, a mezhventsovy heater is used, otherwise in cold weather there are difficulties with heating the building.

• Glued, in which the combined, pine and larch is appreciated, combining the advantages of two types of wood - resistance to decay, strength, no shrinkage and the ability to start finishing work immediately after the construction of the house.

According to experts, the latter category retains all the advantages of natural wood, excluding the inevitable shrinkage, and giving additional properties - and resistance to moisture and insect attacks. GOST defines the dryness of wood material as the presence of no more than 20% moisture in it, and for external walls, 12-18% are considered to be the optimal indicator. Active and passive methods are used to remove excess moisture.

In the first case, the wood is dried in stacks, under ventilated awnings. This is a less costly method, but difficult to predict in terms of time and results.

Without a needle moisture meter, it is difficult for an uninformed person to distinguish a well-dried passively timber from an industrially processed one. Their cost is different, and an unscrupulous seller can sell products at an inflated price. Experts are sure that for their own construction, counting on a longer operation, it is better to buy not natural, but chamber drying.

The difference in construction time is also noticeable - wood prepared by the passive method can be insulated and finished no earlier than six months later, until it shrinks. The timber dried in the chamber, in contrast to the cheaper timber, freed from natural moisture under an open shed, does not require a break for this. The developer will be able to start finishing immediately.

There are other valuable properties that distinguish the kiln-dried timber:

• high moisture resistance even in climates with frequent precipitation;
• minimal deformation, no large cracks;
• does not rot and is practically not exposed to the destructive action of molds;
• the correct geometric shape, which greatly facilitates the installation process;
• looks quite decorative, picturesque even with minimal processing.

Useful properties also depend on the type to which the acquired building material belongs, but builders also note the minimal shrinkage (for a good timber it is less than 3%), and the opportunity to save on the foundation, lighter weight of the structure and the absence of the need for constant maintenance (treatment with an antiseptic, caulking of cracks , excellent thermal conductivity and decorative effect even without additional cladding).

In the products presented in this trade line, several features are distinguished by which differentiation is made. The consumer's choice can be determined by such parameters.

• Front surface - rectilinear, with smooth sides, curved, where one of the sides is convex, resembling a rounded log when laid from the outside, and a convex O-shaped profile, which makes it possible to achieve the same illusion in the interior decoration of the room.

• Profiling - with one ridge, not insulating enough, but easy to use, double, for laying an insulating layer between the seams. There is another way to achieve a permanently dry wall: if the profile is chamfered, water will not get between the ridges. And the most popular is a comb, with several teeth, reliable in joining and quite difficult to assemble.

• A common distinction is the size of the bar, the method of surface finishing is planed or sanded, antiseptic or requiring a disinfecting impregnation. Wet boards are more prone to rotting, while vacuuming will remove even bound moisture and this can cause the lumber to dry out.

The predominantly used raw materials are coniferous trees, which have long and well proven themselves in construction. A four-edged bar is made from a log, which, after drying, is profiled on a special machine. For solid, wood with an intact structure is used, for profiled - special parts with spikes and grooves, glue is made from several layers. Sometimes it is different wood - for example, pine and larch, but it can also be similar, it is just that in each layer it is laid in different directions, which gives minimal deformation when drying.

The quality of laminated veneer lumber depends on the tenacity and adhesive properties of the composition used in the manufacture. Drying, milling and packaging are carried out after the wooden blanks of variable dimensions are obtained.

The range of parameters is to a certain extent dictated by the need to apply already developed projects, but there are certain standardization measures that the finished product is guided by. The standard length of the workpiece is 6, 2, and 3 meters. In case of a non-standard project, preference is given to the longest one, which is cut on site according to the project requirements. 100x100 is considered a standard section, like other square ones - for example, 200x200.

It's just that the first is used for seasonal buildings - country houses, verandas or gazebos, and the second is used for the construction of high-strength cottages with weighting elements. In this case, it is better to take large batches marked 200x200x6000 (where the last digit is the length of the workpiece). 45, 275, 50 by 150, rectangular 100x150 - less common products classified as non-standard, however, and they may be required under certain climatic conditions or the implementation of a non-standard building project for a specific purpose. 150x150 is considered the optimal building material for baths and housing.

The practically unlimited possibility of using dry timber is due to its excellent properties - in construction, operation and health benefits. Houses and cottages, garden and guest houses, utility rooms - from a bathhouse and a garage to a barn and a chicken coop are built from it. The advent of Scandinavian timber and modern heaters has removed climatic restrictions, and the presence of a huge number of projects sometimes even provides the opportunity to receive ready-made documentation for free when buying a large batch of sawn timber.

There are options for the construction of not only residential premises, but also industrial, public catering establishments, with their inherent decorativeness and economy. This progressive building material allows you to quickly and smoothly implement the project due to a small percentage of shrinkage, no deformation and cracks, rotting, mold. It does not need a massive foundation, permanent caulking of goals.