What is better lumber or glued lumber: comparative

07-01-2018

Building

With the development of modern technologies in construction, a variety of different materials began to appear, which in their properties are similar to already existing products, but at the same time they have their additional qualities. This state of affairs constantly forces us to compare both products to determine the optimal solution and choice.

That is why the question of whether a timber or a glued timber is better is of great concern not only for modern craftsmen, but also for customers.

Comparison

To determine the choice, it is necessary to consider in detail the methods of manufacturing these materials and understand how they affect their properties. Then you can make a comparison, on the basis of which and make a choice of timber.

Glued materials

Considering the best designs of houses from glued laminated timber, it can be noted that the whole process of their manufacture is directly related to the creation of the material itself.

First of all, it is necessary to understand that natural wood is used for the manufacture of this material. However, it does not constitute a solid piece, but is actually collected from waste.
First, the board is taken and stacked on top of each other until the required size is obtained.
Nearby are stacked closely other piles.

One of the varieties of the technological process of manufacturing glued materials, presented in the form of a scheme

If the length of the boards does not match the specified parameters, then they are increased with the help of carved locks and glue.
Then the resulting stack is placed under a press and vacuum dried. At this moment, all the moisture comes out of the material, which sometimes makes it possible to assume that the best houses are made from glued laminated timber, and not from raw wood, since they practically have no shrinkage.
After this procedure, special glue is applied to the boards and again collected in a pack, the dimensions of which are very close to the dimensions of the log. It is worth noting that the composition of the adhesive substance is usually endowed with antibacterial and moisture-resistant properties, but at the same time it practically does not pass air.

Next, the material is placed under the press and exposed to a certain temperature.
After all the boards are glued together, the finished timber is placed on a woodworking machine, where it is given the specified dimensions.

The principle of creating composite wood products

Given this method of manufacture, it can be understood that the best glued laminated timber is endowed with a mass of positive qualities. It has a long service life, is resistant to wet environments and is protected from the effects of fungi and mold. At the same time, this material does not allow air at all, which can be regarded as a negative trait.

Tip! When choosing a laminated material, you should ask the seller about what additives and components were used to create it. This will help determine the list of additional properties or even identify harmful substances that can be released during heating.

Option sawing logs using special machines

Timber

Standard instructions for the manufacture of lumber suggests that the bar will be made of solid logs.

First, the workpiece is cleared of branches and bark. For this, a grinding machine is usually used.
Then the material goes to sawing, where boards and the timber are cut from it. Moreover, its dimensions are slightly larger than necessary.

For drying wood, special furnaces are used that combine vacuum generation and heating.

After that, the item is placed in a drying chamber, where moisture is removed from it. It should be noted that with such a large thickness it can not be completely removed, so the house of this material will shrink about 7%, and the price of the final product will be somewhat less than that of glued laminated timber. (See also the article Dried timber: material features)
When the workpiece is completely dry, it is sent to the machine, where they remove fine chips, bringing to the required size.

В итоге получаемый материал довольно хорошо поддается обработке и является совершенно экологически чистым. Также он отлично пропускает воздух и позволяет строению «дышать».

Additional possibilities of laminated materials involve the use of additional inserts from other wood species

However, natural timber tolerates moisture very poorly and is exposed to mold. That is why before installation it is necessary to carefully process your own hands with the help of impregnation. (See also the article Features of the treatment of timber from rotting)

Tip! With proper selection of primer can almost equalize the characteristics of both materials. However, the property of the glued timber not to allow air in is not possible to eliminate, just as the probability of shrinkage in a natural product.

Proper selection of building materials will allow you to create a structure with excellent technical characteristics and long service life.

Conclusion

In the presented video in this article you will find additional information on this topic. Also based on the text that is laid out above, we can conclude that both of these materials are good enough for building houses. However, they have some distinctive qualities, and therefore the final choice is always the end user.