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 provides 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 to only use carefully selected materials in the construction of 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 in some cases warping. In turn when humidity levels drop the moisture is released back into the atmosphere leading to a change in volume of the structural properties of the wood. This natural process often results in cracks appearing on the surface which are commonly referred to as “shakes” and are not to be mistaken for any kind of manufacturing fault.

Rough Spots and Surface Imperfections

 As the timber used in the construction of our wooden gazebos, log cabins and various other garden structures is milled, sawn and planed into its component parts our suppliers do everything they can to avoid damaging the wood. However, where timber fibres or grain structure run in the opposite direction to the machining process the may be times when rough spots are visible. This is most commonly seen 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 and as such you should expect to see variations in colour across the various components within any of the kits you buy online. Once exposed to the elements colour variations will start to disappear or will become less prevalent.

Pressure Treated Timber

To ensure the maximum levels of protection against decay 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 timber under pressure so that it is absorbed 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 actually solidified salts from the preservative which will fade over time if left alone. Alternatively they can be removed with a power washer or may be sanded off to a reduced appearance.

Mould

Our suppliers take every precaution to package and store the timber products so that mould is not able to grow however on occasion it will happen where air has not been able to freely circulate to the components located in the middle of the kits.

If you find any mould present this can simply be removed using a wet cloth, brush or can also be pressure washed off. Once assembled and exposed to the open air the mould should not return.

View Products