Today buildings constructed of engineered wood beams are becoming more popular. Modern wood gluing technology allows for the use of engineered wood for many elements in the production of wooden log homes. These multilayer wooden beams can be used in the construction of walls, rafters, and ceiling beams. In glued wood technology, a log only constitutes a raw material in order to produce engineered wood. It is also worth noting that engineered wood is a better building material than hand-planed or processed timber. The use of engineered glued wood is significantly broader than that of simple timber. First of all, engineered wood provides the ability to create a greater variety of architectural designs and combine wood with glass, masonry blocks, and frame structures.
Which Timber Beams Are Better - Solid or Engineered?
Wooden houses made from solid logs have a lot of good features, but there are some drawbacks as well. First of all, log home construction requires specialist knowledge. Another considerable disadvantage is the significant contracting of the house. The moisture in solid logs is usually more than 20 percent. When the logs dry, the walls of the house contract in the region of 10-15cms for every 2 metres in height. Moreover, this may also result in cracks and bumps during its usage, and solid wood is not as resistant to the climatic conditions and pests.
Engineered wood has a high-quality surface finish. This is due to the fact that all branches and defects are removed from the trees before gluing the wood. All the planks are selected and matched according to the colour and even the texture. This is why all the products made from engineered wood look perfect. One of the main characteristics of the engineered wood lumber is its geometrical stability. Unlike simple timber, engineered glued timber does not have internal tensions, so it keeps its shape and dimensions. It has been found that engineered wood can be up to two times stronger than regular wood.
The Technology of Construction
Engineered wood beams are made from Siberian spruce, pine or larch and certified melamine glue. Reliable wood gluing technology is applied to the production of beams. The beams are glued from 2 to 4 lamellas with a thickness selected according to the required width of the wall. It is recommended to use 120mm (2 x 60mm) beams for saunas, and from 160mm to 200mm thick beams for wooden houses. Longer beams speed up the construction and give the walls solidity.
Fast and Accurate Construction
A house of engineered wood can be built much quicker than a house of simple timber. The glued wood parts are produced under the same conditions at a constant temperature and humidity. The log house is assembled rapidly, without any complicated adjustments between the beams. Wooden houses built using engineered timber do not need time to settle, so it is possible to shorten the duration of the building and also build homes throughout the year.
Lamellas Provide Greater Architectural Possibilities
Wooden houses always have a kind of charm ‒ the smell of the wood and its smooth texture always provides home owners with positive thoughts and emotions. But not everyone favours wood as a building material because of the rigid principles and rules which must be followed. The glued beam material helps to broaden the traditional wooden architecture, which means that buildings can be unlimited in length and various round or broken shape structures can be incorporated. Usually there are two types of profiles – a flat surface and a rounded surface. Walls made of smooth profile engineered beams look solid and for the most part do not require any external decoration.
The main advantages of a house made from engineered beams compared to traditional wood materials are:
* Minimum wall subsidence in terms of height.
* The length of an engineered beam can be up to 20 metres. This helps to avoid the need to join the logs together.
* A house incorporating engineered beams can be easily and quickly assembled, so construction is available throughout the year.
* The special profile shape prevents moisture from entering the timber. This ensures the longevity of the home.
* Due to the special profile shape, humidity does not get between the logs. This ensures the durability of a wooden house.
* Interior and exterior decoration is not necessary because the log surface is smooth and sleek.
* A house of engineered beams practically does not settle and this ensures the house is ready to be moved into immediately after its construction.
