Materials Modified woods
Alfriston School showing thermally modified fraké from Ecochoice. Photo: Ecochoice Ltd
can be supplied in clear lengths and FSC or PEFC Certified. EcoChoice also supplies Aegis wood – a timber modified using a silica-based impregnation technology which improves mechanical properties, durability and reaction to fire. DuraWood™ is thermally modified ayous supplied through Timber Link International. Laboratory testing has established that this modified product is durable against wood destroying fungi and testing has found it to be stable in terms of movement. Available in clear lengths, this modified wood is being marketed for exterior applications such as cladding. Natural Cladding®, available through RUSSWOOD, is a low-density, thermally modified tropical hardwood which is both durable against wood destroying fungi and stable. It is particularly suitable for cladding applications where clear faces are required. Vastern Timber is launching its range of thermally modified British grown timbers in 2016 under the product name Brimstone. The product originated from a collaborative project funded in part by Timber Strategies which included Vastern Timber, Tyler Hardwoods, Grown in Britain, BRE and representatives from the construction industry.
and Brimstone sycamore (E). The letter E denotes the timber as being suitable for external applications. Brimstone (E) for all species will initially be marketed for cladding with only ash also sold for decking. Aesthetically, all of the Brimstone species will be relatively free of knots (equivalent to BS1186-3 Class 1, similar to No. 2 clear, and better than Western red cedar) providing an alternative to the more knotty thermally modified softwoods. n
About the author Dr Andy Pitman is Technical Business Development Manager, BM TRADA.
Further information TRADA’s Wood Information Sheet Modified Wood Products WIS 2/3-63 is available from www.trada.co.uk/publications, with the revised edition to be published in 2016.
The three species modified will be poplar (hybrid), ash and sycamore, sold as Brimstone poplar (E), Brimstone ash (E) www.trada.co.uk
Timber 2016 Industry Yearbook
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