online orders are for delivery only – orders placed for collection will be cancelled and refunded
discount codes are only valid on online orders not instore
orders placed for collection will be cancelled and refunded
discount codes are only valid on online orders not instore
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DELIVERIES ARE ESTIMATED TO BE WITHIN 4 WORKING DAYS AND ONLY TO ISLAND ADDRESSES
Please be aware we strictly do not deliver to rear of property or book delivery dates and times so please don’t leave notes requesting this as they will not be actioned.
Call the shop if you need order updates 756751
Visit our retail outlet and view not only our range of fencing and timber products but also our Hot Tubs & Spas and custom design Garden Buildings
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orders placed for collection will be cancelled and refunded
discount codes are only valid on online orders not instore
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PLEASE BE AWARE WE HAVE EXPANDED SINCE THIS AND HAVE OUR LARGE TWIN LOG CABIN ON DISPLAY
Please be aware in the sunshine timber can be A bit of a pain!
Summer in general is a complete pain for our industry, it’s at this point we get customers questioning the ‘quality’ of our timber used in some of our products as some cracks and splits start to appear. Thankfully, it’s not just us either, every single supplier of timber products for the garden gets the same thing. Summer historically costs the timber industry thousands upon thousands of pounds due to perceived ‘defects’ in timber by customers when 99% of the time no defect exists at all.
Seasonal Wood Shrinkage
Regardless of how well dried a piece of wood is it will always grow and shrink accordingly with seasonal changes in relative humidity of the air. Changes in ambient humidity is all that is needed and will always affect timber regardless of any other influences.
A good treatment can slow this process down greatly regulating how fast moisture gets in and out of the timber. Wood shrinks by different amounts in different directions, there is however very little movement in the grain lengthwise. There is some shrinkage radially and a greater amount tangentially (along the curvature of the growth rings).
Wood defects due to seasoning
Seasoning is the process of drying lumber (either in a kiln or air drying) to an appropriate level of moisture for woodworking and other commercial uses. During this process, a board may become warped.
The term “warped” is a nonspecific term that refers to a distorted or misshapen board. More specific terms for warping include cupping, twisting, bowing, crook, and spring. Common seasoning defects, including types of warping, include:
Bowing – A curvature formed in the direction of the length of timber. A bowed board is flat, but bent, like a road going over a hill
Check – A check is a crack which separates the fibres of wood. It does not extend from one end to the other. It occurs across the growth rings and is usually caused by poor or improper drying processes
Crook – Where the board remains flat, but the ends move away from the centre. Another type of warp
Twisting – Where the board curves in length and width like a propeller
Cupping – Where the face of a board warps up across its width such that if one looks at the end of the board, it will look like a shallow letter “U”
Spring – Occurs when the board remains flat in width, but curves in length like a river going around a bend
Summary
Wood is an organic substance. It also tries its hardest to match its environment which you may not know. It moves, swells, and shrinks to do so and is normal timber behaviour.
This should be fully understood and expected when buying any timber product for your garden. Sometimes these cracks can open up alarmingly large but remember it is entirely normal and once the inner core has dried the crack will close up. Likewise as the moisture in the air increases so will the free water absorbed by capillary action in the wood and once again the cracks will close up.
None of these splits or cracks in the timber will affect it’s structural integrity or inherent strength. If however, it concerns you I recommend the use of a good quality timber treatment as this will restrict the moisture both entering and leaving the wood.
Basically timber can be viewed as a bit of a pain!
Wood, by definition cannot be defective, there is nothing to go wrong other than obvious rot which is very rare in graded timber.
If you experience cracks and splits in your timber, especially when it is obviously milled from a whole trunk it is not a ‘defective’ product, nor is the strength impaired, it simply is timber exhibiting it’s normal state and characteristics.
Enjoy it and embrace it as it is part of it’s charm and warmth and if you don’t like it, treat it with a good timber treatment and restrict the flow of moisture in and out. However! Even the best treatments allow moisture transfer, even plastic does to a certain extent.
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