Larch lining: pros and cons

Various types of wood are used as raw materials for the manufacture of building materials, since naturalness provides a long service life for the product, subject to proper care. Natural raw materials are more in demand by consumers and developers, including foreign and domestic companies.

Siberian larch for the production of sawn timber began to be acquired not so long ago - previously, coniferous varieties were in great demand. However, due to its excellent performance and aesthetic appeal, larch has become very popular. Today, lining made of this type of wood is a building material that is widely used for interior and exterior decoration of various premises.

The positive features of such raw materials include a number of its unique properties, due to the specific conditions in which the tree grows.

The presence of gum in the raw material enriches the wood and gives it special properties.

• Resistant to decay and harmful effects of microorganisms. Biostability is the highest in comparison with other types of wood used in production.
• For most insects, gum is dangerous, so they do not harm the wood. That is why products do not require mandatory chemical treatment against pests, which is a necessity for many other materials.
• The material is not subject to deformation due to moisture, which makes it possible to use larch in the arrangement of saunas and baths. Moreover, larch is the only wood that does not lose its qualities in water, but, on the contrary, becomes even stronger.
• It has been proven that the vapors that wood releases during its operation have a beneficial effect on human health - they increase immunity, reducing the risk of frequent colds. Also phytoncides saturate the indoor microclimate with antiseptic properties and a pleasant delicate aroma.

In addition to the features that are inherent in larch due to its composition, the material has many other advantages.

• A high level of product strength, which consists of the following data: tension and compression, bending along wood fibers, hardness and other characteristics. It is for these indicators that it differs significantly from pine and cedar, since it is very similar in the above characteristics to oak wood, which is the most durable material.
• Excellent level of fire resistance, which exceeds the similar level of fire resistance of pine twice.
• The attractive appearance of the wood, even when compared to maple or beech, results in an excellent view of the wood layers when cross-cut. Thanks to this feature, larch flooring is visually very similar to Canadian oak. Also, larch does not turn blue over time.

• Long service life of products.
• High thermal insulation performance, which allows the lining to provide coolness in the hot season, and to keep warm in winter.
• The color scheme of the material has a lot of different options, making it very easy to choose the desired shade for outdoor or indoor work.The palette includes 12 colors that range from light shades of gold to reddish brown.
• The age of wood only increases the positive qualities of raw materials, and the natural color pleases with its nobility, due to which there is no urgent need to correct it with the help of coloring compositions.

You can preserve the natural shade of larch lining by processing products with special oils or wax for wood, and you can set the desired tonality with dye compositions based on varnish.

The disadvantages of the breed include two features that are very subjective and conditional.

• The high cost of products. Lining and other larch lumber will require impressive acquisition costs, however, the durability and excellent quality indicators of raw materials more than pay off such expenses.
• Poor product quality due to errors in the processing and drying of the material. This is due to the fact that this type of wood is a resinous raw material, which requires strict adherence to the production process using a special tool, since proper drying reduces the risk of cracking of the raw material.

The range of application of larch lining is quite impressive - it includes both external and internal decoration of buildings and premises for various purposes. Therefore, based on the scope of the material, its main types can be distinguished.

Lining, in fact, is a facing board with a product thickness of about 20 mm. It has a ridge, consisting of a spike and a groove, thanks to which the boards are joined to each other. The production of products takes place by processing wood with milling and thicknessing machines, and the moisture level is set using technical drying.

Products are divided into grades based on the quality of the finished product.

There are such varieties of it:

• calm;
• brushed board;
• euro lining;
• block house;
• American.

The first type is a conventional bar. Features of the device of the profile of the lining calm make it possible to carry out finishing with minimal joints. Products painted with a special composition will ideally fit into the interior of any room, thanks to which calm lining can be seen in various uses: finishing garage doors, as a parquet board, arranging window frames.

The advantages of this type of wood are the following characteristics:

• impressive width of the product, which reduces the number of joints on the surface;
• brevity of products in combination with other materials;
• the ability to work with non-standard premises;
• the presence of recesses on the back of the board, which provides ventilation and condensate outlet;
• even covering of the front part;
• convenience and ease of installation.

If desired, using special tools, you can set an interesting relief for the coating.

Very stringent requirements are imposed on the production of lining calm. According to the grade, the material is divided into classes A, B, C, "Prima" and "Extra". This separation depends on the presence of knots, cracks, resin pockets, processing defects and other indicators. Consumer reviews indicate that the Extra variety is of higher quality in comparison with other product classes.

