Characteristics of Timber

As a natural building material, timber is ideal for the construction of garden structures such as gazebos, pergolas, summerhouses, and arbours as its inherent properties provide the following benefits:

• Resistance to force when placed under a load
• Thermal and acoustic insulation
• High strength whilst retaining excellent levels of elasticity
• Easy to work with

Knots and Grain Pattern

Whilst every effort is made only to use carefully selected materials in constructing our garden structures, timber, by its very nature, will have variations in the grain across its surface and will also contain knots. This is normal and forms part of the beauty of it

Movement

During periods of high humidity, timber will expand as the cell walls absorb moisture leading to swelling, twisting, and sometimes warping. In turn, when humidity levels drop, the water is released back into the atmosphere leading to a change in the volume of the structural properties of the wood. This natural process often results in cracks appearing on the surface, commonly referred to as “shakes”, and are not to be mistaken for any manufacturing fault.

Rough Spots and Surface Imperfections

As the timber used in constructing our wooden gazebos, log cabins and various other garden structures is milled, sawn and planed into its parts, our suppliers do everything they can to avoid damaging the wood. However, where timber fibres or grain structures run in the opposite direction to the machining process, there may be times when rough spots are visible. This is most common when cross-cutting or rounding over posts where slight frays to the wood are unavoidable.

Variations in Colour

All trees are unique in grain structure. As such, you should expect variations in colour across the various components within any of the kits you buy online. Once exposed to the elements, colour variations will disappear or become less prevalent.

Pressure Treated Timber

Many of our products are pressure treated with chemical preservatives to ensure they last for many years. The process involves forcing the liquid preservative into the timber under pressure to absorb it into the heart of the wood. In some cases, as the preservative dries out, greenish-blue speckles can appear on the surface. Easily mistaken for mould, the speckles are solidified salts from the preservative, which will fade over time if left alone. Alternatively, they can be removed with a power washer or sanded off to a reduced appearance.

Mould

Our suppliers take every precaution to package and store the timber products so that mould cannot grow; however, occasionally, it will happen when the air has not been able to circulate freely to the components in the middle of the kits. If you find any mould present, you can remove using a wet cloth or brush or pressure washed off. Once assembled and exposed to the open air, the mould should not return.

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