If you’re considering buying or even constructing your own wooden building, be it a dog kennel, kid’s playhouse or garden shed, you may well be wondering which type of material is the best to use.
You will no doubt want to have a wooden construction that can withstand the elements and will be a lasting feature in your garden. While you may be tempted by sheet wood because of its cost and ease to cut, any good wood supplier will tell you that using solid woods like pinewood will be a far better choice, and here’s why.
Pinewood vs. Sheet
To start with it’s important to recognise the differences between sheet and pinewood, as you can then gain a better understanding of why pinewood is the superior material to use for wooden constructions that will be used outdoors.
With solid woods like pine, it is taken from one solid wood piece that is then kiln dried to remove the moisture and strengthen the composite of the wood. These solid pieces of wood can then be cut into various sizes and thicknesses, depending on the nature of the construction. However, it’s important to know that as a solid wood they are harder to cut than sheet, so it’s essential to use the correct tools to avoid damaging the wood and to make sure you get an accurate cut.
Sheets on the other hand are a manufactured material that are made up of multiple layers of thin solid wood, which can be softwood and/or hardwood. These plies of wood are then glued together, and compressed to create one solid sheet of plywood. To increase the strength of the sheet wood, each layer of ply is rotated by 90° as it’s laid, so the wood grains run in different directions. Plywood is relatively easy to cut with the right tools and also comes in a variety of thicknesses and dimension.
The Merits Of Pinewood
Of course, what we’re really interested in is why pinewood is better for wooden constructions such as workshops, tool sheds or summer houses, and the first thing to note is its durability. Pinewoodhas been used for centuries to build houses and the reason for this is because it is incredibly long lasting and robust.
Thus if you’re building even a small structure from wood, you want to make sure the material you use is going to have a long life, given the right treatment and protection of course.Choosing pinewood over sheet will ensure this. As a solid piece of wood that’s been seasoned it will be far better equipped to withstand the elements, whereas sheets are prone to ply separation on the edges in damp or wet conditions.
Secondly, another aspect to consider is the strength of pinewood versus sheet. While both have good strength qualities, sheets are definitely weaker. When put under heavy strain or weight, such as shelving or holding up a roof, the individual plies making up the sheet can weaken and bow. However, as a solid piece of wood, the pinewood is much stronger; able to take the weight of something like a roof construction with very little chance of bowing.
To conclude why pinewood is the best choice, you only have to look at the beauty of natural wood. With pinewood you can see the grain of the wood that can be enhanced with varnish. However, sheets require veneers with wood effects or paint to give them an attractive finish.
Put simply, it’s easy to see why pinewood is better than sheet for something like a wooden garden shed or workshop. Hopefully after reading this you can see the benefits too, but if not don’t despair because at York Timberyou’ll see it all clearly from our high quality range of products.
from Home My Heaven: Home Improvement Blog UK http://www.homemyheaven.co.uk/2016/07/why-is-pinewood-better-than-sheet.html