The brushed lining is notable for its peculiar texture: the front part of the board has a relief surface, due to which the attractiveness of the coating made of this material greatly increases. It began to be used for finishing work not so long ago, but thanks to its peculiar texture and the use of special technologies, it can be given a pronounced texture with an imitation of a 3D effect. To form the surface, brushing, patination, aging with wax and paint are used.You can set the texture to the material with your own hands, but it is worth considering that brushing larch is a rather laborious process.

Such products are popular as interior decoration for rooms in retro, country and Provence styles. They are also used for structures and rooms for various purposes: terraces, offices, living rooms.

Euro lining is produced on modern equipment, the product is in demand due to its correct geometry. The products differ from the American ones in size: as a rule, the latter is produced in a smaller size. Euro lining "Extra" is popular due to the polished smooth surface, which does not have knots or any other defects.

Grade C may include knots and shallow cracks, sometimes with contrasting spots. But, despite the fact that this grade is the very last class, such boards are perfect for decorating various rooms or buildings, for example, when decorating gazebos. Usually, larch lining is stored and transported in packs of protective film, which provides protection against moisture and dirt, while maintaining the appropriate appearance of the products.

The American woman is notable for its wedge-shaped configuration, due to which, after the installation is completed, the effect of overlapping products is set on each other. This feature increases the operational life of the finish, since the reliability of the joints of the elements protects against the destructive effects of external factors. The American is considered an ideal option for exterior wall decoration of houses. When the question regarding the choice of lumber for wall cladding is decided in favor of American lining, it is imperative to take into account the grade of wood: the higher the grade, the better the quality. The "Extra" class of larch lining is considered to be of the highest quality.

A block house is a board used most often for outdoor decoration, while the products have a semicircular front side. This configuration allows you to create a high-quality imitation of a rounded log. A building decorated with such a lining will look luxurious, since the external design resembles a wooden frame finish.

The block house is successfully used not only for cladding the outer walls of country cottages - panels are used to decorate the gables of buildings in combination with other materials, as well as surfaces inside houses: walls and ceilings. For the interior of premises made in a rustic style, such a lining will come in handy. Larch block house lining will provide heat and sound insulation in the room. It is recommended to additionally process the material that will be used for external work with a special compound - this will extend the life of the products and protect it from moisture and ultraviolet radiation.

Larch is not a valuable wood species, therefore, in comparison with oak or mahogany products, its cost is more affordable. However, aesthetic appeal and excellent quality are not inferior to more expensive analogs of products.

The reliability and durability of Siberian larch has been proven over the years and historySince piles made of this type of wood serve as a kind of fortifications for various kinds of structures in Venice, parquet floors of the Sheremetyev Palace and many other significant buildings were made from this wood.

Calm lining most often has the following dimensions:

• thickness - 14 mm;
• width - 85-140 mm.

On individual orders, some manufacturers make products with a thickness of 20 mm.

Euro lining and brushed products are made in accordance with two standards: European and domestic. The first standard defines the parameters of the product: length - 0.4-6 m, width 80-140 mm with a thickness of 12.5 mm.

Based on the size, it becomes obvious that the lining is divided in length into two types: long, most often used for finishing, and short, which is recommended for filing roof overhangs.

American larch, as a building and facing material, is produced in large and small versions. Small panels have a width of 0.6 to 0.9 mm, with a narrow rib thickness of 14-20 mm and a wide one - 22-28 mm.

The large view has the following dimensions: width - 0.9-1.4 mm with a narrow rib thickness from 16 to 28 mm and a wide one - 28-40 mm.

The larch block house is made with a product thickness of 28 mm, a width of 135 mm and a length of 2 to 4 m. Dimensions may vary depending on the manufacturer.

Knowing the dimensions of the selected type of product, you can choose the most suitable option for finishing by making a preliminary calculation of the required material.

The lining has long destroyed the stereotypes that relate to erroneous statements that the material is supposedly an acceptable option only for finishing country buildings. Today, lining, especially from Siberian larch, has become a popular design raw material, which is widely used to create the interior and exterior of residential buildings and public buildings.

Design of the room, the walls and ceiling of which are sheathed with clapboard calm light shades, will create an atmosphere of free and airy space, despite the presence of furniture and walls. An interesting solution would be a similar design for two-story houses with decorating the ceiling surface with wooden caissons and a massive chandelier.

A veranda or a covered terrace, where the decoration is made with dark-colored clapboard in combination with wicker furniture, made to match the walls and ceiling, will give the interior a rustic style that will warm you with coziness and warmth from decorating the room with natural and environmentally friendly products.

For information on where you can use the lining, see the next video.